Passport America ? Any issues.

[tvp]

Plan to travel throughout USA and western Canada -100-150 days per year -
Want to reduce RV campground fees. Passport America advertises 50% off fees as a member.
What are the catches that we don't know about? Any other clubs better?

TVP

[MSHappyCampers]

Passport America is a super deal! It will pay for itself very quickly!

Yes, there are catches! There are not a lot of campgrounds that are affiliated with PA. Most campgrounds will only let you use it one or two nights, and only during the week, not on weekends.

That being said, it's certainly worth the cost. Get it and use it when you can!

[bronk]

Many restrictions!

Bronk

[Waiter21]

Catches, none, Fine print, a lot.

Passport America is our friend. Always read the print when considering a campground. Every one is different and have different restrictions. With that said, most offer some degree of 50% off. Id say that during our winter migration, about 25% of our traveling stops will be at a Passport America place, and we're able to apply the discount (We travel on weekdays only)

Often we'll stay at the PA place, even though no PA discount, Most also offer a GS discount, of 10%, with almost no restrictions.

Some of the more common restrictions may be:
a) not valid on weekends or holidays.
b) not valid during on-season (i.e summer vacation, or snowbird season)
c) one night only

When we travel to Phoenix in the summer, the place we stay at gives three days PA free if staying 5 or more days.

[Billfish636]

Issues yes. Worth the cost, yes. We bought a 'lifetime' membership and it has paid for itself.

I don't focus on the negatives. The Passport campground guide will tell you what features each location has and it will tell you the restrictions.

Look at the map, see where you are. Sometimes nothing is available. ok.
Sometimes I can accept the restrictions or not. OK

I still save money.

Some have expressed an opinion that you are given a less desirable spot. This may be true for certain locations that feature 'premium' sites. Sites with wider concrete pads or water views or whatever the premium feature may be.

Others have said the Passport sites are too far off the main path. Sometimes. I like paying $20 a night, not $40, and it's worth it to me to drive a little further and not be next to the freeway. Think KOA style frontage road campsites.

[Waiter21]

Others have said the Passport sites are too far off the main path

I forgot to mention that -- :-) Generally, that's a big positive for use, get as far away from the beaten path and noise as possible.

[tvp]

Interesting comments .....thank you... are there any other clubs like Good sam
Or ? That we should also look at, and when traveling west is there Walmart and Crackle barrels that allow overnight rest areas like on I-75 ?

[Papa Foxtrot]

We like Good Sam - have their membership card and road service. You might consider a smartphone app like ParkAdvisor RV Parks & Campgrounds(there's an Apple version also). In addition to campgrounds, it will show businesses that sometimes allow overnight parking with a notation as to whether that particular location does.

Personally, I would rather spend $30-40 for a night in a campground than stay in a parking lot(I have done it however).

Originally Posted by tvp

Interesting comments .....thank you... are there any other clubs like Good sam
Or ? That we should also look at, and when traveling west is there Walmart and Crackle barrels that allow overnight rest areas like on I-75 ?

[rk911]

Originally Posted by tvp

Plan to travel throughout USA and western Canada -100-150 days per year -
Want to reduce RV campground fees. Passport America advertises 50% off fees as a member.
What are the catches that we don't know about? Any other clubs better?

TVP

you'll likely get a lot of positive replies to your question so let me offer the minority report.

we tried Passport America for a year but didn't renew it for two primary reasons. first, too many restrictions. many, many parks offered only a few spots in their parks just on certain days of the week during certain months of the year. second, their parks were never anywhere near where we were at the end of the day. we wanted to be where we were and not have to detour out of our way, sometimes considerably out of our way, in order to possibly save a few $. if you search the forums you'll find posts from others reporting that the PA sites are often the worst in a park. some folks are OK with that, some aren't. other posts will report very positive results.

at the time we were members of Good Sam...still are. their discount is 10% off of their daily rate at any member park on virtually any day of the year on any campsite. we found that some non-member parks were also honoring the 10% discount offer. at that time when we were touring we were spending from 1-3 days at a location and then moving on. we don't do as much of that these days but the annual membership still pays for itself. GS has other perks such as a discount on gas, diesel, dumping and propane at Flying J and Pilot truck stops.

you should try Passport America for a year and see if it works for you but I wouldn't sign up for more than a year to begin with. the point is...do your homework. search the forums and seek out as much information as you can before deciding.

good luck.

[Bob_C]

Passport America sends you campground directory with their campground and restrictions....there is also an app for them.....KOA also has a campground directory, and app......you'll usually find KOA not far off highways and have signs on the highways....little more money, but decent sites.....the 4 cross country trips we've made, we've used both....

[ralphie]

Just did a six week trip from FL to NY and back. Saved over $200 using PA. Each CG determines its own rules. A few limit to a one or two night stay, but most offer Sun-Thurs but no weekends. A few have holiday restrictions. A few restrict whole months in July-August up north, and high season over winter in the south.

We did not sense that we were assigned to crappy sites. You can recoup the purchase price in two stays so it's a no-brainer IMHO.

[TexasTom]

We understand there are some folks that are satisfied, but our personal experience was that it was a waste of money.

Over a 2 year period we did not find one RV park that would honor the Passport America discount even if they advertised as being a "Passport America Park". Every single one would state things like..."we don't offer discounts on weekends", or "summer doesn't apply"...maybe something like "we only offer the discount during xx months", etc. Even had one park state, after we arrived, the discount doesn't get approved unless the park has a 25% or greater vacancy at the time of check in.

[rkresge]

X2 on most of the comments. PA is a good deal, and you'll get your money back in savings with just 1 or 2 nights. But you must pay attention to the restrictions. Since most of the discounts seem to apply for one or two nights, and usually in the middle of the week, you must be careful in your planning. My thinking is that PA is pretty good for one-night stays by travelers who are just passing through. I've combined PA and Good Sam at several parks, too. Get a 50% discount for one night with PA, and then 10% off the rest of the stay with Good Sam.

Roger

[tvp]

Sounds like join them all Passport America and Sams Club ... use when you can and save some $$

Tvp