We have been members of Boondockers Welcome for 8 years. We’ve only needed to use it a handful of times, but its been invaluable when we did. It’s been especially useful in big cities, where RV park reservations are hard to come by, and usually quite pricey.

If you want to be in the middle of the action and have a unique camping experience it can be a great option. Lets break down the membership and discuss if its worth the yearly cost.

What is Boondockers Welcome?

Boondockers Welcome is an RV membership service that provides RV travelers with over 3675 camping locations across the country. A Host offers their driveway or a camp spot on their private property to RVers for an overnight stay.

Most locations are dry camping spots, but some may have access water and or electric. Any amenities offered by the host may cost an additional fee. We recommend you come prepared to be completely self-sufficient and self-contained.

The company was founded by fellow RVers, and aims to connect travelers with locals that share a love for the RV lifestyle and want to share their space for a night or two.

How Much Does it Cost?

There are two membership categories – hosts & guests. The Guest membership is $79 a year. It allows travelers easy access to the database of hosts, locations and reviews.

If you would like to become a Host you simply put in your contact info and they will email you an application.

What are Some Perks of the Boondockers Welcome Membership?

The website has an easy to use mapping system that makes it easy to find hosts across the country. Boondockers Welcome also has a private messaging system that shows host response rate. Our favorite feature is the host reviews that are found in each profile – it gives us a good sense if we’ll be a proper fit for the host.

We’ve also found the hosts to be excellent guides. They have drawn us maps and given us all the local insight on where to go and what to do in an area!

Is it Safe?

It’s understandable to be apprehensive about staying on someones property you’ve never met. You can get a good feel for each host and what the experience of other campers has been by reading host reviews. If a host has numerous reviews, we feel more inclined to stay.

Obviously use your own judgement and never stay somewhere you don’t have a good feeling about. Boondockers Welcome does not screen their hosts from what we’re aware of, so you really have to go on the experience of other guests. We personally felt very comfortable and our hosts have always been kind and gracious.

Our Experience

We spent five nights during our first Boondockers Welcome stay. This is the maximum length allowed and up to the hosts discretion. The location was ideal for our Seattle adventures. We could walk to local coffee shops and a beautiful water front park.

We feel that if we are traveling on a regular basis, it justifies the cost. However, if the price continues to increase we probably won’t renew. We just don’t use it enough. It’s important to note that we could easily pay over $79 a night at an RV park in a big city, so its still a good value.

We’ll Help You Find the Best Free Camping in the USA

You should give it a try!

As a matter of fact, these free campsites are yours to enjoy. Every time you pay federal taxes, you’re contributing to these lands.

Become a FREE CAMPING INSIDER and join the 100,000 campers who love to score the best site! 

We’ll send you the 50 Best Free Campsites in the USA (one per state). Access the list by submitting your email below: