Thousand trails: should we or shouldn't we

[angelbones]

Hey all. I've discussed clubs like Thousand Trails in the past, but I wanted to post to ask for advice. A little background. First, we've researched the locations of Thousand Trails, particularly the Northeast and Southeast. We will be leaving Florida for our Full-Time journey early this summer and have looked at their "free" locations (I know of the limits and exceptions so I'll use the term free loosely within this post). Our goal is to head to New England, probably a couple weeks in Canada, and stops along the east coast before even getting there. Therefore, we will probably staying at a location for about 1-2 weeks at a time before we head south and west by the start of fall. Also, in the equation is we will be flatbedding a car (please don't suggest a 4-down toad as a flatbed is our only option). So our full length of coach and trailer will be about 56-58 feet. Towing a flatbed will be new to us and travelling to the northeast in particular gives us concerns about the limits of where we can stay. Final fact to know is that while we will need to earn money eventually, we're pretty flexible for those first few months so not really looking for a long term job (relatively speaking, in other words, not looking at this time for a job lasting more than a week or so and we can certainly make it until the fall without working if necessary).

So with all those factors in mind I just want to get opinions on whether a club like Thousand Trails would be the right choice for us. It appears to us that it would be, but I want to hear from those with both good and bad experiences and explain my thought process. The reason I think it will work is that we're not looking for a long term stay anywhere. That said, a concern, is availability during the summer and wondering if that is an issue. However, another reason I like the idea is that if we can stay for free somewhere for a couple weeks, then we can use the car to sightsee, work if necessary, and do the things we bought an RV for (seeing America) in the CAR. Now with that said, one thing worrying me is their locations. For example, the free parks available in Massachusetts and Maine are good in that they are between places we'd like to go but not exactly THE place we'd like to go. Am I wrong in thinking that we can use the car to do the travelling to those things we want to do that may be an hour or more away? Could we take the car into a city like Boston or Providence and go back to the RV at the end of the day? (We're not really partiers, but there might be a night or two where we wouldn't want to drive back). I'll admit that where I'm living now, I've gotten spoiled by being close to work, the beach, restaurants, etc. So I'm not sure if my concern is legitimate about being 1-1.5 hours away from that day's destination. I'm trying to view it as compromises we all take when RVing.

Again, I appreciate any insight into what you think of my thoughts on this. On other threads I've heard people discuss Thousand Trails, but it seems like it may not be for everybody. It's just that we MIGHT (unless there is a strong consensus not to with reasons) get more than our share of use out of it, with my concerns being noted above.

[Fred and Bonnie]

I view membership campgrounds this way, if you use them, that's great, if not, it sure was expensive.

The big objection, to me, is it restricts where you want to go, since you are always looking for arears within your membership.

Fred

[wa8yxm]

Membership campgrounds can be a curse or a blessing. But TT has a way to shall we say "Load the Dice".. I will explain.. I have 2 and used to have a 3rd
First I'm going to explain the 3rd.
The company went bankrupt, closed, went out of business, was reformed and we negoated re-joining. then they lost nearly all their campgrounds and failed to tell anyone till you got there and found your membership was no more.. That was 11 years ago and they are STILL dunning me for dues. and I'm still not paying they know if they sue me they will loose. (I however am not so restrained and may well sue them come summer)

The next two one is that same kind of membership but a much smaller and financially stronger company... The park of theirs I stay at is one of the nicest campgrounds I visit, though some of their other parks not so good.. But they are JUST in Michigan though there are I think two out-state parks I can use under a mutual agreement, all in the north (LIke PA). Dues are around 35/month and that's not even one night at a KOA.

TT now has two memberships.. I have the national lifetime, dues of ab out 40-45/month (I can't give an exact because I usually pay more and when the "DUE" gets low I pay the remaining for the year, quarter or half, smooths out my cash flow a bit that way).

During the summer, I spend most of my time in Michigan and shuffel between teh two parks,, that means I'm paying PER MONTH, what I'd pay for one night at a local KOA, or less... WOW...

Winter I spend beween a TT park and another park.. That adds about 120/month but that's still less than 3 nights at a KOA for one full month, or 4 nights as a NON MEMBER at a TT park (most are 35/night for non members).

TT now has a ZONE PASS. this is only good for about 1/5 of the parks, (The country is divided into 5 zones) Costs about the same as my monthly dues, perhaps a bit more. One year, no dues, 30 nights free (30 amp site, small fee for 50) and after that small fee, very small fee...

ALl the memberships are 2 weeks in one week out (Why I use two parks) but since the plan includes traveling, that works. As the budget improves, and it is improving, I plan to travel more.

This will increase my camping costs.. But still,,, With the memberships it really cuts into the overall expense. In fact.. I had a period where funds were tight and this made a BIG difference.

The other advantage of the zone pass is that after the year, you can either renew or notify (Send no thank you letter) TT you wish not to. I suggest registered mail for that letter.

Finally: Thousand Trails parks are not well funded.. The overal health of the company that owns them is good but they need to put more money into the parks.. Staff is small, and some of the buildings and facilities may be closed or in need of repair.. though they are getting that done slowly.

This may be a problem... As for me.. The Park is. well Parking,, and that is in good condition.. Though Electrical service on 30 amp sites may be... weak (Most 50 amp sites are good).

Most parks offer swimming in the summer, few other activities.

My summer park.. Well I'd not care for 30 amps save I have an Autoformer.. my wife once told me I'd not like a site because the shared power box one other RVer's volt meter was always in the red.. Mine was in the Green, but I have an autoformer hidden in the coach.

OH, if you get the right zone.. TT has a park on Bolder hwy in Las Vegas. and if you do not wish to fight traffic.. The bus stop is at the end of the driveway.

[mrfix]

We were given a zone pass membership when we bought our rv. We used it a number of times thinking it was a good system, what we found out is most of the parks are poorly maintained and run down, most sites are not level, dirt and have a good amount of dead wood in the canopy over the coach. There system is first come first serve for sites so if you arrive after 3:00 in the afternoon you will either get the worst site in the park or a stay in overflow parking until the next morning. They also have a spike system in the exit lane at most parks, I went through the one in fair play south Carolina that was frozen up and caused tears in one of my rear tires. The only thousand trails park I stayed in that was well kept and in good condition with good sites was the Hershey pa park. Don't east your money on this system.

[vsheetz]

As others have commented, if the TT parked are where you will use them and such quality that you will use then and you do use them, it's a very good deal. We are zone members - western and northwestern.

As for traveling an hour from base camp to see the sites - most definitely doable. We commonly drive the toad hour(s) away from where the coach is located - often making a loop to see more sights rather than doing a out and back (retracing the same route).

[rkresge]

This subject comes up time and time again. Then you hear from the same people who have had both good experiences and bad experiences. You also get some occasionally questionable information. DW and I love our TT Zone Pass; we now have access to 3 zones; our annual membership fee is the same as anyone who has only a single zone. Last year we did about 45 nights of TT campgrounds, 30 the previous year, and were very happy; stayed in 6 different TT parks so far. I would say that only one of those has issues, mostly a result of poor maintenance over a number of years before being acquired by TT.

The Zone Pass includes 30 night of "free" camping per year; additional nights are $3/night. You may not stay longer than 14 nights, after which you must be out of the system for 7 nights. In general the parks we've been are a bit on the rustic side, which is OK with us. With younger kids you might be happier in a KOA or Yogi Bear. Cable TV and WIFI are not available in all parks. They've been upgrading many 30-amp sites to 50-amp service. Our experience with staff has been extremely good.

Note that with ALL Thousand Trails parks, site selection is 'first come, first served' by policy. I suggest not planning to arrive on a Friday afternoon of a holiday weekend, for example.

Recommendation? Sure, but make sure the campgrounds are in locations where you want to be. And if you go for the Zone Pass, plan your camping to take maximum advantage of their rules. Their Elite membership, and legacy packages are quite a bit different, and I cannot speak of those from experience.

Roger

[nothermark]

I'm not a TT member because there are no parks where I would be interested in spending enough time to make it worth it. That would be my main concern. If you can find some do the math.

What I can say is that the NE in general is well served by both limited access super slabs and decent numbered highways. Distances tend to be shorter than other parts of the country. Congestion is a problem in large old metro areas mostly the Boston to DC corridor along the coast. Even that varies. Mostly it's the problem of old cities with streets designed before cars were invented. OTOH you should be able to get to the campground reasonably well then the car should fit about anywhere else you want to go except where parking is a big issue. In those places mass transit, special buses and cabs come into the mix. Often your best bet is some kind of guided tour where they supply transportation. Tickets are probably cheaper than parking.

Not sure what kind of work you are looking for. You might talk to some of the national staffing agencies like Manpower or Kelly. They have different kinds of work and handle short term assignments. I would say it's worth a chat if you can find one of their agents who is not busy. A week is a pretty short term but there are jobs like that in inventory and similar functions. Getting experience with a place like that would let you move around. You might want to think a month not a week... ask them.

[travelboy]

I agree with the comments regarding site quality and locations. I've seen some that were terrible: e.g. bumpy roads, narrow and unlevel sites. So, I vote no. KOA camps are far better overall.

[daetrip]

Stay away from Thousand Trails unless inexpensive is most important; they are all under local control, with almost no amenities carried through from one to another, or level of service. The fees, and extra’s you pay for will vary greatly; from power, sites, mail/packages, WiFi etc... You can not count on anything; preserve, to preserve. Except a varying state of neglected mantinance. They all cater to a large population, of “seasonal/annual” sites; and their local buddies, who more often than not, do not follow the rules. It is especially disheartening to be a “See something Say something “ person, and be ignored. While the few of us that actually bought into it get treated like second class folks; for following the rules. Like actually staying in your site; and not using, a 50 amp site, in a restricted stay preserve, as your private storage lot. While the park is FULL. Or packing your Sh*# up late; then leaving for the day instead of vacating the site for others coming in...
Oh ya mine for sale

[HighDesert]

I have had two free TT memberships and used them only a couple of times. Here, in the Pacific NorthWest, I found the parks to be real crap. Run down, poorly maintained, sloppy staff and unclean campsites. Roads in the park were in poor condition, buildings rundown, and services not open, often. So, I am not a fan of TT.

[powerboatr]

my ten year TT plan expires in May of next year.
i am eagerly ready
we use mostly texas parks and all but one SUCK, and the one that does not suck is very nice and has lots of upgrades and 50 amp,



the rest are horrible, 50 amp limited

they rent out year long spots to folks that get the best sites, and for some reason dont have to comply with TT rules on SHEDS and cars and the like

[ThomB]

I have traveled full-time for the past 2+ years and did buy a TT membership.

It’s true that some of the parks need work. Yes, the road in some are bad, yes there are plenty of parks we will never again visit but if you’re looking to have a place to park for a bit less than $20 nightly it’s a good deal again as someone already said if you use it. We’ve been all over the country (3 times round now) and use the parks not as a destination but as a place close to our destination. Yea, they have a few parks that are a destination but that’s not the norm.

Florida in the winter is tricky. You could try a zone pass but the booking window may need to be extended for you to get a site. There are only 3 true TT parks in Florida and they have winter reservation limits (14 days in with only 2 bookings on the calendar at a time) so if you’re seriously considering it then add the trails collection onto your membership. That adds about 32 more parks to stay in (they have a 14 day limit already).

You really want a park-to-park membership, one that lets you leave one park and go directly to another) to get though the winter like that in FL. We did it the past 2 winters there without incurring any nightly costs over and above our membership. We chose to stay in AZ this winter and will be paying to stay in one of the Encore parks out there (with a discount because of TT).

[traveldawg]

Originally Posted by Fred and Bonnie

I view membership campgrounds this way, if you use them, that's great, if not, it sure was expensive.

The big objection, to me, is it restricts where you want to go, since you are always looking for arears within your membership.

Fred

I think Fred summed it up..... if you use them (typically going out of your way to do so) they're great. If not... we'll..... it's not so good.

I gave up my Coast To Coast this year after more than 30 years. They simply got to be too few and far between and the parks, while OK in most instances, were pretty dumpy sometimes and almost always out of my way. The final nail-in-the-coffin for me was when a park in N GA started playing games about the electrical size of the camper they allowed.

So it sounds like TT is the same - parks just make up their own rules.

oh - a comment on full timing and those parks - not saying anyone here is like this, but some folks staying full time are real trashy. I suppose that goes for public parks too.

[Wbonsell]

Love to hear comments trashing Thousand Trails. Makes it easier to get reservations. 4+ years for us, and as full timers, for the most part it’s been positive. I will also just say that almost all of our sites have been larger than sites in parks where we have paid $80 per night. Nice to be able to stay in WA and Oregon in the summer or Palm Springs and Yuma Az in the winter FREE, excepting our small monthly membership fee