10 Best RV Clubs in America

We’ve researched the most popular 10 RV clubs in the U.S, we have either been a member of these clubs or know people who have.

We have laid out what each club has to offer, the cost and whether it’s worth joining.

Good Sam Club

The Good Sam Club

The Good Sam Club is an international RV owners club that was founded in 1966 by Art Rouse. Today the Good Sam Club is based in Englewood, Colorado. The club is owned by Good Sam Enterprises, they also own Camping World and various camping and RVing magazines.

Membership

The Good Sam Club has well over 2 million members worldwide, and is the largest RV membership program in the U.S.

Being a member of the Good Sam Club will give you discounts at a large selection of campgrounds. Whilst the discounts are smaller than other clubs, they are available at more sites so it’s well worth the membership.

There are over 2,400 RV parks and campsites across the United States where you can get your Good Sam Club 10% discount. Here is a complete list of all those sites. These sites have to meet a minimum set of standards and services to be accepted, so they tend to be good sites to stay at.

Camping discounts aren’t the only benefits of membership, you can also get a 10% discount at all Camping World and Gander RV & Outdoor stores as they are owned by the same company. If you don’t live near a store the membership will also get you free shipping on all online orders over $49.

You can also get 15% of propane fills at Camping World or Gander RV & Outdoor stores.

You can save on gas and diesel at Pilot and Flying J truck stops, again the savings are small but they will add up over the year.

You will also be able to take advantage of their free dumping service for members at Camping World or Gander RV & Outdoor stores.

There are lots of other services that Good Sam offer RVers, and with the membership you will get a discount on these:

  • Good Sam Roadside Assistance
  • Good Sam Tire & Wheel Protection Plan
  • Good Sam TravelAssist
  • Good Sam Extended Service Plan
  • Good Sam Insurance Agency

Good Sam RV Loans – check this guide out for more information on RV loans.

Cost – $29 per year or $50 for 2 years.

Is it worth it?

In short, we would definitely recommend joining the Good Sam Club membership, you’re going to save more from the discounts than it costs.


Join Good Sam Club

Passport America

Passport America

 

Passport America was founded in 1992 by campground owner Ray E. Fernandez in Long Beach, MS. He wanted to attract more business to his campsite by offering a discount.

Membership

The Passport America club offers a massive 50% discount at over 1,800 RV parks across North America. You can search their campgrounds here.

When you join Passport America you will get the Passport America International 50% Discount Camping Directory (over 480 pages), your personalized 50% Discount travel card, Decal, and a Free Online Subscription to the RV America Magazine. You will also gain access to numerous programs, discounts, and benefits created exclusively for Passport America RV Discount Camping Card.

Passport America has a brilliant trip routing app, it works on apple and android. You plan your route and it shows you all their campgrounds along the way. Just make sure you call the campgrounds you are planning to stay at beforehand as they don’t offer an online booking system.


Join Passport America

Cost – $44 per year, $79 for 2 Years, $109 for 3 years, $179 for 5 years or $349 for a lifetime Gold Membership.

Is it worth it?

Yes, because the discount is so big, you only need to stay somewhere for 3 nights and the membership will have paid for itself.

 

Escapees

Escapees

 

The Escapees was founded in 1978 by Joe and Kay Peterson who were full time RVers with their children. They wanted to to find other RVers and like minded people so the Escapees club was born. That organization has now grown into one of the largest and most active RVing communities in the world.

Membership

Escapees RV Club is all about the community. It has over 60,000 members of like minded RVers, so if your struggling to find fellow RVers this is a club for you.

The community is probably the best benefit of the Escapees club members, they host lots of meetups over the USA. You’ll also get access to the Escapees facebook group which is a great community.

You’ll also get the escapees magazine that comes out twice a month. You’ll find mechanical tips, RV maintenance information, safety education, advice from full-time RVers, unique boondocking, and off-the-beaten-path locations, product reviews, and much more.

You’ll also get discounts off other clubs like Passport America, or Boondockers welcome, as well as RV related brands like goodyear, RV trader and premier tires. So it might be worth signing up to this membership first.

The Escapees club also offers a mail service, this is great for full time RVers. The mail service offers a physical address where you can receive packages and letters. They will scan you the envelope and you can tell them what to keep or trash, they’ll also scan you the contents if you want.

The Escapees club gives RV Parking discounts between 15% and 20% at over 800 campgrounds. They also have SKP (Sounds like Escapees when you say it out loud) Co-Op Parks that are exclusively for and run by Escapees members.

Cost – $49.95 per year for USA residents and $59.95 per year for Canadian and Mexican residents.

Is It worth it?

Yes, we think the Escapees RV Club is worth the fee, for the community alone. It’s a great way to build relationships with like minded people.

Boondockers Welcome

Boondockers Welcome

Boondockers welcome is a community built by RVers for RVers. If you’re unsure of what boondocking is then this guide has plenty of information. The community is made up of guests and hosts, you can join as a guest, a host or both. The hosts allow the guests to stay on their land in their RVs, you don’t need a large amount of land to be a host you can join with just a driveway.

Membership

Becoming a member of boondockers welcome will give you access to the community of hosts, if you sign up as a host you’ll get 50% off your membership.

Once you sign up you will have access to the website’s mapping system that makes it easy to find hosts across the U.S. There is also a private messaging system that allows you to contact the host directly and see their response rate. Guests are also encouraged to leave reviews which is a great feature when trying to find your need free camping stay.

The website is easy to use, you sign up and create your profile. Then you can search the listings and when you find a place that you like the look of you can contact the host and arrange your stay. The stay itself will be free, but many boondockers welcome members give a small gift or fee as a token of appreciation. Then you leave your review to help other community members.

Cost – $50 per year for a guest membership, $25 per year if you sign up as a host.

Is It worth it?

We think that Boondockers Welcome is absolutely worth it, you can save the membership fee alone on just a few nights. The community is fantastic as well and not to be overlooked.

Harvest Hosts

Harvest Hosts

 

Harvest Hosts is a membership program similar to boondockers welcome, but the locations are unique, like wineries, farms, breweries, museums, golf courses and many more.

Membership

Like the other RV clubs, Harvest Hosts members pay an annual fee for the membership and get access to all the host locations across America. You will be able to stay at the locations for free, but don’t expect any water or electric hookups.

Harvest Hosts state that guests are only allowed to stay for one night, but , we have found that after talking with the owners, some will allow you to stay a bit longer. Guests are also asked to support the local business they are staying at with a minimum spend of $20. This is a great way for RVers to become more involved in the community they are staying in and there are some fascinating stories/tours from the owners.

Harvest Hosts currently have more than 2006 locations including 385 golf courses, located all over the U.S.

Cost – $79 per year for Harvest Hosts Classic membership, $119 per year to include golf course stays.

Is It worth it?

We would recommend Harvest Hosts as their stays are unique and each location will be a new adventure. If you like more unique stays like waking up in a vineyard or on a beautiful farm then this membership could be for you.

The Happy Camper Club

The Happy Camper

 

The Happy Camper is a lesser known discount RV club like Passport America offers up to 50% off campground prices.

Membership

The Happy Camper membership is slightly cheaper than Passport America, however it has fewer campgrounds available.

To be blunt, the website looks a bit cheap and spammy.

In short it’s the budget version of Passport America.

Cost – $39.99 per year

Is It worth it?

Not really, especially when you can have a Passport America membership for $4 more.


Join Happy Camper

Overnight RV Parking

Overnight RV Parking

 

Although this is not strictly a club – OvernightRVParking.com is a great resource for finding free RV parking overnight.

Membership

When you sign up to Overnight RV Parking, you’ll gain access to a massive database of free overnight RV Parking locations. They have more than 15,466 locations that are carefully vetted to ensure accuracy.

Cost – $29.99 per year

Is It worth it?

This depends, if you take longer trips on the road and you often need an overnight stop then this database will be a great tool.

Thousand Trails

Thousand Trails

 

Thousand Trails was founded in 1969 and is one of the largest networks of RV resorts and campgrounds in the U.S. Their campgrounds and resorts are typically large, with lots of nature and wildlife, they usually have a lot of amenities and are generally pretty good campsites. There are also a lot of prime locations.

Membership

Thousand trails membership, grants you access to these campgrounds for free. Beware though as restrictions may apply depending on your membership though.

There are different membership options, and you will have to select your zone – Northeast, Southeast, Northwest, Southwest or Midwest. There are different levels of membership, that come with different T&C’s regarding how long you can stay at the park e.t.c so make sure that you read these and know what you’re signing up for.

Cost – $615 per year for 1 zone

Is It worth it?

This is a difficult question. Their memberships are complex so if you are thinking of signing up make sure that you do your research and know exactly what you are getting. The campgrounds are on a first come first serve basis, so if you are good at planning your trips and like to book well in advance it could be a good option for you.

FMCA (Family Motor Coach Association)

FMCA (Family Motor Coach Association)

 

The FMCA was founded in 1963, it offers assistance, training and support to RV owners. They organize social activities, exchange RV information, and offer discounts on RV services. The FMCA also advocates for the legal rights for RVers.

Membership

The FMCA has more than 100,000 members worldwide,when signing up for a membership you’ll receive their monthly magazine and newsletter. You’ll get discounts on RV tires whenever you need them through their tire saving program. You’ll also get access to discounted Wifi plans, two free nights at their campground in Cincinnati. They also have a wealth of advice, information and online classes from industry experts that are available to members. There are more discounts available with the membership.

You’ll also get FMCAssist, which is an emergency medical evacuation and repatriation coverage. Although you’ll have to be more than 75 miles from your permanent residence, and be no longer able to carry on your travels as a result.

Cost – $85 per year or $160 for 2 years and £225 for 3 years.

Is It worth it?

This depends on whether you’ll use the discounts available, if you need new tires then this membership could save you hundreds.

KOA (Kampgrounds of America)

KOA (Kampgrounds of America)

 

KOA was founded in 1962 by Dave Drum, John Wallace and 2 other partners. Drum started a campground on his property, north of the Yellowstone River. This campground grew and after its success, the founders decided to create more campgrounds over North America by creating a franchise. KOA now has more than 600 campgrounds.

Membership

KOA have a Value Kard or VKR program, this gives you 10% off their campsites. You will also earn points when you camp at KOA using your membership card, you can use these points to get free camping. You’ll also get other offers and discounts for other programs.

KOA campsites can be considered expensive, but they usually offer great amenities like pools, clean showers, and restrooms that are all well maintained. All campsites have laundry facilities, fire pits, picnic tables, a store, pet parks, and playgrounds. They also have luxury sites, which will obviously cost more.

Cost – $33 per year

Is It worth it?

This membership is worth it if you regularly stay at KOA campsites.

Final Thoughts

Joining an RV Club is well worth it, you can save a lot of money and make some great friends.

Just remember to do your research and pick the right club for you.

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