the annual cost of $449.00. How many stays will make it worth the $$$?

[MJo]

I am planning on traveling, mostly in the southeast so that package suits my needs. Buy I’ve never stayed in a campground, or RV park, only looked at local state forests which charge very little. Is it worth it to buy a pass and are there extra fees even if you have the pass? Right now there is a “black Friday sale” with $150 off of the regular cost. Do most people buy the passes or is it cheaper just to take your chances? Are most campgrounds and RV parks, that you would want to stay at, members of the companies who sell the passes?

[IMEd]

What pass are you talking about?

[MJo]

Well, the one I’m looking at is the “Thousand Trails,” I don’t know of others. I’m new to this and I understand that some parks charge over $100 per night, so I need to know more.

[gordon2]

The website says (for the SouthEast option):

23 Campgrounds from North Carolina to Texas!
The Chesapeake Bay, Blue Ridge Mountains, Diamond Caverns in Kentucky are just a few of the best campsite and RV resort areas located in this region.

Do you really want to limit yourself to 23 locations? And you will mostly limit yourself to those sites if you spend that much money. Instead of planning I would just get out there and see what suits you before committing to that much money. If you find you are happy staying at those 23 places and do so for two weeks or so in a 12 month period, then its a fair deal. Stay longer.. its a better deal. Stay less than 10 days at those 23 places and you got a bad deal.
But variety is the spice of life. And one of the great things about having an RV is the ability to experience that variety.

Originally Posted by MJo

... I understand that some parks charge over $100 per night, so I need to know more.

I have yet to find a campsite worth $100 a night. I have paid around $72 for a great beach front site in high demand (when you include taxes and fees), but never $100.

[MJo]

Thanks, a friend asked me to join them at a campground in Bourne, MA, I think it was around $100 per night, so I didn’t know what they usually cost. I am interested in ones that are more natural, I would not be interested in swimming pools, etc. Thanks for your view, I have seen campground ads for a trip I plan to take and when they mentioned a fee without specifying the amount, I wondered what these places cost. I have a Scamp 13’ and so many pictures have the big “travel homes,” it looks like people are renting a spot for their apartment, not an rV.

[steve dunham]

Some states ( Read Florida ) finance their services off taxes they collect from tourists so be aware that in those states a $40 /night campsite magically turns into a $75 / night campsite after they add on state , county , local , city , municipal, township, school district , camping , eating and breathing taxes & fees .
Check out the Georgia SP system , they have several programs for long term camping .

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by MJo

Thanks, a friend asked me to join them at a campground in Bourne, MA, I think it was around $100 per night, so I didn’t know what they usually cost.

I guess that is the Cape Cod area? I dont know much about that area but I would not be surprised to see high campground prices there.

Originally Posted by MJo

..I am interested in ones that are more natural,

Those types of places (State Parks, etc) in the Southeast will rarely be more than $50 even with fees and taxes. And in some parts of the country there are rustic areas where the cost is $20-25 a night or less, and not so rarely - free.

Originally Posted by MJo

... I have a Scamp 13’ and so many pictures have the big “travel homes,” it looks like people are renting a spot for their apartment, not an rV.

Exactly! Resorts (many of which are not really resort-like at all).. those are often the expensive places and usually not worth it IMHO.

Just get out there for a time and you will know what the going rates are. And I expect some are higher than they have been with the current run on the RV lifestyle.. but that will fade and in maybe 2-3 years I expect campground rents to return to their prior levels.

[CPW]

Mary Jo, given the number of people who are now working remotely, and the increase in the sales of RVs, there will be lots of RVers heading south this winter. Typically, campgrounds in Florida in the winter months are fully booked, and I do not think that finding places to stay is going to be easy. I would have to ask does having the Thousand Trails pass guarantee you can go to any of their locations whenever you want. In my opinion, you may want to call a few places where you want to travel and check on availability. I am guessing your intention is to get away from winter weather. If that is the case, you will competing with lots of others who have the same idea. If you have friends or family in the southeast, you might have better luck moochdocking (camping in their driveway or back yard).
I, for example, have constructed a campsite on my rural property that friends from Ontario stay every January (not this year with the border closed) and is used by friends from New Hampshire occasionally.

[Iowa Dave]

Iowa State Parks: $16 a night for electric and water and shower house. The few that have sewer hookups are $18. No fee for using the dump station if you camped there. 22 Interstate rest stops with free dump stations. What’s not to like? Nice people too. Need less, pay less. No entry fees, no state taxes, and free firewood in many cases. Especially after the derecho. Not busy during the week, reservations several months out are possible. It’s not the South and it’s not Heaven, it’s Iowa, home of The Field of Dreams. Did I mention 10,500 campsites in our 99 counties with County Conservation Boards?
Iowa Dave

[AC0GV]

Originally Posted by MJo

Well, the one I’m looking at is the “Thousand Trails,” I don’t know of others. I’m new to this and I understand that some parks charge over $100 per night, so I need to know more.

This video was done when he still liked it. he later went after them when they closed all campgrounds due to covid and continued to take his money. He got some settlement that he never talked about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jYXLuXcW0k

[Jon in AZ]

I would start with a couple of good campground apps on your phone and plan on staying at mostly public parks (national, state, county, municipal, COE, BLM, NFS...). They typically have spacious sites for smaller rigs in scenic locations with on-site outdoor recreation (hiking, biking, kayaking...) Smaller (non-affiliated) private parks can be a good option when public campgrounds are full. Some KOAs aren’t bad either. Google earth can help you evaluate what a private campground is like. Some are tightly packed trailer parks catering to questionable long-term renters. Many are very nice family campgrounds.

You have so many options, I wouldn’t recommend pinning yourself down at the start.

To put the cost in perspective... A few years ago I was looking at $75 for a KOA right outside Yellowstone in summer (I know... what was I thinking?... ). Same for a full hookup site right on the ocean in SoCal (we take the no hookup sites for $35 and consider it a bargain). We paid $50 this summer for full hookups at a nice KOA in Flagstaff, which is near Grand Canyon and a fun small city in its own right. It was a last-minute COVID getaway and the most we’ve ever paid for a site. Winter sites in AZ desert state parks are around $25-35. National Forest sites are even less (under $20), but my wife vetoed the vault toilets. $100 is very high, the camping equivalent of a luxury resort hotel.

[MJo]

Happy Thanksgiving !!! Hope you and your family are well and happy. Thank you for your post. Maybe I’ll get out to Iowa !!! I know U.S. Rte. 64 goes west from VA, I know the PA turnpike goes west, and then there’s the northern route, MA pike, NY thruway, OH, IN, IL, maybe I can figure it out. I’d love to go to Iowa, the heart of the country. Thank you again and again, Happy Thanksgiving. MJo.

[steve dunham]

Iowa is a great state to visit , as are the Iowa State Parks
The State and citizens of Iowa welcome visitors and the camping fees at their state parks illustrate that fact . We’ve traveled to Iowa every year since we retired to enjoy all that Iowa has to offer
If you are interested in learning more about Iowa and its parks , the Iowa DNR / parks magazine is currently for sale and at a special price - 1 year / 7 issues for $7
Makes a great Christmas gift , I placed my orders yesterday
Also Southern Iowa is the place to go in early Spring when you want to get away from the cold and snow at home . Warm days , cool nights , perfect camping weather !!

[Spongelander]

Originally Posted by AC0GV

This video was done when he still liked it. he later went after them when they closed all campgrounds due to covid and continued to take his money. He got some settlement that he never talked about.

Many times the terms of the settlement are that both parties will remain silent about it. As to Thousand Trails and camping, you actually have the perfect small trailer to get into tiny places. We paid $75 once, in a California state park overlooking the ocean, in the southern LA basin - terraced views of the ocean with no city in sight. $50 if you didn't need electricity and water. Your setup is ideal for state and county parks, and places with older facilities from back before the explosion of RVs - National Parks, for example. In this case, we could have paid well over $100 a night to stay in a private park, next to 45' buses. All supply and demand. But there's certainly no need to. We use Allstays on our phone/tablet.

[slowpat]

Here are more reasonable passes, and if you are old enough, the lifetime Geezer Pass is a must. Mine was "paid for" in a couple of trips. It cuts the price of camp sites in half in most National Forest and Park Service campgrounds.

https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm

[MJo]

I see the sources for passes that you attached, thank you. MJo

[Radar1]

You would of course be limited to their campgrounds, or pay extra to stay at some of the Encore resorts.
Looking at their FL sites, they only have 3 included with the SE membership, and all of those are located centrally inland. We like being able to pick a route and then find places along the way close to our chosen route. If you are a destination camper, and those sites are convenient to your destination, then it might be a good deal.
On the other hand, if you like to travel, and those sites aren't on your route, then you have an annual expense that won't be used.
We prefer the state parks and Corps of Engineer parks. Our last Corps of Engineer park cost us $8 a night for electric/water site on a lake, and our last state park in MS cost us $17 for full hookups.

[MJo]

I hadn’t thought of that. I do like to go where I want and find some way to cope when I get there, a campground would be a resource, not a destiny. thanks.

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by MJo

I am planning on traveling, mostly in the southeast so that package suits my needs. Buy I’ve never stayed in a campground, or RV park, only looked at local state forests which charge very little. Is it worth it to buy a pass and are there extra fees even if you have the pass? Right now there is a “black Friday sale” with $150 off of the regular cost. Do most people buy the passes or is it cheaper just to take your chances? Are most campgrounds and RV parks, that you would want to stay at, members of the companies who sell the passes?

No is the short answer. 1,000 Trails is not worth the money unless you live near one and stay there a lot. They are limited to certain areas. You may need a home park to have a membership. Then there's a fee for it, etc. If want to spend money to stay in a decent park for $10 a night find a resale for Coast to Coast. We joined it for about $275. We have a home park that is not in our area but it is only $39 a year. Then it is under $100 a year in dues to Coast to Coast. You can find a resale company in Trailer Life and Motorhome Magazines or Google it. We also belong to RPI through the same home park for a decent fee. It's only $10 a night to stay in a nice park. Also there is Passport America that gives you 50% off park fees but there are restrictions on dates on a lot of the parks. It is only $49 a year. It is getting expensive to stay in state parks with many being $25 plus a night plus a day pass needed and many times you have to have advance reservations and the reservation fee is $3 or more. It can be well over $35 a night. With so many camping now it is difficult to get a site at a lot of places. We use Passport America a lot. In some places campgrounds are easy but in popular areas they are very difficult to get.

[wacalc]

years ago i had Camp Coast to Coast which is like a timeshare in that the resorts are privately held. Disadvantage was paying the yearly maintance fees, then trying to book a resort. Now with our trailer we use Good Sam.