Boondockers welcome

[Daybreaker1]

Any thoughts on whether boondockers welcome is worth joining. We belong to harvest host and like it. Also, is there a charge for boondockers welcome. I'm seeing negative reviews on it. Tia

[jrollf]

It's different in that BW is PRIVATE land owners, not business (with a few exceptions). There is a subscription for the BW service, but no charge for the stays/camp sites. Many allow multi night stays, some have utilities for a donation to the owner to cover costs if you use them.

The type of camping spots vary greatly, from someone's driveway in metro area to family farms out in the middle of nowhere, or even just land someone owns that they let people stay at. You'll find a few business, usually they just have extra parking spots and unlike Harvest Host, there are no expectataions you spend any money or time at the business. For instance I know of one that is behind an auto body shop, and another at a laundrymat in a small town.

If you are a "social butterfly" type it's a great way to meet people, most are RV'rs too. There is no requirement to spend time with the hosts if you don't want to.

There is no "typical" type of spot, mostly generous people sharing their land with others.

I like rural myself so tend to stay at spots on family farms, open land, etc. I've had nothing but praise for the hosts. Most the complaints are with the Android/iphone app. After Harvest Host bought Boondockers Welcome, they gutted the original app that was more user friendly and just generally worked better and merged it into their existing Harvest Host app. If you are already a Harvest Host memeber, you are already using the app and used to it. When you sign up for Boondockers Welcome you'll see the BW campsites show up in your Harvest Host app.

[dvspl]

We use both Boondockers Welcome and Harvest Hosts and like both. There is an additional charge for BW, but it's worth it to us.

[hamm2018]

We just joined a month ago and both were included in the package.

[UTTransplant]

I much prefer the Boondockers Welcome model. I like the fact that it is RVers who like helping out other RVers, not a place where I am expected to spend money while using my own generator for power! We have stayed everywhere from farms to small town driveways, and we have never had a bad experience. Some hosts are social, some aren’t, but I have never had an issue with someone pushing social interaction when we were just tired and wanted to veg out. The Harvest Hosts acquisition was a disaster for everyone except the folks who sold. Website was much worse, host privileges went down, and the price for new members increased by 60%. What a deal! (heavy sarcasm) The website has improved, but it still isn’t nearly as nice as the old Boondockers Welcome version. Sigh. I just renewed.

[C Hayden]

I’ve had both memberships and we’ve throughly enjoyed what they offer. We’ve stayed at private homes, farms, wineries, bowling alleys, and a horse rescue.

We’ve met some incredible people and learned a lot from each of them. I would absolutely recommend both programs.

[Matt A]

I use Boondockers Welcome and I’m also a BW host. There is a charge for many sites, especially the busy ones. Most sites will only accommodate smaller <25-30 ft RVs, while there are some large spots around.

Something to note, if you sign up to host you get a free BW membership.