Passport America?

[Wanderer2]

Hi- Just wondering if there are any discount clubs that are worth it. Passport America says 50% off fees. Is it really? I don't want to be in a park all of the time, but would it be worth it for those times. Some campground fees are ridicuously high and not budget friendly.

[Colliemom]

I belong to Good Sam so get 10% off at their campgrounds if I stay at one. Passport America is okay, but what they don't tell you is that the 50% rate may only be fore one night, only during certain times of the year, not during peak summer season, etc., I had a membership, but didn't renew it as I never used it. Some of the others can tell you more about their experiences and opinions on that. Depends on how often you travel etc. Some campgrounds take 10% off for AAA as well.

[chalet05]

Passport America can be a very good deal, but many parks are changing their restrictions. Blackout periods (peak season months), only certain days (usually Mon-Thurs), limited number of days, but there are some who have no restrictions. These restrictions are listed in the online directory (I actually use their app). Parks are 50%, but I have seen some that will then tack on a fee for this or that - have never used one of those. There are several of us on here who have Passport America - ones that I know of are full-time or travel extensively during the year. Pick some areas you might be interested in and then check the Passport America website for those areas to get an idea. You can quickly recoup your membership fee. For 10 nights at 4 different parks last year, I paid $190.

I always check http://www.rvparkreviews.com because these parks are not always a good choice.

Sue snuck in - I also have Good Sam and AAA.

[JudyJB]

I had a membership but am letting it expire for the same reasons as above, plus I did not like the few campgrounds I used it for. I think you are better off looking for Corps of Engineering or federal parks at half-price.

[Pooker]

I have used PA all over the country for years. Usually, you recoup your membership fee the very first trip. Like many memberships, there will be good, bad, and everything in between. Sharon and I did a long trip together and used Passport America everywhere we went. She'll correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think we had a bad experience at any one of them. Don't expect the organization to screen, review, check on, or guarantee anything. Each RV park is allowed to make their own restrictions. Some are good, some are bad. But membership is definitely worth the price. There are two luxury RV resorts near here that are PA parks. Their per night costs are $50 and we pay $25. A few nights' stay more than pays the cost of membership. Yes, the discount is only available Sun. - Thurs. On the other hand, my son is in another PA park nearby and is allowed to stay 2 weeks at a time, then he has to be out 3 days, and can come back for another 2 weeks. Can't beat that!

Pooker

[Wanderer2]

OK, I am getting the idea. I will investigate further. I have Good Sam. I got the Senior Pass, as I heard that they are going to raise the fee to $80. I do plan on using that as often as possible. Thanks!

[Bethers]

When I'm in travel mode, I look for PA parks specifically when I need to do laundry. As Evie started, it takes usually only one stop to pay back the dues. When my back was acting up I found a wonderful (expensive, thus normally not a park I'd pay for) wonderful resort that took PA and stayed in a wonderful site, used the hot tub two to three times a day, had continental breakfast!, at a rate I could afford. It was much better than a doctor's visit.

PA does not monitor parks... It's up to us to determine if we want to stay at one. The only park I left in all my years was not PA and had good reviews. I now know to look and read reviews carefully, also.

[BirdbyBird]

Passport America parks are useful to me when my main objective is to travel through an area or just making short stops and visits. Yes I prefer the Corp of Engineer parks , national Forests and some of the state parks but depending upon how you travel and how often you travel it does pay for itself in the first fee stops. Do your research online not all parks are equal whatever catagory you are looking for.

[Liz]

Like Beth, I stop at PA parks when I need to do laundry or want full hookups for a day or two. I much prefer National Parks and forests, Corps Parks, etc.
PA is worth the price even if you don't use them regularly.

[monik7]

I use PA as much as possible. I do not full time. Whenever I plan to go somewhere, I always check whether PA parks are available in the areas I'll be. In 5 years of RVing, only 2 bad PA parks. When I did a trip from California to the Midwest via the northern route and then returned via the southern route, of the 17 parks I stayed in 14 were PA and all good parks. Saved a lot of money. These were parks where I usually stayed one night. I travel to see the sights rather than just staying at an RV resort to enjoy the amenities of the campground.
Sandi

[Wanderer2]

Thanks for all of your comments. Your experiences are invaluable as always. I will be starting my journey soon and trying to line up all of my ducks When I bought my rv, they gave me a 30 day free camping pass with Thousand Trails, which I have read is not too great. I will research before I get there too. I will use it. And a polite no-I don't want to buy hopefully will suffice.. I probably won't get a chance to post more pics until I am out of here. The final push is on.

[chalet05]

I don't know where you are or where you will travel, but don't rule out staying at Thousand Trails since it is free and if it is a convenient stop for you. Some parks are better than others.

[retiredhappy]

Passport America always paid for itself in just one trip. Yes, there are restrictions but I've stayed at some expensive parks for half price by doing a little planning. I dropped my Good Sam as 10% wasn't enough to make it worth while. I also prefer Corp parks. Its half price for seniors with their pass and their sites are bigger and not so crowded as state parks. I often would plan my days of driving from one PA park to a corp park rather than by miles or cities.

[Cudedog]

My first (and only) PassPort America campground experience was disturbing and terrifying:

http://www.womenrv.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=15679

While I do realize that this kind of thing can happen anywhere, I have not renewed my PM membership as yet - and perhaps will not. I have/had been a PM member for some years - without ever having the opportunity to use it. Each year at renewal time, I would think "this is the year!" and then something would come up so that I would be unable to travel as I had hoped.

So, with some few years of "membership" under my belt (and out of my wallet), with no actual camping to balance out the cost of the membership, I am into PM for a couple hundred dollars.

Definitely not worth it when one is unable to travel!

I am over - mostly - the bad experience, but I will wait before I pay anymore "membership" fees until I actually have a trip planned. Or, better yet, I am actually on the road. PM can send a membership "card", that is valid, via email attachment, to me wherever I am, on the road or off.

Anne

[longdog2]

Love Passport America. The annual fee is easily returned in two or three nights use. I have stayed at some really nice parks like Voyagers in Tucson with PA. We had 6 nights there. They don't give PA in the winter because they are full with snowbirds. I have only been at one PA park that I drove in and then drove out of without staying. It was full of permanent RVers and was rundown. I saw a couple of loose dogs and knew I didn't want to stay but I have stayed at fantastic PA parks from Arizona to Florida, some overnight and some for much longer. Oh, and if you do hit a bad park or one obviously not as advertised, you need to notify PA and you can also write reviews!