A helpful guide for planning an affordable RV trip including budgeting techniques, free places to camp, and useful travel discounts
Going on an RV trip doesn’t have to mean big spending or months of saving. With a little bit of research, careful planning, and some simple techniques, you’ll quickly realize just how affordable an RV trip can be.
For many non-RV owners, the cost associated with renting an RV for a trip might seem sky high. And while it’s true that renting an RV can sometimes be more expensive than booking a hotel room, there are actually more opportunities to save with an RV.
You have the ability to cook all meals which greatly reduces the amount of money you have to spend on food. You can pack extra gear (bikes, kayaks, canoes, surfboards) and eliminate the need to rent these items elsewhere.
If you’re traveling with a family or large group, it might be tough to squeeze everyone into one hotel room (most standard hotel rooms can accommodate four people). And some hotels don’t even allow pets or charge an extra pet fee. But with a wide variety of RV sizes and layouts to choose from you’re likely to find one that fits your whole crew—dog included—without having to pay double.
While most people think of food, fuel, and campground costs when putting together a travel budget, one factor that is often forgotten—but is still extremely important—is maintenance. Taking good care of your RV goes a long way in preventing major, costly repairs.
Just like a car, your RV’s oil should be changed regularly and the tires inspected daily. If something in your rig needs fixing, do it sooner rather than later. Letting a problem sit for too long can end up costing you more in the long run.
Double-check that your insurance and roadside assistance plans cover not only your tow vehicle/toad but also your RV. There’s nothing worse than breaking down and finding out that your insurance won’t pay to tow your rig to a repair facility.
When considering prospective destinations, take note of the peak travel seasons and accessibility—for example, fall foliage in New England or holiday weekends at national parks. Peak seasons will not only impact reservations and campgrounds rates but fuel and grocery prices as well which can vary based on demand and time of year. Tours and entry fees may also fluctuate by season, day of week, or even time of day.
To help save money, when possible travel during shoulder seasons (commonly early spring and late fall) and visit the most popular destinations on weekdays or during slower hours. If you’re thinking about taking a longer trip—a few weeks or even a few months—consider staying in one place for more than a few days. Most RV parks and campgrounds offer weekly and monthly rates which will reduce your per night cost. Minimizing your driving time and staying put can help keep the cost of fuel down as well.
When deciding which route to take, try to use an online fuel calculator to help budget.
Once your RV-friendly route is set, search for fuel stations along the way and compare prices. Even if the difference is only a few cents per gallon, the cost can add up quickly when you’re averaging 8 to 10 miles per gallon. Try to fill up well in advance of national parks and other popular tourist destinations, top off your tank before you hit a stretch of road with limited fuel stations (these have a tendency to be more expensive), and keep any border crossings in mind. Fuel prices vary by state based on taxes, types of fuel, and other variables like real estate.
Humans are programmed to do what is familiar and popular, including visiting well-known tourist destinations. However, with a little extra research you can often find a similar view, a little-visited roadside attraction, a self-guided tour, or an alternative hike without the added crowds or cost.
Also, keep in mind is that not every night has to be spent at a five-star luxury RV resort. While you may want to budget for one or two nights at a more upscale place, your other nights could be budget camping or boondocking on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land.
To prevent trespassing or illegal overnight stays, always read posted signs and generally don’t stay longer than 14 days.
6. Pack for various situations
Always check the forecast before you leave including average temperatures and storm seasons. Being prepared for various weather conditions will prevent unnecessary shopping trips for warmer clothes, rain gear, or alternative footwear. Travel with an umbrella, a rain jacket, waterproof pants, and warm layers just in case. Other essentials include a wide-brimmed hat, sunscreen, bug spray, and extra batteries as these tend to be more expensive at travel plazas and RV parks.
You’re always going to spend money on a road trip but the route you take heavily influences how much you spend on things like fuel and overnight stays. For example, the highest fuel prices are in Washington and California. You still want to find pleasant campsites with electrical, sewage, and water access, if possible, but compare prices to locate the cheapest campsite in each area.
Other considerations you should have when planning an RV route include:
Points of interest along the route
Cheap gas station/truck stops availability
Avoiding areas of congestion and toll roads
When researching your route and destinations, look into various pass options for state and national parks. Figure out how often you will visit to determine whether paying for each entry is cheaper or purchasing a multi-visit pass, such as America the Beautiful.
8. Cook in the RV
An RV is a home on wheels which means you can limit the cost associated with restaurants by cooking your own food. However, if you do want to eat at a local restaurant, consider eating there for lunch instead of dinner—lunch menus allow you to experience the regional food without paying the premium pricing.
Include some healthy road trip snacks and beverages. This will prevent you from pulling over to buy higher-priced, less-nutritious gas station treats. Additionally, food prices will vary by location. Produce, meat, and dairy are almost always more expensive in remote areas and can be harder to find, so stock up before you go.
Make use of campground grills and enjoy the ever-changing scenery with home-cooked meals. A small crockpot or slow cooker can be another great time and money saver when it comes to food on the go.
It may not be something that you associate with saving money but keeping the tires on your RV properly inflated will not only make it easier to drive and handle but it will save you money over the cost of the trip on fuel, as well. The U.S. Department of Energy states that for every 1-psi drop in tire pressure, you can expect your gas mileage to lower by 0.4 percent. This can certainly add up over a lengthy trip, so take the extra time to make sure your tires are properly inflated.
RVers should give a visual inspection of their tires before every travel day and at each stop along the way. But that’s not all! It may seem tedious but you should also check your RV tire pressure before you hit the road—every time!
There are many different RV clubs and other types of travel memberships including Good Sam and Passport America. One of the biggest benefits of joining is the discounted camping rates. Some other cost-saving perks include promotions at RV retail stores, fuel savings, propane discounts, and free dump station privileges. Other memberships to consider include Thousand Trails, Escapees, Harvest Hosts, Boondockers Welcome, and KOA (Kampgrounds of America).
If you and your family enjoy visiting museums, botanical gardens, plantariums, and science centers, consider a membership. Reciprocal museum memberships allow you to visit other participating museums which grant free or heavily discounted entry to members.
Worth Pondering…
Journeys, like artists, are born and not made. A thousand differing circumstances contribute to them, few of them willed or determined by the will—whatever we may think.
Passport America has more than 1,600 member campgrounds across the US and also some in Canada and Mexico. Its annual registration fee is $44 a year and offers a standard 50 percent discount to all members. Thus, you will save the cost of the membership in a very short time.
You can save further by selecting a multi-year membership plan. Passport America’s 2 year pricing is at $79 and $109 for 3 years which is at 10 percent and 17 percent discount respectively. It also offers lifetime membership at $349 and with this you don’t have to pay annually for renewals. They also have a reliable iPhone application that enables you to find an RV park at any time.
However, each park has its own stay limitations regarding the availability of the discount—when it’s available and the number of nights. Some parks are significantly restrictive but most are not.
Don’t expect to get the discount during peak travel times. What you will get is a 50 percent discount for one or more night during low season or under used nights of the week (non-weekends).
Double-check the RV park profile to see if they are currently honoring the discount. It’s always best to call ahead and confirm.
Overview: Passport America offers a 50 percent discount at 1,600+ participating campgrounds
Yearly membership cost: $44/year
Savings: 50 percent at each participating campground.
Good Sam is easily the most popular and well-known of the clubs. Good Sam offers much more than just campground discounts. However, the discount on Good Sam-approved parks is nothing to write home about—you only get 10 percent off the 2,100+ campgrounds in their network.
However, this membership is still a good value. Good Sam also offers discounts on RV-related items. They discount propane at Camping World, free dump at select Camping World stores, discount on gasoline and diesel at Flying J stores, and discounts on Camping World purchases.
The annual registration fee is $29 and offers members a 10 percent discount at participating parks. You can save further by selecting a 2 year or 3 year plan. It will cost you $55 for 2 years and $79 for 3 years.
Good Sam also sells an annual RV Parks & Campground Directory filled with great information that will assist you in your travels and selecting RV parks and campgrounds.
Good Sam also offers travel protection policies and road service. You don’t need to have an active membership to purchase these services.
Overview: Get 10 percent off your stay at all Good Sam parks + discounts at Camping World and Pilot Flying J
Yearly membership cost: $29/year
Savings: 10 percent at each participating campground
Number of participating campgrounds: 2,100+
Pros
10 percent off 2,100+ campgrounds
Multiple benefits other than just campground discounts
Good Sam triple rating system ranks each park by completeness of facilities, cleanliness/physical characteristics of restrooms and showers, and visual appeal/environmental quality so you can know more about the park before arriving
You won’t have an issue finding a Good Sam park wherever you travel—they are everywhere
Cons
10 percent savings means you need to use the discount at least 10 times to start saving money
Let’s compare each of these on different parameters. This will give you some idea and based on what you feel is important, you can decide for yourself.
Membership cost
In terms of annual membership cost, Good Sam is cheaper at $29 per year as compared to Passport America that costs $44 per year.
Discounts
When it comes to saving, Passport America is the better deal. Passport America provides a 50 percent discount. On the other hand, Good Sam only provides a 10 percent.
In general, I would recommend Good Sam club parks. I would also recommend purchasing their RV Travel Guide. Although their parks are generally of lesser quality I would also recommend Passport America. It helps travel to popular destinations off-season and a convenient way to save money during one-night RV camping. For the record we are members of Good Sam and Passport America.
Other discount camping clubs
RV camping is hugely popular and that means the market is large. For this reason you will find other RV membership and discounts clubs competing with Good Sam and Passport America. Many offer different services that you can combine with the above two options.
Escapees (SKP) RV club has celebrated over 40 years in business (founded in 1978) and offers much more than campground discounts and is well known as an RV lifestyle club. They offer mail-forwarding services, campground membership and discounts, RVer advocacy, Xscapers club, rallies, meetups, CARE, and educational offerings including a boot camp program.
Escapees members can benefit from their three different types of RV camping: Rainbow parks, Co-op parks, and discounts on 800+ private RV parks. They have seven of their own Rainbow parks and 11 co-op parks. Your membership provides a 15-50 percent discount at 800+ other commercial parks. Membership is $49.95 per year.
Harvest Hosts
Harvest Hosts is the best RV membership for experiencing, well, experiences! They offer up unique places to park for the night—primarily dry camping stays at wineries, farms, breweries, museums, and golf courses. In exchange, it is implied that you patronize the place you visit, if applicable. However, the bonus is that you get a fun and unique experience and a camping spot for the night. Harvest Hosts has over 4,504 locations you can experience. The program also provides an opportunity to support local businesses and meet the people who run them.
This membership club goes for $99 per year. At time of writing a 15 percent discount was available.
Boondockers Welcome
Boondockers Welcome is another unique RV membership club that connects members with free RV parking on private property. Boondockers Welcome is pretty much like it sounds. Locals invite RVers to park on their property, share their stories, and get a good night’s rest. This is a perfect chance to meet new people and make memories. For $79 per year you can boondock at over 3390+ locations with no camping fees.
Thousand Trails offers multiple plans each with different options and discounts. Knowing if this membership club would benefit you depends on how you camp and where you want to stay. There are five Thousand Trails zones: Northwest, Southwest, Midwest, Northeast, and Southeast. Each zone includes between eight and 23 campgrounds. New members can opt to include additional zones in their membership.
Pick one of five regions and pay $495. At time of writing a $175 discount was available. Add additional regions for $90. Get 100+ more campgrounds nationwide with The Trails Collection for $370.
Kampgrounds of America (KOA) is the largest system of privately held campgrounds with more than 500 locations across the United States and Canada. Their huge number of parks means that most RVers will stay at a KOA at some point in their travels.
KOA has its own rewards program and does not participate in other RV discount clubs. The KOA Value Kard membership offers a 10 percent discount off your rate at all KOA campgrounds. Members also earn rewards points which can be redeemed for free nights at KOA RV membership parks.
Since KOA parks do not accept other RV membership discounts such as Good Sam or Passport America, KOA Rewards is the only way to obtain a reduced rate at their campgrounds.
With both passport America and Good Sam providing a way to save some money, it is my recommendation that RVers join both membership clubs especially if you spend considerable time on the road.
However, if you had to pick one membership club based on the amount of savings provided, it would be Passport America. Now that you have gone through our camping club review, the rest is up to you to choose. Happy trails!
Worth Pondering…
There is adventure in any trip; it’s up to us to seek it out.
How to choose RV membership parks and discount clubs
With RVs being sold in record numbers, more people are hitting the road than ever before. This means camping is getting more crowded and expensive. Many RV parks charge over $50 per night for a camping site with full hookups. However, there are a number of RV membership parks and discount clubs that can help lower the cost of RV camping.
Below is a breakdown of RV membership clubs currently available. Read on to decide which RV parks and discount clubs offer the best deal for your RV camping needs.
RV park memberships are groups of RV parks that offer free or discounted camping for members. Most RV park memberships charge an annual fee for all members and a larger, one-time fee for upgraded memberships.
What is the best RV club to join?
Each membership park and discount club has different rules and various benefits. So which one is right for you?
Is it reasonable to become a member of several RV clubs? It depends on your RVing style, wants, and needs. You’ll figure it out what works best for you.
The primary benefit of these camping membership clubs is to camp at a discounted rate. Each has its perks and drawbacks. It’s up to you to figure out which RV parks and discount clubs offer the best deal for your RV camping needs.
Escapees (SKP) RV club has celebrated over 40 years in business (founded in 1978) and offers much more than campground discounts and is well known as an RV lifestyle club. They offer mail-forwarding services, campground membership and discounts, RVer advocacy, Xscapers club, rallies, meetups, CARE, and educational offerings including a boot camp program.
Escapees members can benefit from their three different types of RV parking:
Rainbow Parks
Co-op parks
Discounts on 800+ commercial parks
They have seven of their own Rainbow parks and 11 co-op parks. Your membership provides a 15-50 percent discount at 800+ other commercial parks.
The Rainbow Parks offer four types of parking: short-term, long-term, leases, and deeded lots. These parks are also open to non-Escapee members but Escapee members receive a substantial discount.
SKP Co-op parks
The co-op parks are owned and operated by the co-op members (separate and independent non-profit corporations). Memberships are only available for purchase by Escapees members. These are lots that can be leased and used only by the lessee. Lessees must maintain their Escapee’s membership for their lease term. Lessees may choose to rent out their lot while they are away on trips but they may ONLY rent to other Escapee’s members. The lease continues as long as the member wants. Then it is sold back to the co-op (or another Escapee) when no longer wanted or needed. If you want to own without some of the hassles of ownership and you want a home base but also want to travel and not lose your spot, a SKP co-op lot may be good for you.
Escapees have partnered with over 800 commercial RV parks to offer discounts ranging from 15 to 50 percent. Each park has its own rules and limitations as to how many nights you can stay and the discount you will receive.
Who should join Escapees?
This is a MUST-HAVE membership if you are looking for a travel club with an active community, fellowship, and camaraderie. Especially if you are a full-timer, the people you meet may become like family. However, for getting the best deal for as many camping sites as possible, there are better choices.
Passport America is one of the best deals available for discounted camping (50 percent off). For most RV campers, it’s a no-brainer. Remember that discount camping sites aren’t always the most desirable ones to stay in (this goes for most memberships).
The typical discount for using your Passport America membership is 50 percent. But some deals are not that good. The duration of your discounted stay is almost always limited. Some RV parks only offer deals seasonally or during certain days of the week. Each RV park varies with its rules regarding discounts. You must read the rules of the particular place you would like to stay.
The Passport America app and website make it easy to know what each partner offers. Passport America uses icons to identify the available amenities. However, there are no campground reviews or ratings on their app or website.
Passport America has over 1,450 participating campgrounds in its network.
Thousand Trails offers multiple plans each with different options and discounts. Knowing if this membership club would benefit you depends on how you camp and where you want to stay (there are five zones to choose from). Understanding the variety of options can be challenging. The basic membership, also known as a zone pass, includes free camping within a specific region of the country.
There are five Thousand Trails zones: Northwest, Southwest, Midwest, Northeast, and Southeast. Each zone includes between eight and 23 campgrounds. New members can opt to include additional zones in their membership.
A Thousand Trails membership gives you 14 days max to stay in-network at a spot in whatever zone you bought into. If you stay four nights or more in a campground, you must wait seven days before camping at another Thousand Trails park.
Members can also add the Trails Collection which adds more than 100 affiliated campgrounds across the country to your plan. These are Encore Campgrounds which are also open to the general public (non-members). Additional upgrades include Thousand Trails Elite and Elite Connections.
Once again, knowing if this RV membership club would benefit you depends on how you camp and where you want to stay.
Resort Parks International (RPI) is an RV camping membership purchased through one of several affiliated resorts. The resort where the membership is purchased is known as your home resort. The RPI membership is an add-on to the home resort membership. The RPI membership is similar to the Coast to Coast (see below).
The major expense associated with an RPI membership is the home resort membership and annual maintenance fees. These fees vary for each home resort but the one-time enrollment fee ranges from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.
The RPI network includes more than 200 membership RV resorts, 400 privately-owned RV parks, and hundreds of condominiums and cabins across North America. RPI members can camp at all membership RV parks for a nominal fee. Affiliated public campgrounds offer RPI members discounted rates (typically 50 percent). Cabins and condominiums are available for discounted rates that vary by location.
RPI has an online portal that allows you to make camping reservations online.
RPI offers three different membership levels: RPI Plus, RPI Preferred, and RPI Gold.
There are three ways to purchase an RPI RV membership:
Thousand Trails: RPI Preferred Gold membership is included with the elite Thousand Trails membership
Affiliated resort: The most common way to purchase an RPI membership is through an affiliated member resorts. When a camper purchases a resort membership at the home park, a RPI membership can be added on.
Used memberships: Since some RPI memberships allow for transfer, it is possible to purchase one from the original owner. Online brokers also help RVers locate available used memberships.
Good Sam is easily the most popular and well-known of the clubs. Good Sam offers much more than just campground discounts. However, the discount on Good Sam-approved parks is nothing to write home about—you only get 10 percent off the 2,100+ campgrounds in their network.
However, this membership is still a good value. Good Sam also offers discounts on RV-related items. They discount propane at Camping World, free dump at select Camping World stores, discount on gasoline and diesel at Flying J stores, and discounts on Camping World purchases.
Coast to Coast is a network of RV parks located in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Coast to Coast is part of a larger company that also owns Good Sam, Camping World, Gander Outdoors, and Overton’s.
The Coast to Coast membership is similar to the RPI membership (see above).
Coast to Coast has hundreds of RV parks where members camp for a discounted rate. New memberships cannot be purchased online. Instead, campers must purchase a membership through one of the RV parks in the club’s network. The prices will be different depending on where you purchase the membership.
The major expense associated with a Coast to Coast membership is the home resort membership and annual maintenance fees. These fees vary for each home resort but the one-time enrollment fee ranges from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.
They also offer a free 3 day/2 night stay for RVers who are interested in purchasing a membership. You will be required to attend a tour of the park and a membership orientation. Take advantage of this offer if you are genuinely interested in purchasing a membership.
When selecting a home resort for your Coast to Coast membership, it is important to understand their 125-mile rule. Members are not allowed to book reservations at any Coast to Coast resorts that are within a 125 drive from their home resort.
Coast to Coast Deluxe memberships are available as an upgrade and provide additional benefits to members including staying up to 14 consecutive nights in a member park (standard memberships allow seven consecutive nights).
Coast to Coast memberships can also be purchased on the re-sale market. Used memberships can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars depending on the home resort and the included benefits.
The member parks are inspected and rated annually in terms of facilities, amenities, and cleanliness.
Kampgrounds of America (KOA) is the largest system of privately held campgrounds with more than 500 locations across the United States and Canada. Their huge number of parks means that most RVers will stay at a KOA at some point in their travels.
KOA has its own rewards program and does not participate in other RV discount clubs. The KOA Value Kard membership offers a 10 percent discount off your rate at all KOA campgrounds. Members also earn rewards points which can be redeemed for free nights at KOA RV membership parks.
Since KOA parks do not accept other RV membership discounts such as Good Sam or Passport America, KOA Rewards is the only way to obtain a reduced rate at their campgrounds.
Contrary to other campground memberships such as Thousand Trails, there are no membership levels. All KOA Rewards members pay the same price and receive the same benefits.
FMCA (Family Motor Coach Association) benefits include a monthly magazine, RV rallies, tire discounts, discounts on camping, a temperature measuring device for pets, mobile Internet, roadside assistance, mail forwarding services, and many more. Several years ago, FMCA opened its membership to towable RV owners (travel trailers, fifth wheels, and campers) as opposed to only people with a motorized RV (motorhomes and camper vans).
Harvest Hosts is the best RV membership for experiencing, well, experiences! They offer up unique places to park for the night—primarily dry camping stays at wineries, farms, breweries, museums, and golf courses. In exchange, it is implied that you patronize the place you visit, if applicable. However, the bonus is that you get a fun and unique experience and a camping spot for the night. Harvest Hosts has over 3,300 locations you can experience. The program also provides an opportunity to support local businesses and meet the people who run them.
Boondockers Welcome is another unique RV membership club that connects members with free RV parking on private property. Boondockers Welcome is pretty much like it sounds. It’s an RV club offering places to temporarily dry camp on people’s private property.
Host Benefits
Homeowners (hosts) who are RV friendly and are sometimes RVers themselves can, for free, offer up their spot for a very limited time
Half off a boondockers subscription
They also get a few months free added to their membership when they host someone
Homeowners get to meet new people
Member Benefits
You have many places to stay for free
Meet new people
Stay in places where there are no RV parks
Pros of Boondockers Welcome
Super cheap for the entire year
If you’re people-oriented, you can make lots of new friends
Discover and book tent camping, RV parks, cabins, treehouses, and glamping. Hipcamp is the Airbnb of RVing. Founded in 2013, it has grown to include over 432,000 properties including public parks, private campgrounds, and private land. It works just like Airbnb. You search for properties to park your RV (or tent) instead of searching for houses and rooms to rent.
There is no cost to join Hipcamp but you must register to book. Hipcamp gets its money from service fees which are a variable percentage of the amount that you book. The site is good at describing amenities on the property; photos of each property are the owner’s responsibility to fill out.
Pros of Hipcamp
Very easy to navigate website
Huge variety of places to camp
Over 430,000 properties to choose from, the most of any club
Easily filter your results
No membership fees, just a percentage fee of purchase price
Have you figured out the best camping club to join? There may be more than one. There are many RV discount clubs and membership organizations to consider.
I hope this article helps to clear up some things about the crazy world of RV discount clubs and membership camping. It’s about figuring out which RV camping organizations are best for you. Just get out there and start doing it. You will figure out which RV associations are correct for you as you go.
RV memberships and camping clubs are a great way to save money but all membership options should be thoroughly investigated before signing up. To determine whether a membership is worthwhile for your family, calculate how many nights per year you would need to stay at discounted RV parks to break even on your investment. Also, consider the annual dues and whether or not the membership can be resold if you are not using it.
We personally chose to purchase Good Sam, Passport America, Thousand Trails, RPI, and Coast to Coast memberships. Over the years our camping needs have changed and we’ve let our Coast to Coast membership and RPI membership lapse. Currently we make extensive use of Good Sam and Passport America.
Camp on!
Worth Pondering…
Whether you stay six weeks, six months, or six years, always leave it better than you found it.
