Community Forums

Cookestwo · 10-07-2005, 05:49 AM

Ron and I are starting to plan some longer trips for next year and we are members of Passport America. However, we have only used their campgrounds twice. One was awful and no longer in business and the other, although not fancy, was very nice. Both of these experiences occured while we had our first motorhome so we haven't utilized their services in a few years.

Have any of you had more than one or two good experiences with them? Their prices are so affordable, and we were just curious what your experiences have been.

I don't think I would mind staying overnight at a Fly "J" or a Wal-Mart, but any longer than that, I would prefer a campground with full hookups. We've never stayed overnight at FJ or WM but several of our friends from our local RV club have done it and like it. Particularly, the FJ's who have a very nice buffet.

Thanks for your input!

Cookestwo · 10-07-2005, 05:49 AM

Ron and I are starting to plan some longer trips for next year and we are members of Passport America. However, we have only used their campgrounds twice. One was awful and no longer in business and the other, although not fancy, was very nice. Both of these experiences occured while we had our first motorhome so we haven't utilized their services in a few years.

Have any of you had more than one or two good experiences with them? Their prices are so affordable, and we were just curious what your experiences have been.

I don't think I would mind staying overnight at a Fly "J" or a Wal-Mart, but any longer than that, I would prefer a campground with full hookups. We've never stayed overnight at FJ or WM but several of our friends from our local RV club have done it and like it. Particularly, the FJ's who have a very nice buffet.

Thanks for your input!

tmitchell · 10-07-2005, 05:57 AM

Tom and I joined Passport America and have never used it. None were handy in our travels. Flying J's are noisy, so if you can sleep through all the generators running you'll do fine, but sometimes you might get some dirty looks from the truckers. Guess they think you are using THEIR space. We've never had any problem with Rest Stop Areas, even if they post no overnights (no slides out or generator running). We've also never stayed at WalMart, but these days you need to get permission from their management, as most also post no overnights.

Pat of

Larry, NW4W · 10-07-2005, 06:01 AM

We stayed at PA whenever possible on our trip this year. Most of the parks were nice and those few we found not the best, we just signed up for one night, found another and moved on in the morning. We did not stay at a FJ or WM because of the perceived noise and apparent bright lights associated with them. If you look on Passport-America, they have new campgrounds that are for some reason not listed on the Passportamerica site. They pretty much let you know what amenities they have and it depends on what you are looking for in that area. We have more than received our monies worth from the investment. Try it you might like it.

Newgma · 10-07-2005, 06:06 AM

We tried to stay in Passport America campgrounds as much as possible on our trip. We found some to be very good while others provided just the bare minimums -- for an overnight that was all that was necessary. We have, in fact, just renewed our membership and plan to use it tomorrow night -- we are hoping to go up to Seasons in the Sun for an overnighter. We are hoping to use it more this year for get-aways in Florida for a day or two.

tmitchell · 10-07-2005, 06:34 AM

We'll keep that in mind for our next trip. This last trip we made was too regimented and we kept going from point A to point B, because of our commitments. Thanks for helping us too.

Pat of

Cookestwo · 10-07-2005, 07:10 AM

Hey, Guys:

Thsnks so much for all the input. I neglected to say that we also used to belong to Coast to Coast, but didn't find it to be much of a savings. Glad to see that Passport America will fit the bill.

I understand what Pat is saying about "too regimented". I tend to try to be TOO organized and leave little room for slack. Sometimes you arrive at a site only to find out that you didn't plan to stay long enough or vice versa.

We would still like to caravan with anyone interested. Maybe we can brainstorm, and see which places we might all like to visit and make plans. We're still interested in going to a DISCOVERY rally. We've talked to some of you and others too who have attend a rally for their brand of RV and ya'll said it was so much fun being with folks who have so much in common.

Thanks again!!!!

Tom & Dee · 10-07-2005, 08:47 AM

Cheri,
We belong also. We have only used it a couple times for overnight. It was close to I-95 and only $10.00 for full hook-up. You might try it again. It really does save.

Half Dimes · 10-07-2005, 10:18 AM

We used PA a lot on our trips out west. Most were very nice places. On our trip up to Canada this summer, we could only find one on our route. There was one in Mass. that we would stay several days at but they dropped out. It's a good idea to check PA's website ahead of time because they are always addding and deleting campgrounds. You don't want to aim for a specific place and find out it's no longer in the program.

Overall, the membership cost has paid for itself many times over.

Cookestwo · 10-07-2005, 12:11 PM

Good idea about checking their website, Dave, to keep up with which parks have been dropped or added. Thanks for the tip!

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Half Dimes:
We used PA a lot on our trips out west. Most were very nice places. On our trip up to Canada this summer, we could only find one on our route. There was one in Mass. that we would stay several days at but they dropped out. It's a good idea to check PA's website ahead of time because they are always addding and deleting campgrounds. You don't want to aim for a specific place and find out it's no longer in the program.

Overall, the membership cost has paid for itself many times over. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

readinglady2 · 10-07-2005, 11:50 PM

We are members of Passport America and KOA. We have used both. The thing my dh likes about KOA is that everyone of the campgrounds is inspected once a year so you can be fairly sure about some things.

We have only had problems with one PA campground because a)even when you made a reservation, at that campground the PA discount was not definite, it was "if we are not full you get the discount" yet if you didn't make reservations.... b) once we got there we found that there were some other "differences" that were not stated in the directory or the website. And they made it out to be our fault. If it hadn't been in such an out of the way place with few campgrounds in the area.... But, other than that we have been very happy with PA, In fact, when we renewed, we renewed for 2 years instead of just one!

readinglady2

Roadrunner · 10-08-2005, 05:07 AM

Cheri,

Barb & I have been PA members for over three years now and each year it pays for itself. It came in handy on our trip up to Alaska and back down the Pacific Northwest. We had a few bad experiences with a few of the PA camps but all in all the PA camps were just fine. Yopu have to read the exceptions when the PA discount is good. Each park is different and they are allowed to make their own rules. Some PA parks offer the 50% discount for your entire stay and some only honor it for one or two nights or during certain off peak periods. Read the descriptions carefully and check the web site for changes and updates.

We carry the PA book, Woodalls, Big Rig directory and a few others in the coach. We usually have internet somewhere along the way or we do a WI-FI hook up during a Flying J diesel stop. We go on line and I download a few of the PA locations in the area we are in by cut and paste to a Word doc. Once we are on our way, Barb will look them up in Woodall's to check their ratings and further descriptions. If there is one nearby that sounds good we call and or stop by. Otherwise we do not go too far out of our way to get to one.

PA has paid for itself many times over each year. We just recently renewed for three years more. By the way Seasons in the Sun is a PA park. We looked at Coast to Coast and some of the membership parks and saw no value added there. We did join KOA about a year ago and used a few of the KOA parks on our Alaska trip. We found most of the KOA over priced for what you get. While the parks may be great for families with small children, we are beyond that point in our lives. As a matter of fact, we would rather not be near a bunch screaming kids as they were in one KOA park. We were going to stay three nights but left after one night with no refund and the park manager not willing to say anything to the children's parents. Needless to say we will not be renewing with KOA this year. Good Sam and FMCA we belong to provides the typical 10% discount which helps.

Except for rallies, we do not make reservations anywhere on long trips. We spent 37 years being on someone's schedule. We find we enjoy the trip more by not putting ourselves on a schedule. Our idea of traveling is to wander from one place of interest to another and to try to make the trip on back roads. While interstates are great from getting from point A to point B and we do use them, we feel we miss allot in between. If we only manage 100 miles in a day, so be it. Remember, we are not on any schedule. We are often finding some out of the way places that are off the beatened path.

So, tell us where your next big trip is going to take you?

Cookestwo · 10-08-2005, 05:39 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Roadrunner:
Cheri,

Barb & I have been PA members for over three years now ... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks for the helpful info, Jim. We had a KOA also, and as you pointed out, many were just too expensive to make it worth our while.

We are making plans for a New England trip, perhaps a month or so. The time of year (other than the snow) is not that important to us, because after many years in Virginia we had the opportunity to see the changing of the leaves. However, if the timing is such that we can enjoy them again, we'll do it.

I still have an overwhelming desire to make the Alaska trip, but so many have tried to discourage us for one reason or another. If we get close to that decision, we'll ask you to share your experiences.

Looking forward to seeing both of you soon!

Half Dimes · 10-08-2005, 10:32 AM

--------
"We found most of the KOA over priced for what you get. While the parks may be great for families with small children, we are beyond that point in our lives. As a matter of fact, we would rather not be near a bunch screaming kids as they were in one KOA park."
--------
I agree about KOA. However, there are some notable exceptions: Fort Stockton, TX; Bismarck, ND; Salt Lake City; Harpers Ferry, WV; and Newburgh, NY (as long as your site isn't near the playground

) all come to mind.

--------
"I still have an overwhelming desire to make the Alaska trip, but so many have tried to discourage us for one reason or another."
--------
We heard much the same things, especially about rig damage. The folks that liked the journey all said it was a matter of just adjusting your speed for the conditions and not following too closely. That trip is on our agenda for next summer to go with a Titanium owners group, barring skyhigh fuel prices and/or fuel availability issues. To do it right, eight+ weeks seems to be what's necessary. Actually more than that if you're departing from this part of the country. Cheri, as for you and Ron, I would recommend some extended travel in the lower 48 before you take on Alaska. We can talk about it at the rally if you want.