We have belonged for 2 years now and have only been able to use our membership a couple of times.
There are a lot of restrictions but if you are able to travel during the week and avoid July and
August it could easily save you lots of $. We also have found places listed and when we checked in found they were no longer participating. I notice
one place is listed again in this year's directory
yet last Oct. the owners told me they hadn't been
participants for 3 years. How many other places
are there listed like this? I have read of lots
of campers saving money with P.A. and we will
likely try it again this year. It isn't that costly and it would only take 2 or 3 uses to recover the membership fee. Go for it!
Thanks, Scottie...what kind of restrictions do you mean? Is July and Aug off limits, or something? That is weird, those would be big travel months. It would bother me if they were listed and then when we got there, didn't participate! I am a planner though, so I would probably call, but if where you wanted to go enough times was not on the list anymore....it would make me question the yearly fee!
We are fulltimers and have used Passport America the last three years. Each year we use their parks about 20 nights so we easily make a good return on their $44 annual membership fee.
Most of the parks have some kind of restrictions such as:
Discounts not valid on weekends or holidays.
PPA rate good for three nights only.
Sewer $2 extra.
Drive up accomadations only, no reservations.
On the other hand we have stayed in some resorts for a week at half price with full hookups and a heated pool.
We got PPA last year because they have a lot of parks north. Stayed at several on way to PEI and stayed 1 week on PEI in June for $38 and another very nice place outside Halifax NS also stayed at one in Jan. in FL, heated pool plus, cost 1 week $108. We use PPA, RPI, and our membership campground and feel we get our monies worth.Some PPA camp grounds are purely that, not resorts the same as some c2c. Depends on how much traveling you do and if you join thru Camping World (President's Club) only $39 a year
One of the other posts pretty much describes the
limitations. I checked my directory for you to see how many locations are in Virginia .
They list 8 parks in total. A lot depends on where you want to camp. In our area there aren't many members so unless we are on a road trip and can conveniently stop, we don't get to use it much. Some areas really have a lot of campgrounds. I
still think it is a good deal.
We just made reservations at Campland on the Bay at San Diego, CA for one week. The Passport America book says that they start at $14.50 a day, but they must be tent sites, because we have to pay $21 a day, plus $3 for the dog. But it is still a good deal. Where we live, near Palmdale, it is getting warm, so the cool weather of San Diego will be nice. You have to call no earlier than two days before arrival with Passport America, though and the discount isn't good Memorial Day through Labor Day. OH well!
We used our PPA membership several times last summer on our 10 week 12,290mile trip through the northwest. Only one campground was unsatisfactory--in Havre, Montana. The weather and mosquitoes added to our mood, I have to admit.
I think it helps if you make reservations, though.
2004 Aliner for traveling
1997 31'Carri-Lite fiver for living in while working at National Parks
2005 Olympic National Park, Port Angeles, WA.
ANYTHING WORTH DOING IS WORTH DOING TWICE
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