Do You Need A Camping Or Rv Parks Membership
Depending on how you travel or how often you travel, you may or may not benefit from one or more of the below-listed camping memberships. Some of them are geared more toward RV travelers or full-time RVers while others can benefit even the occasional camper. The extra benefits offered by some of the campground memberships are mainly aimed toward full-time travelers.
Whether or not you will gain much from joining one of these organizations will largely depend on several different factors including your future travel plans. This guide aims to assist you in making the best personal decision for your needs and bank account. You must weigh the membership fees against the benefits offered.
For more information on RV travel, check out this article!
Perks Of Joining A Well
Most RV clubs have the same basic features. They have locations throughout the country available to their members, with access to certain benefits and amenities. Some even partner with retailers for extra discounts on merchandise and gas. However, there are more perks to joining an RV club than what is included in your membership.
Best Rv Memberships To Join
RV travel costs can quickly add up, and a great place to save money is with RV memberships and campground clubs.
To save you time we have compiled a list of what we consider to be the best RV memberships available. Its not a complete list, just the ones that we consider to be the most helpful.
We dont necessarily recommend signing up for all the memberships below, however most RV owners typically find that its best to sign up for at least 3-5 RV clubs in order to get the best savings. This also offers more flexibility and chances to use an RV discount club.
Lets dive into the best memberships.
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Benefits Of Joining The Caravan And Motorhome Club:
These benefits can change without notice- visit their site to see any changes
- Rated as the UK’s #1 touring club
- Access to CL sites
- Zero deposits, free cancellations and amendments
- Discounts on lots of practical gear, including snow and rock , dog & pet treats (for your favourite dog road trip accessories, discounts for new cars, tyres and even things like the National Trust.
- Discounted campsite prices and overseas holiday prices
- Discounted insurance and ferry crossings
- Saving on retailers like Avtex and Road Pro for things like your motorhome TVs or motorhome sat-navs, as well as other useful road trip kit.
- plus more
Free Access Pass For The Disabled
The park’s service also offers a FREE access pass for those who have been medically determined to have a permanent disability.
Free if obtained on-site, $10 if ordered online or through the mail.
Still, this is one not to miss if you are a senior and you like to stay in Federal parks.
Pros and Cons of a National Park Senior Pass
- Very affordable with two different ‘versions’ – an annual pass and a lifetime pass
- 50% off camping at participating Federal parks
- Get into National Parks for free
- You have to be of age to get it
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Of The 5 Best Rv Camping Membership And Pass Options: Are State Park Camping Passes
Each state has its own guidelines for purchasing a Camping Pass for their state parks. There is also usually an additional charge for vehicle passes into state parks but again, it depends on each state. We have compiled The Complete List of State Park Passes so that you can look at all the passes available in the state youre interested in.
Why User Reviews Are So Valuable
Many clubs offer directories where members can add reviews to different sites. This can be incredibly useful. The promotional materials for a site might make it look heavenly, but if the toilets stink and the pool is filthy, you wont have a good stay there. These things dont always show up in the pictures!
User reviews can also provide information about the facilities available, local attractions and which restaurants, pubs and cafes nearby are worth checking out. Photos taken by visitors to the site can give you a warts-and-all view that helps you decide if you really want to visit.
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What Caravan And Motorhome Clubs Are There In The Uk
I’ll be honest, there are more caravan, motorhome and campervan clubs in the UK than you might expect! There’s no way I can list them all, but there are a few bigger and more popular ones which you’re probably heard of.
In our experience, there are 3 main UK motorhome clubs that owners tend to join, so these will be the ones we focus on in this post.
There are of course many others within the UK, like specific owners club, but we won’t cover those here.
Should I Join The Camping And Caravanning Club
Newcomers to caravanning are strongly advised to join either the Caravan and Motorhome Club or the Camping and Caravanning Club in order to learn as much as they can about the sport. Experienced caravanners can also benefit from membership in a variety of ways, particularly in terms of staying up to date with the latest legal and technical developments from the clubs.
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What Are Campervan And Motorhome Owners Clubs For
Touring clubs work on the principle that joining with others makes you stronger. Uniting different campervan and motorhome owners brings strength in numbers, enabling clubs to secure discounts, negotiate deals and share knowledge among members.
You dont need to be a dedicated campervan enthusiast to join a club, simply having a touring vehicle you wish to take around is enough. Even so, it can be daunting to understand the differences between the main groups and work out what is good value for money. This handy guide will help you to choose the right option for you.
If You Plan Your Route And Your Travel Time Well You Can Certainly Benefit From These Memberships
Of course, it will also depend on campsites being available but that wouldapply whether you’re a member of a club or not. You stand a good chance of getting a site on the days when the discounts apply, since those are the dates they are trying to fill hence the discount.
The following clubs offer 50% camping discounts:
Annual Cost: For Canadians: CAN$37.99 or CAN$67.99 for 2 years. For USA and international citizens: CAN$60.00 per year. Camping Benefits: 10% discount at campgrounds and up to 25% offered atsome. All 440 campgrounds in the directory can be viewed online before joining .
We have belonged to this Canadian-based RV membership club since we purchasedour first RV in 1999. Although it has a few other advantages, the mainreason we belong is because membership gives us a discount on our RV insurance with Wayfarer Insurance who, after shoppingaround, has always offered the best rate we can find for insuring our RV. So really, themembership is free. In fact, it even puts us ahead by $2.00 a year. I like no-brainerslike that!
Annual Cost: $39.95 plus an additional $10.00 administration fee for your first year.
Annual Cost: Normally $39.99. Save $10 with coupon code FRUGALRV
Elk’s Club
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Do You Need A Camping Membership
If youre a camping aficionado, then you have probably looked into purchasing a camping membership. A members-only campground is exclusive and open only to those who pay their regular dues. Membership campgrounds tend to be clean and include lots of amenities which make seem perfect for those who go camping regularly. Before jumping in and paying a membership fee, though, you need to ask yourself if its worth it.
There is an alternative. Many campgrounds, like Kampgrounds of America, offer discount cards or rewards programs. These value cards can also be purchased annually. However, they tend to be less expensive, allow for more variety in your camping options and provide many of the same benefits you enjoy by purchasing a camping membership.
Things To Think About Before Purchasing A Pass
There are a few different types of camping clubs that you can join. Some are more exclusive than others and may offer more benefits. You will have to decide what is best for you and your family. Here are a few things to consider when deciding on the best camping club to join:
- Restrictions And Rules For Use
When you sign up for a membership club, make sure that the rules and restrictions are clear. Some clubs allow one day use of their passes while others give discounts based on the number in your party or family.
- Location
When youre camping, it pays to know where the good spots are. Otherwise, your trip could be a wasted one and cost more than necessary! Most clubs have an online directory of their campgrounds available so do some research ahead of time on what location would work best for you or just look at other peoples reviews before deciding where to go this summer dont forget about those mobile apps either,
- The Price Of Membership
You may be wondering how much it would cost to join the camping club. Membership prices vary depending on several factors, such as whether or not you have electricity at your site and if there are any amenities available nearby for members who want them.
- What Kind Of Discounts Are Offered
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Hipcamp Discount Camping Club
We would like to call Hipcamp the ‘Airbnb’ of RVing. Hipcamp is a fairly new one in the camping industry.
Founded in just 2013, it has grown at an impressive rate to include over 484,000 properties to choose from.
It works just like Airbnb. You search for properties to park your RV instead of searching for houses and rooms to rent.
Hipcamp has a very simple interface to easily find what you are looking for.
This wasn’t a Hipcamp spot, but it’s typical of what one could look like if in a neighborhood
There is no fee to join Hipcamp, but you must register to book.
Hipcamp gets its money from service fees, which is a variable percentage of the amount that you book.
The site is very good at being descriptive as far as amenities on the property and photos of each property, being the owner’s responsibility to fill out.
Filters make it easy for you to find what you are needing in a camping spot.
Hipcamp is a DREAM for those who don’t like campgrounds or those who just want a more unique camping experience.
Rules
The only rules are those that are set by the homeowner or property owner. Sure, if you are an idiot while you stay and have a few bad reviews, you could get banned.
That can happen with any type of site where you have an account and are reviewed by the host.
Pros and Cons of Hipcamp
- Very easy to navigate website
- Huge variety of places to camp
- Over 400K properties to choose from – the most of any club
- Easily filter your results
Holidays For The Whole Family
These RV Clubs Can Save Road Trippers Time and Money on Their Travels
Contents
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Best Rv Membership Community Escapees
Escapees is one of the oldest and largest RV club memberships in America. This group is not just about finding a place to park. Its an entire community serving travelers.
- The membership fee is $39.95/year which gives you discounts on over 800 locations across America.
The Escapees are a diverse group ranging from young wanderers to families to senior citizens. They also welcome every form of traveler from the truck campers to the fancy RV owners.
You should join the if youre looking for assistance, a community, or lifelong friends. The Escapees RV club is huge on education. Getting discounts on campsites is secondary to their main goal of helping others achieve friends and freedom.
With a membership at Escapees youre going to gain benefits that you wont find with Passport America or with Harvest Hosts.
Some Escapee Club Benefits include:
- Discounted mail forwarding service
- RV education seminars and outings
- Inclusion with a community of like-minded travelers
While this club does not have the most campgrounds, its hard to put a price on the advantages of Escapees . This is an especially great club to join if youre a single or a senior looking for more social interaction.
What Are They Offering
According to their site:
- Exclusive access to members of over 2,700 locations and sites up and down the country
- Savings on average of £140 annually on site pitch fees, when staying at Club locations and sites
- Savings on an amazing 900 attractions throughout the UK, regardless of whether you are on the road or not
- Savings of as much as 50% on site pitch fees at Club locations for every night you stay
- Industry-leading caravan insurance, available only for members
- Free car and caravan matching service
Further to those benefits, you also benefit from their Mayday caravan breakdown and recovery services and the Red Pennant expensive but comprehensive European-focused travel insurance.
Caravan Club membership costs £51 a year and you can recoup the cost pretty quickly in savings you make staying at their own sites.
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But Wait Josh Why Didnt You Mention Xyz Rv Membership
If you know your stuff youre probably thinking to yourself: Josh, there are far more RV memberships than these 3!!!
And youd be right, but remember, I said that this is the battle-tested blueprint of the only 3 that most anyone ever needs.
Here are a few examples of the RV memberships I have no use for and why:
- Good Sams Coast to Coast RV Program First off, this is part of the Camping World family of companies. You need only read a few reviews of Camping World to figure out that you should steer clear of anything they do.Camping World is basically becoming a big, faceless corporation and their customer reviews show it.Ive always stayed away from the Coast to Coast RV Membership for a lot of reasons. Chief among them is the fact that starting costs for this RV membership are over $5k! And thats on top of the hundreds of dollars in annual fees youll pay.Thousand Trails has some optional higher-cost memberships as well, but at $70/month total their Camping Pass is a bargain compared to Coast-to-Coast.
- Most of the other RV membership programs out there , Adventure Outdoor Resorts , etc.) may have good quality and a large network, but their entry fees are astronomical in my book.
In short, none of the RV memberships above offer you the kind of value and access as does my trifecta.
Which Rv Membership Clubs Will Save Us Real Money On Camping
If you haven’t noticed – we’re frugal. We wouldn’t join just for the socialaspects or the incidental benefits like roadside assistance, which we’ve gotcoverage for elsewhere, or a free magazine, which we like but wouldn’tnecessarily buy.
Some years, when we travel to the southwestern states, we hardly ever camp in acampground. But it’s harder to find boondocking options in some places thanothers – for instance, in densely populated areas such as the Eastern UnitedStates, Southern Ontario, and anywhere in the vicinity of large cities. Whentraveling in these areas, we sometimes end up paying for morecampgrounds than we prefer.
With the cost of campsites rising to the point ofcraziness, a 10% RV membership club discount is just a drop in the bucket. We’d ratherspend the night in a parking lot than fork over $30.00 or $40.00 to sleep in our own bed which is just as comfortable, no matter whereit’s parked. So, when we do use an RV membership club discount at a campground, we want it to besubstantial – 50% seems fair.
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Top Savings Clubs For Rvers Fifth Wheels And Trailers
This article about RV clubs is brought to you by GCI Outdoor. Their awesome camping chairs will add style and comfort to whatever RV Park you land at next!
Theres a wide variety of RV clubs & memberships out there to choose from. Nearly all of which can be joined for a pretty reasonable annual fee. But these clubs are not all created equal. Meeting like-minded people and discovering new destinations is just the tip of the iceberg. So, which memberships go beyond that, to provide the most tangible benefits? What kinds of discounts can be had? How many eligible campgrounds and RV parks does each club offer?
The answers to these questions, as well as thinking about how you like to travel, will help determine which membership clubs are the best fit for your RVing lifestyle.
In addition to these 5 clubs, make sure to download The Dyrt PRO to download maps, campgrounds and photos for offline use.
Camping And Caravanning Club
With more than 700,000 members in the UK, this is the world’s largest and oldest club for all forms of camping. Its focus is on running and certifying campsites around the UK.
Membership gives you the right to stay at its sites in picturesque locations around the country, with excellent facilities and friendly managers.
Temporary membership is on offer for overseas visitors, making this a welcoming club where you’re bound to make new friends from around the world.
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