Guidance Request

[MiamiDreamer]

Originally Posted by 777 Driver

Maybe there's a reason that there are so many folks trying to sell their TT memberships???

Take care,
Stu

Seems to be a consensus...

[Camper25]

I'd get Passport America instead.

[MiamiDreamer]

Originally Posted by RKins

We recently purchased a TT membership from a private seller and didn't have any problem getting the necessary info directly from TT themselves. The seller had inherited the membership from her father and she had no RV to enjoy the membership, so she was selling it. She paid off an existing loan to TT and TT waived the usual $750 transfer fee. She gave TT approval for staff to talk to me about her membership: they explained the level of membership I was purchasing, i.e. how many days in a park, that I could move from park to park without being out of the reservation system, how many days ahead I could reserve a site, what the original membership was and had been upgraded from and also what the membership would demote to when I sold it. Some, when sold, demote to pretty much a Zone Pass (worthless), so stay away from those type. We even have free cabins available for the next 5 years.

We feel that TT is a good membership, yes some of the CGs are old but a lot of commercial CGs are too. I didn't find the contracts daunting and we're not lawyers. Talk directly with TT and they can explain everything.

Thank you. I have read many complaints and heard vloggers state that the TT representatives do not know what they are saying and sometimes what they are selling. They provide incorrect information and what counts is what is on the contract not what the Rep or Salesperson said. This I understand, but if I have a hard time understanding and I cannot rely on TT (they are looking out for their best interest, not mine), then my only option is to find someone that is knowledgable to decipher the contract.

At this point I am so confused. I will probably not do TT until we go on the road for a little bit and we can get familiar with what is out there.

Thank you so much for your reply. You are one of the few positive comment on TT. Glad it is working for you.

[MiamiDreamer]

Originally Posted by carl.swoyer

My personal account of thousand trails is..
A waste of money period.
Any rundown campground can show up in the thousand trails directory. Waste of money and they are not resorts of any measure. Run down, pot holes, dirty.
Keep your money in your pocket and pay as you go.
I will speak positively about Army Corp Parks, National Parks,State Parks, rest areas,truck stops and Passport America. Passport America requires a annual fee of 40ish $ but you get it back in the first two nights as it's 50%off. Check it out

Thank you. Those are great suggestions! From what I understand the 50% for PassAmer is only for the first night. Is there a good way to find local RV parks? When ever I google, I get the KOAs and the higher end parks. It happened in Jan when we were looking for a place in Central Florida for 2 days. We pre paid for a KOA and found that there were many places considerably better and less expensive than the KOA, but those places did not come up on the google search. It was quite frustrating.

[MiamiDreamer]

Originally Posted by RKins

From my Sister's point of view, staying in the TT system saves people a lot of money. My Sister and BIL stay in the TT system 365 days a year and that averages out at $1.64 per day including electric, sewer and water ($600 annual fee/365). TT is a part of their retirement plan. I've met many people in TT CGs that rely on TT as part of their retirement plan. I wish that they had more CGs in the mid-west and in the gap toward the west coast.

Thank you. We are not full timers. We hope to be out about 120 days per year which is still quite-a-bit, so cost, or rather managing cost, is important. That is the reason we were looking at TT. I am concerned because there seem to be more negative comments than positive one. That is concerning, and scary.

[MiamiDreamer]

Originally Posted by jsmmonaco

stayed at one thousand trails park...............never again.............not only was it dumpy, it was completely mismanaged............we are 40 ft pulling toad and booked what was supposed to be a level pull thru site..........when we got there, they said "drive around, pick one out, and let us know".........could not find a site that was long enough or level........................

Thank you for replying. I have heard this from multiple sources. It seems to be the rule rather than the exception. Then how do you find good cost effective camp grounds?

[MiamiDreamer]

Originally Posted by mokurt

My wife and I live about 10 miles from the one near Hollister,Ca.

One day we drove up there to check it out.It seemed kinda run down and had full time residents.

Thank you for your reply. That is what I am afraid of. This seems to be the common theme.

[MiamiDreamer]

Originally Posted by Alan_Hepburn

Don't know where you got that information but it's incorrect - 1000 Trails is NOT owned by Camping World. Good Sam, and Coast-to-Coast, on the other hand, are owned by that conglomerate...

Thank you Alan. Is Coast-to-Coast any better?

[MiamiDreamer]

Thank you. We are not full timers, but expect to be out about 120 days a year which is quite a few nights. Would you do it again or is the large lump some up front too high a price for what you are getting?

[MiamiDreamer]

Originally Posted by Diesel 5.9

I'd get Passport America instead.

My concern is that PassAmer does give you 50% off the regular park rate but that is only for the first night. I hope to stay at a park 5-7 days.

[Isaac-1]

Originally Posted by MiamiDreamer

My concern is that PassAmer does give you 50% off the regular park rate but that is only for the first night. I hope to stay at a park 5-7 days.

Passport America rules vary from park to park, some parks let you get 50% off for multiple days, some don't. Some only honor 50% off during week nights, some only during the off season, I even ran across one that only offered 50% off on their premium pull through sites, regularly $30 per night, and not on their basic $20 back sites. The key is to research the terms published for each rv park, also some will allow multi-day stays at the PPA rate, even if their official terms say 1 night only.

[carl.swoyer]

The initial cost isn't free. So your numbers don't add up.

[Alan_Hepburn]

Originally Posted by MiamiDreamer

Thank you Alan. Is Coast-to-Coast any better?

We haven't been with Coast-to-Coast for about 30 years now so I can't make a blanket statement about them, like many here seem to do with 1000 Trails - I can say that when we were using them we saw the whole spectrum of possibilities, from high-end resorts to mud pits. To join Coast-to-Coast you need to first purchase a membership in an affiliated campground company, and then you are eligible to join C2C.



Passport America has been mentioned - we use them a lot. You can find all their affiliated parks on their website, along with any restrictions that each park has in place. It's easy to recover your annual dues with them after a couple of nights. We typically save over $200 per year using them during our travels, and we travel typically 90 nights per year.

[carl.swoyer]

Originally Posted by MiamiDreamer

Thank you. Those are great suggestions! From what I understand the 50% for PassAmer is only for the first night. Is there a good way to find local RV parks? When ever I google, I get the KOAs and the higher end parks. It happened in Jan when we were looking for a place in Central Florida for 2 days. We pre paid for a KOA and found that there were many places considerably better and less expensive than the KOA, but those places did not come up on the google search. It was quite frustrating.

I've been using passport since 2007.
The restrictions are noted as to when you can get the discount. Some place only 2 days other places will allow more than two days. We don't mind moving around.