Is a Harvest Host membership worth it?

[suitbear]

I will be traveling from Houston, TX to Central New York this summer with my Fleetwood Southwind 32v. I am having trouble finding places to stop for a night or two on the way there. I can not drive the 2000 miles straight through in the motorhome pulling a car as well. I have seen ads for Harvest Hosts and wondered it people have used this and if they were pleased. My other option may be finding a Cracker Barrel or a Walmart to spend the night. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Rhody_Chris]

Originally Posted by suitbear

I will be traveling from Houston, TX to Central New York this summer with my Fleetwood Southwind 32v. I am having trouble finding places to stop for a night or two on the way there. I can not drive the 2000 miles straight through in the motorhome pulling a car as well. I have seen ads for Harvest Hosts and wondered it people have used this and if they were pleased. My other option may be finding a Cracker Barrel or a Walmart to spend the night. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

IMO, Harvest Host is absolutely worth it. You are generally dry camping (boondocking) but some places do have water and/or electric for a fee. You are "expected" to make some contribution or purchase from the host, but if you pick the right stops it will be for things you would purchase somewhere along the line anyway. Happy Travels!

[jacwjames]

If you are going to be traveling for an extended time it probably makes sense.

In 2021 I planned on doing an extended trip in the midwest going through ~10 states over a ~6 week period of time. So I decided to try the Harvest Host App. I got my monies worth but learned some lessons.

1. try to schedule a stop a couple days in advance
2. don't rely on the email or reservation method, pick up the phone if that is an option.
3. you might have to be flexible and/or hedge you bets and try and reserve at a couple places.

I stayed at several wineries and at a couple businesses


Tried a couple other places and either didn't get a reservation because they were full and/or they never accepted the reservation.

[n2zon]

There have been several threads on this, with some people pro and others con.

Put us in the "pro" column. Useful, fun, not really a big cost-saving program but very cool most of the time.

[twogypsies]

I can't imagine you having problems finding campsites along your 2,000 mile route. There are many out there in the direction you're traveling.

If you're driving long days and just want to sleep then WalMarts and such would definitely be my preference.

If you want to drive shorter days and do some relaxation and perhaps going out to dinner then get a RV park.

Harvest Hosts are typically not along interstates so if you're driving late you might have to travel some secondary roads off your main route. Also, you typically can't just pop in unannounced. Those places have a limited amount of places to park.... sometimes only a handful.

[DKRITTER]

I get the impression from all the different threads on Harvest Host that have been posted there are 2 different types of folks. There are those that love them (for all the right reasons) and those who don't think it's a big deal.

We have had HH for a few years and enjoy it but most likely will not renew it this year, we just don't use it.

I think if you're really looking at HH so you can save money it's probably not a good idea.
HH alone is kinda expensive annually and the main reason a winery, brewery, business, museum on and on would host is they want you to stop and spend money in their establishment.

Many times we have spent more money at a HH than a RV Park would cost. You get a few bottles of wine it adds up quickly.

[RV Driver]

You should get RV Trip Wizard. Hundreds of places to stay on that route.

[Camp CA]

Harvest Host is an option for one-night boondocking without amenities like pool and jacuzzi. I second RVLife https://rvlife.com/ trip wizard for finding campgrounds, including Elks Lodges (if you are a member).

[hamm2018]

Originally Posted by suitbear

I will be traveling from Houston, TX to Central New York this summer with my Fleetwood Southwind 32v. I am having trouble finding places to stop for a night or two on the way there. I can not drive the 2000 miles straight through in the motorhome pulling a car as well. I have seen ads for Harvest Hosts and wondered it people have used this and if they were pleased. My other option may be finding a Cracker Barrel or a Walmart to spend the night. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

We use Harvest Host since August of last year. We have stayed in 6 different places since leaving Ohio in September.
We don't like Wal-Mart or Cracker Barrel, because for us to use the bathroom, bed, we need to extend slides.

[Old Scout]

What DK said--for us its not a big deal. With today's prices for RVing, $95 a year isnt THAT much money. For us, it's another option for where to stay; you can make reservations ahead of time, so you know where you are staying; sometimes you meet some interesting people and experience some interesting things, like towns, museums, businesses, etc; and while its encouraged, you dont have to buy anything. If you are disciplined, you can save some money but dont bet on it!
PS--"camping" at Walmart was never our thing; besides, many jurisdictions no longer allow it.

[SoonToBeFT]

All of the above replies are Spot On. We are boondockers welcome hosts trying to give back for all the kindness we've experienced over the years of everyday folks as we travelled offering us free overnights at their locations.

With our being hosts we had a look into boondockers welcome along our routes to decide when our place sells and we are 100% FT, if we would benefit from becoming members. For the most part the answer was no. We use RVParky, Campendium, Freecampsites.net, Ioverlander and a handful of others and have found plenty of places to suit the way we roll. By choice we prefer not to stay in organised CGs unless anchoring down for a period of time and they are desirable.

Re-read the above posts and decide for yourself, the answers are all Spot On

[2cyber71]

Just from my experience with a 43 ft Diesel.
Skip Harvest Host, not many will fit a 43 ft diesel with a Jeep hooked up.
Also, many have parking in grass or dirt. Not good if it rains for a 43,000 lb diesel.
I quit, joined and was never able to use it.
Maybe it’s ok for a B Class or a R-Pod trailer

[Charming]

We have HH with the added BW option. We used both options on our cross country trip this year. Several generalities were posted that we've not encountered that often. Most HH we've stopped at are in level parking lots, our stop at an alpaca farm was the exception. They are strictly dry camping for one night. A purchase or donation is expected. The purchase amount is up to you. We have used the BW part several times and enjoyed the stays. Surprisingly many offer water and electric for a small fee. You will encounter the size problem with BW more than HH.

That said, we also make use of Cracker Barrels. In most we've stopped at we've been able to find a spot where we could put out at least one slide. When we leave Galveston on Tuesday we decided to overnight at the Cracker Barrel in Beaumont, TX rather than push it all the way to the campground south of Lafayette.

Not a fan of Walmart.

[Triangle Drifter]

Like the answer to so many questions, it depends.

It depends on the size of your vehicle, how far you are prepared to drive off of your route rhumb line, how well you are equipped for dry camping, how well you adapt to the unexpected, what your expectations of a HH are, how often you use the membership, how many HHs are useable along your route & what type of HHs they are?

These are all questions that cannot be answered for you.