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johncopjsp

florida

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Posted: 04/26/12 05:06pm

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WE''RE FAIRLY NEW AT THIS AND WONDER WHAT ARE THE BEST OVERALL RV MEMBERSHIPS TO HAVE TO START OUT WITH . I'VE ALREADY BEEN TOLD TOO GET PASSPORT AND NEEDLESS TO SAY A COUPLE OF HUNDRED OTHERS .

THANKS
MOUSE

pianotuna

Regina, SK, Canada

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Posted: 04/26/12 05:17pm

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Hi,

Usually typing in all caps is considered "shouting" and a bit impolite.

I'd stay with Passport America if I were you. It has the potential to pay for itself in three or four nights of stays.

Regards, Don
Kustom Koach Class C 28'5" 256 watts Unisolar, 875 amp hours in two battery banks 12 volt batteries, 2500 MSW watt inverter.

Eycom

32043

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Posted: 04/26/12 06:18pm

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geez... double post... sorry

RVn Full-time

Eycom

32043

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Posted: 04/26/12 06:18pm

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Eycom wrote:

My suggestion before joining a bunch of clubs would to be to get some experience. By that I mean try different campgrounds, Federal/State/City & County parks as well as various commercial campgrounds. You'll get a feel for the style of camping that you and your family enjoy. There is no advantage to having membership in a club that you won't use.

I do have a membership with Passport America. As a full timer, it does save me money while traveling from point A to point B. But, be sure to look at the restrictions of each associated park along your route. Many times, the discount is offered during the slow times (Sun.- Thurs.) and a weekend warrior is not likely to benefit from the offering. Good luck.

Eycom

32043

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Posted: 04/26/12 06:19pm

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fla-gypsy

North Florida

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Posted: 04/26/12 06:21pm

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I have no need for any of them. It really depends on the style of camping you will do. I camp at State, County, and Federal parks in Florida which do not honor the clubs.

09 SuperDuty Crew Cab 6.8L/4.10(The Black Pearl)
06 Keystone Hornet 29 RLS/(The Cracker Cabana)

mdock2

Florida

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Posted: 04/26/12 07:07pm

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I have Passport (life member), Good Sam (life member), FMCA, Elk's, Moose. All of them offer discounted over night stays. As a fulltimer, any where I can save money is worth it. so, my yearly membership fees come to $180.00. My savings are 10 times that.

But check out the clubs, make sure you are going to get a nice return on the membership fees before you join.

Marty (KI4NAI)& Shirley
1998,38' DutchStar F/L Cat

MEMBERSHIPS
FMCA
Bits & Bytes,
Elks International (Webmaster)
FCCC
PPA (Life Member)
Moose
ARRL-ARES
National Park Travelers Club
Visited 158 National Parks
Places we've slept since 2007

SDcampowneroperator

South Dakota

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Posted: 04/26/12 07:23pm

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with Passport America, aka PPA , you will get value if you can fit your travels to the restrictions participating parks impose. In most cases expect these parks to be basic. A place to recharge your batteries, so to speak.
Good Sam member parks will always give you a 10% discount on stays up to the point in which they offer longer term rates, such as weekly or monthly.
KOA has their own system in a value card.
Federal and some State parks have deals for seniors or veterans.
Membership parks and systems such as Coast toCoast can be lucrative if you can use the system enough, again there are catch 22s.
It really depends on your travel habits and wishes. Even boondocking on free land will have a cost measured in generator investment, fuel for it, water and waste management, BLM fees.
Weigh your style of travel against the limitations of each option.
We use all of these except memberships. On average on our winter walkabout we use govt. parks 20% boondock 30% private camps the other 45days. Ave. cost > < $22/day. We travel with no restrictions, rules or mind games. It costs more for groceries than campsites.
Good Luck!

dqdick

Council Grove, KS

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Posted: 04/26/12 08:24pm

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If you're old enough you need to get a Senior Pass from the Feds. 1/2 price camping and very little cost. Besides PA and Good Sam we also belong to Escapee's and have used all four most of the time.

Dick and Joyce
2010 Montana 3665RE
Dodge 2500HD Maxi Cab Laramie Edition
Diego, Norm, & Bitsy

mdock2

Florida

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Posted: 04/26/12 08:28pm

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dqdick wrote:

If you're old enough you need to get a Senior Pass from the Feds. 1/2 price camping and very little cost. Besides PA and Good Sam we also belong to Escapee's and have used all four most of the time.

OR, if disabled, you can get the card earlier....