The Don’ts of RV Membership Clubs

RV membership clubs enhance life on the road. Whether you use your RV for vacations, seasonal trips, or full-time living, RV memberships provide great value.

However, we think you should give these “don’ts” proper consideration before joining one or all of them.

The annual membership expenses can add up quickly.

Let’s dive in!

Popular RV Membership Clubs

We’ll start by introducing the most popular RV membership clubs. You’ve probably heard of some of these; others may be new to you.

• Escapees/Xscapers (RV advocacy, mail service, etc.)
• Family Motor Coach Association (RV advocacy, travel discounts)
• Boondockers Welcome (nationwide driveway surfing)
• Harvest Hosts (unique overnight camping locations)
• Good Sam (RV park & Camping World discounts)
• Passport America (50% off RV parks with restrictions)
• Thousand Trails (RV park discount)
• RV Trip Wizard (trip planning tool)
• National Park Pass

Throughout our five years of RV travel, these RV membership programs have proven to be the most popular. That doesn’t mean they’re all great.

Let’s get into the “don’ts.”

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Don’t Expect To Use Harvest Hosts & Boondockers Welcome Often.

These two RV memberships (Harvest Hosts & Boondockers Welcome) are great. They provide unique experiences in urban and rural parts of the USA.

However, you can’t rely on these memberships for consistent camping.

Harvest Host locations typically allow one night of camping only. Boondockers Welcome sites usually don’t exceed four nights in one spot.

Use these RV memberships for the ‘in-between’ campsites, not for your longer-term stays.

Don’t Confuse Escapees & Xscapers

Escapees and Xscapers are the same RV club. Super confusing, right?

Here’s how we see it. Five years ago, Escapees had a branding problem. The average age of a member was probably 70 years old, and they weren’t able to sign up younger RVers very quickly.

Therefore, Xscapers was born (seemingly created with gen-Xers in mind). 

When you join one club, you join the other as well.

The groups co-exist with loose definitions of what each is. But at the end of the day, no matter which way you enter, they provide the best mail service for full-time RVers.

Don’t Use Passport America, Unless You’re Flexible

50% off RV parks is a great deal. We’ve saved hundreds of dollars with Passport America.

However, the membership might leave you frustrated if you don’t read the fine print.

The 50% off discount applies to each member RV park differently. Some parks only offer it during the offseason. Some RV parks only offer it Monday through Wednesday.

Others may only let you get 50% off for one night.

This RV membership, like Boondockers Welcome and Harvest Host, is excellent for filling in the gaps. Not for creating your entire travel itinerary.

Don’t Leave Home Without It 

Of all the RV memberships we discuss today, RV Trip Wizard is the only one that will proactively help you on travel day.

RV Trip Wizard is a trip planning tool that creates a route with your specific RV dimensions and travel preferences. You enter your RV length, height, gas mileage, and travel style into its tool, and it’ll route you on an ‘RV safe’ path.

Then you can take that RV Trip Wizard route and use it’s sister app, RV LIFE, to actively route you on travel day with its GPS mapping tool.

Don’t Forget The Most Important RV Membership

If you’re taking an RV vacation, we’re assuming you’ll visit a national park or two.

Invest in a National Park pass! For USA citizens under 62, the pass will set you back $80. That may sound pricey, but national park admission is pricey in general. Visit three national parks, and you’ll be saving money.

It’ll also encourage you you visit more national parks – which is a huge plus!

If you’re 62 or over, an annual pass is $20, and a lifetime pass is $80. This is a must-buy membership!

Sign Up for The Getaway Couple’s Free RV Membership Course

Jason & Rae of the Getaway Couple have just released a free course that dives deep into all the RV membership clubs.

They’ve been full-time RVing for years and have first-hand experience with Thousand Trails membership.

Sign up for their free course here!

If You’re Looking For an Affordable RV Trip, These FREE Campsites Will Make You (and Your Wallet) Happy

To be honest with you, we hate paying for camping. There are so many free campsites in America (with complete privacy). You should give it a try!

Here’s our list of the 20 Best Free Campsites in the USA.

Become a FREE CAMPING INSIDER and join the 100,000 campers that love to score the best site! Simply enter your email below.