Jump to content

Which Would You Pick?


Recommended Posts

1 hour ago, FL-JOE said:

The problem with membership/time share parks is that if you don't use them frequently that "extra tool" is costing you a lot of money. 

I really don't think that anyone would disagree with that statement, but some folks do use them a great deal. I have never chosen to buy into TT, RPI, or C2C but I know many people wo do so and get a great deal of use from them. It is a matter of choice. 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am full time and usually stay by the week or month. You get a much better rate that way. When traveling between places I often stop in rest stops for free or city parks which range from $5 to $20 per night. I stayed in Las Vegas and it was cheaper to pay for the month even tho I was only going to be there 3 weeks. I don’t see the value of a membership. Even PA has many restrictions and only gives you a discount for a few nights. 

2015 Itasca Ellipse 42QD

2017 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon Hard Rock Edition

2021 Harley Street Glide Special 

Fulltimer

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That you can't see the value doesn't mean it isn't valuable to others with different styles of RVing.   We're in the PNW for the summer and we will have out-of-pocket expenses (June-August) of $152 or so.  Most weeks will be $0 out of pocket.   

Barb & Dave O'Keeffe
2002 Alpine 36 MDDS (Figment II), 2018 Ford C-Max HYBRID
Blog: http://www.barbanddave.net
SPK# 90761 FMCA #F337834

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, Barbaraok said:

That you can't see the value doesn't mean it isn't valuable to others with different styles of RVing.   We're in the PNW for the summer and we will have out-of-pocket expenses (June-August) of $152 or so.  Most weeks will be $0 out of pocket.   

So your membership in that "time share" park organization was totally free?   Or do you just ignore the original and annual costs of your memberships?

As much as it pains me to say it, I have to agree with Twotoes.  I recall a post from a year ago or so.  They were full timers and kept track of what their average per night camping fees were by belonging to TT and maybe another membership type deal.  If I recall correctly they averaged over $23 or $24 a night.  

If I remove what we pay in SW Florida for the winter our average for 7 months is around $17 per night.  If I leave in what we pay in SW Florida for those 5 months it comes close to $24 a night for the year.  

I think it is safe to say that some RVers love those membership parks like TT and others.  Just like with regular motel/resort time shares that have been around forever, some people lover them and some people don't.  I'll stick with PA (Passport America) and GS (Good Sams) where I get back at least double my little $50 annual membership fees each year.

Joe & Cindy

Newmar 4369 Ventana

Pulling 24' enclosed (Mini Cooper, Harley, 2 Kayaks)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/22/2019 at 4:08 PM, Twotoes said:

 I don’t see the value of a membership. 

On 6/23/2019 at 7:08 AM, FL-JOE said:

As much as it pains me to say it, I have to agree with Twotoes.

On 6/22/2019 at 8:24 PM, Barbaraok said:

That you can't see the value doesn't mean it isn't valuable to others with different styles of RVing.  

With the various lifestyles that exist in the RV world, it is easy to see the relationship these comments have.

 

On 6/22/2019 at 8:24 PM, Barbaraok said:

We're in the PNW for the summer and we will have out-of-pocket expenses (June-August) of $152 or so.  Most weeks will be $0 out of pocket.   

It is this and other first hand experience that can be so beneficial to researchers, thanks.

     Spot

Edited by $Spot
Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, $Spot said:

With the various lifestyles that exist in the RV world, it is easy to see the relationship these comments have.

 

It is this and other first hand experience that can be so beneficial to researchers, thanks.

     Spot

$Spot, she hasn't came back and provide the real actual expense of those three months.  The "$152 or so" may be what they actually pay between June and August, but they seem to be forgetting the annual and any additional fees associated with the membership.  

If is just like with any time share.  My buddy can't say he just spent a week skiing in Colorado and it only cost him $75.00 at his time share.  He has to divide out those weekly visits with the $25,000 he originally paid out in the first place.

Joe & Cindy

Newmar 4369 Ventana

Pulling 24' enclosed (Mini Cooper, Harley, 2 Kayaks)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, FL-JOE said:

.. My buddy can't say he just spent a week skiing in Colorado and it only cost him $75.00 at his time share.  He has to divide out those weekly visits with the $25,000 he originally paid out in the first place.

True.  Your buddy actually spent $25,075 for his first week skiing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And that is sooooo true.  There are folks that jump all over a time share and end up using it once or twice and then due to changes in their lives, they are done.  

Joe & Cindy

Newmar 4369 Ventana

Pulling 24' enclosed (Mini Cooper, Harley, 2 Kayaks)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

37 minutes ago, FL-JOE said:

$Spot, she hasn't came back and provide the real actual expense of those three months.  The "$152 or so" may be what they actually pay between June and August, but they seem to be forgetting the annual and any additional fees associated with the membership.  

If is just like with any time share.  My buddy can't say he just spent a week skiing in Colorado and it only cost him $75.00 at his time share.  He has to divide out those weekly visits with the $25,000 he originally paid out in the first place.

I said out of pocket expenses.  Our annual dues are $1000 which includes our Thousand Trails, our home park (Blue Mesa, in Colorado) and ROD/AOR/C2C.  There is no additional fees.    Would be lower but we have added the Trails Collection because we can stay in several Encore parks (company that owns TT) for 2 weeks at a time  often $0/night (like Tall Chief, just east of Seattle)  or in places like the San Francisco RV Resort in Palisades (just south of SF) for $20/night (normally $100/night).   We will have over 100 nights in membership parks out of the 180 nights that we travel.    When we full timed the number of nights was considerably higher.   This works for us because we spend most of our time on the west coast which has the largest concentration of membership parks in the country (Thousand Trails started in Washington state).    Our initial buy-in was covered within 1 year of beginning fulltiming - - again, we spend most of our time out west.     It works for us because we USE them.   

What would your friend's cost for a hotel have been for his week skiing?  If he goes several years, then he will probably be ahead.  THE key is USE and that's what several people don't understand.   My BIL and his wife have a time share and she works the system and they have trips they enjoy at very little cost - but she USES AND WORKS the system.  Most people don't.  They buy on a whim, don't use like they should and tire of going to the same areas.  If we spent most time in the east then it wouldn't be as advantages to us as it is (thought we have used membership parks in just about every state we've spent any significant time in.  

I will assume that you didn't mean to call me a liar.

 

Barb & Dave O'Keeffe
2002 Alpine 36 MDDS (Figment II), 2018 Ford C-Max HYBRID
Blog: http://www.barbanddave.net
SPK# 90761 FMCA #F337834

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And then there are folks who buy a timeshare resale for 1/4 or less of the developer price, figuring out which type of system will suit their travel needs the best and then use it for years. Yes, they are pre-paying their vacations, but if done right and used constantly, it can be cost effective over time.

Could I have spent less money on those same vacations by staying in cheap motels and eating at McDonalds? Probably, but I was done staying at fleabag motels and eating junk food.

Which is why I’m following this thread with great interest. I was that happy timeshare owner for 20 years, selling it only after I had used my RV for 2 years and decided I liked it better than the timeshare.

3 years ago I looked at membership campgrounds but came to the conclusion after a year that they didn’t suit my particular part-time travel style. Now that I’m going to be a full-timer once the house sells, I’m wondering if I would use one enough to make it cost-effective while also fitting into my particular life style. I haven’t reached a conclusion yet, and probably won’t for at least a few months and most likely not before spring as I have other plans for the winter.

It’s great to discuss the pros and cons of membership campgrounds, various membership clubs like Passport America and KOA or not using anything. One will be the right answer for one person but the wrong answer for another.

Thats why the various systems survive, they meet the needs of some people.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree that the value of something is determined on an individual basis. Based on what I've read here and in another running thread started by Roadtrek, I can see the value of Thousand Trails with both the Pass and the Membership, depending on its use. And since we decide for ourselves, I took the numbers presented by rm.w/aview in a previous post and applied them to myself to determine the value or benefit of using Thousand Trails. An average daily cost with a concise look at that post (with 120 days at RPI) is: year one=$16.26, year two=$11.88, year three=$9.68, year four=$8.59, year five=$8.08... all this assuming a $3200 resale membership purchase and $933 dues as mentioned in that post. This also assumes the use of the TT network solely for campsites. Now if someone would use the network less, these numbers will vary. And there's the rub. When I view the Thousand Trails Locations Map I'm certain I could make good use of the network, and I'm just as certain that I'll be in the out-of-network areas a good portion of the time if not the majority of time depending on the year. The only way that I see to make a fair assessment is to try a Camping Pass when there's a great deal ($) to be had, and try to decide if two Zones would actually be enough. If history is any indication that won't be enough, and I'd like a fair assessment to take place. I would then compare that to the budget without the Thousand Trails network in the picture which means I'll have to pay more attention to that, beyond the glee of having money left at the end of the month. Without this experiment all I have is speculation.

     Spot

Edited by $Spot
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We never assumed ALL of our time would be in membership parks.  We went with 1/2 of the year, with liberal use of Escapees parks, PPA, COE parks (one of the best bargains out there), city, county parks, fairgrounds,  etc as we moved around the first few years.  Then we started doing longer stays in the winter at monthly rates.   It takes a mix.  BTW, you can often find memberships advertised on this forum for just a few dollars plus the transfer costs.  

Barb & Dave O'Keeffe
2002 Alpine 36 MDDS (Figment II), 2018 Ford C-Max HYBRID
Blog: http://www.barbanddave.net
SPK# 90761 FMCA #F337834

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, Barbaraok said:

I said out of pocket expenses.  Our annual dues are $1000 which includes our Thousand Trails, our home park (Blue Mesa, in Colorado) and ROD/AOR/C2C.  There is no additional fees.    Would be lower but we have added the Trails Collection because we can stay in several Encore parks (company that owns TT) for 2 weeks at a time  often $0/night (like Tall Chief, just east of Seattle)  or in places like the San Francisco RV Resort in Palisades (just south of SF) for $20/night (normally $100/night).   We will have over 100 nights in membership parks out of the 180 nights that we travel.    When we full timed the number of nights was considerably higher.   This works for us because we spend most of our time on the west coast which has the largest concentration of membership parks in the country (Thousand Trails started in Washington state).    Our initial buy-in was covered within 1 year of beginning fulltiming - - again, we spend most of our time out west.     It works for us because we USE them.   

What would your friend's cost for a hotel have been for his week skiing?  If he goes several years, then he will probably be ahead.  THE key is USE and that's what several people don't understand.   My BIL and his wife have a time share and she works the system and they have trips they enjoy at very little cost - but she USES AND WORKS the system.  Most people don't.  They buy on a whim, don't use like they should and tire of going to the same areas.  If we spent most time in the east then it wouldn't be as advantages to us as it is (thought we have used membership parks in just about every state we've spent any significant time in.  

I will assume that you didn't mean to call me a liar.

 

And you would be assuming correctly.  Certainly you have read enough of my post to realize if I thought you were a liar I would have simply stated "you are a liar IMHO".  

It is just the opposite, I wanted you to reveal all the expenses associated with 3 months of camping in a membership park for around $150, which you have done.  

It obviously has worked for you folks when you used to be full timers and it is still working for you.  I think I could appreciate some annual savings from having such a membership in the long term however my issue has always been I don't like some of the parks and it would just add a layer of restrictions on where, when, and how I travel.  

You have explained it very well for the OP to better understand now.  I would hope we can all have opposing views on these types of subject without getting our panties in a wad every time.

Edited by FL-JOE

Joe & Cindy

Newmar 4369 Ventana

Pulling 24' enclosed (Mini Cooper, Harley, 2 Kayaks)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 minutes ago, FL-JOE said:

 You have explained it very well for the OP to better understand now.  I would hope we can all have opposing views on these types of subject without getting our panties in a wad every time.

 a). Very true, I've learned much. b). I agree with you Joe.

 

22 minutes ago, FL-JOE said:

 I think I could appreciate some annual savings from having such a membership in the long term however my issue has always been I don't like some of the parks and it would just add a layer of restrictions on where, when, and how I travel.  

I agree with you here too. It's the elephant in the room for me. When I view the Thousand Trails locations map & directory on either the Camping Pass website or the Membership website, which totals all TT Parks/Encore Parks/Trails Collection Parks, 1/2 of the country has none of these parks. And the 24 states without Thousand Trails representation offers some very fine locations and camping opportunities. I suppose this is why I still haven't made a commitment yet. I certainly see the financial benefit of TT, depending on use of course, but I could easily spend an entire year in the 24 states that don't have TT representation. As I said yesterday, the only way for me to know for sure whether TT is a good fit is to get a Camping Pass for a year and conduct the experiment to see how it affects my camping.

     Spot

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Barbaraok said:

We never assumed ALL of our time would be in membership parks.  We went with 1/2 of the year, with liberal use of Escapees parks, PPA, COE parks (one of the best bargains out there), city, county parks, fairgrounds,  etc as we moved around the first few years.  Then we started doing longer stays in the winter at monthly rates.   It takes a mix.  BTW, you can often find memberships advertised on this forum for just a few dollars plus the transfer costs.  

Good to know... good information here, thanks

     Spot

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, FL-JOE said:

And you would be assuming correctly.  Certainly you have read enough of my post to realize if I thought you were a liar I would have simply stated "you are a liar IMHO".  

It is just the opposite, I wanted you to reveal all the expenses associated with 3 months of camping in a membership park for around $150, which you have done.  

It obviously has worked for you folks when you used to be full timers and it is still working for you.  I think I could appreciate some annual savings from having such a membership in the long term however my issue has always been I don't like some of the parks and it would just add a layer of restrictions on where, when, and how I travel.  

You have explained it very well for the OP to better understand now.  I would hope we can all have opposing views on these types of subject without getting our panties in a wad every time.

We travel 6 months of the year, not three.  During the shoulders (April-May and September) we use a variety of  different parks, including membership parks and Escapee parks.  This year we spent a week just north of New Orleans for $10/night.   We also stay at TT parks on our way up the coast  and will probably stay 3 or of 4 weeks in TT parks (mostly in wine country) on our way down in September as well as a week at an ROD park.     Since we are over the 30 free nights with TT for the year, the three weeks in the fall will be at $3/night or about $63 out of pocket for September, first park of October.  

I don't see any park as our destination in terms of spending huge amounts of time in the park.  It is where we sleep at night, etc., and during the day we are often out and about (especially when in wine country - which is essentially all of the west coast now).   I still have never figured out how membership parks add a layer of restrictions on how you travel.   Obviously if you hate them all then don't buy in - no one is forcing you to.  We're in Birch Bay, WA for the 1st of July and 4th of July holidays (July 1st is Canada Day) and we have a level site with full hookups, 30 minutes north of Bellingham, 30 minutes south of Vancouver, BC,  the park has a pool and play areas for kids.  I'll probably swim a little next week if it gets a little warmer, but we really don't worry about the 'family' activities that are planned.   What we love is the FRESH strawberries/raspberries/blueberries/blackberries in Linden (10 miles to the east), the ability to walk on the beach and geocache, driving up to the Mt. Baker Ski area in the summer (where I learned to ski as a child), visiting WWSU. our alma matter,  maybe renting a boat and cruising on Bellingham Bay, visiting Vancouver's Stanley Park, etc.  Yes, I can see how someone could hate being here .B)

Barb & Dave O'Keeffe
2002 Alpine 36 MDDS (Figment II), 2018 Ford C-Max HYBRID
Blog: http://www.barbanddave.net
SPK# 90761 FMCA #F337834

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, $Spot said:

 a). Very true, I've learned much. b). I agree with you Joe.

 

I agree with you here too. It's the elephant in the room for me. When I view the Thousand Trails locations map & directory on either the Camping Pass website or the Membership website, which totals all TT Parks/Encore Parks/Trails Collection Parks, 1/2 of the country has none of these parks. And the 24 states without Thousand Trails representation offers some very fine locations and camping opportunities. I suppose this is why I still haven't made a commitment yet. I certainly see the financial benefit of TT, depending on use of course, but I could easily spend an entire year in the 24 states that don't have TT representation. As I said yesterday, the only way for me to know for sure whether TT is a good fit is to get a Camping Pass for a year and conduct the experiment to see how it affects my camping.

     Spot

Yes, there are gaps, that is why people usually have a mixture of different types of memberships.  A system (like TT) plus affiliate types of memberships (C2C, RPI, ROD, AOR) are needed.  And then in the midwest there are COE parks on every major river with seniors getting 1/2 of of the overnight costs, plus lots of small town/county/fairground campgrounds.   

Barb & Dave O'Keeffe
2002 Alpine 36 MDDS (Figment II), 2018 Ford C-Max HYBRID
Blog: http://www.barbanddave.net
SPK# 90761 FMCA #F337834

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, $Spot said:

When I view the Thousand Trails locations map & directory on either the Camping Pass website or the Membership website, which totals all TT Parks/Encore Parks/Trails Collection Parks, 1/2 of the country has none of these parks. And the 24 states without Thousand Trails representation offers some very fine locations and camping opportunities. I suppose this is why I still haven't made a commitment yet. I certainly see the financial benefit of TT, depending on use of course, but I could easily spend an entire year in the 24 states that don't have TT representation. As I said yesterday, the only way for me to know for sure whether TT is a good fit is to get a Camping Pass for a year and conduct the experiment to see how it affects my camping.

Maybe you want to tour those 24 states first then buy your TT membership once you are ready to tour the ones that do offer spots?

Linda

Blog: http://sandcastle.sandsys.org/

Former Rigs: Liesure Travel van, Winnebago View 24H, Winnebago Journey 34Y, Sportsmobile Sprinter conversion van

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, Barbaraok said:

We travel 6 months of the year, not three.  During the shoulders (April-May and September) we use a variety of  different parks, including membership parks and Escapee parks.  This year we spent a week just north of New Orleans for $10/night.   We also stay at TT parks on our way up the coast  and will probably stay 3 or of 4 weeks in TT parks (mostly in wine country) on our way down in September as well as a week at an ROD park.     Since we are over the 30 free nights with TT for the year, the three weeks in the fall will be at $3/night or about $63 out of pocket for September, first park of October.  

I don't see any park as our destination in terms of spending huge amounts of time in the park.  It is where we sleep at night, etc., and during the day we are often out and about (especially when in wine country - which is essentially all of the west coast now).   I still have never figured out how membership parks add a layer of restrictions on how you travel.   Obviously if you hate them all then don't buy in - no one is forcing you to. 

You mentioned those three months for around $150 out of pocket in your earlier post.  I don't know if you camp 3 months or 10 months, I was just aware you are no longer full timers.  

We could go back and forth with this debate for months and never agree.  I have a couple places in the country I like to always visit every year.  Then each winter we rough out what new places/states we will visit and explore and plan accordingly.  If I was forced to list my full time camping priorities it would be #1:  explore different places, and then maybe down about #4:  do it as cheaply as possible.  

Let us just agree to disagree and let it go at that.  Safe travels!

Joe & Cindy

Newmar 4369 Ventana

Pulling 24' enclosed (Mini Cooper, Harley, 2 Kayaks)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 hours ago, $Spot said:

 a). Very true, I've learned much. b). I agree with you Joe.

 

I agree with you here too. It's the elephant in the room for me. When I view the Thousand Trails locations map & directory on either the Camping Pass website or the Membership website, which totals all TT Parks/Encore Parks/Trails Collection Parks, 1/2 of the country has none of these parks. And the 24 states without Thousand Trails representation offers some very fine locations and camping opportunities. I suppose this is why I still haven't made a commitment yet. I certainly see the financial benefit of TT, depending on use of course, but I could easily spend an entire year in the 24 states that don't have TT representation. As I said yesterday, the only way for me to know for sure whether TT is a good fit is to get a Camping Pass for a year and conduct the experiment to see how it affects my camping.

     Spot

Our #1 priority when we went full time was to move all around the country and experience as much as we could.  Eventually that will mean visiting each and every State IMHO.  Another priority was to always be able to decide where we went, when we went there, and how long we would stay.  

We have been in a couple CG's that we have shortened our stay.  Both times it was a combination of things, loud neighbors, unkept facilities, rude staff, small/cramped sites.  We decide where our "home" will be and it won't be in sketchy or good neighborhoods.  I'm not saying that TT campgrounds are sketchy or not good campgrounds, I'm just pointing out that with money invested in any time share situation you would be prone to use it even if it wasn't perfect because you have already paid for it upfront.  

I think it is wonderful that so many people find TT and similar camping time share deals so rewarding.  Maybe, someday if our situation and circumstances change we will revisit the whole idea.

Joe & Cindy

Newmar 4369 Ventana

Pulling 24' enclosed (Mini Cooper, Harley, 2 Kayaks)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 hours ago, $Spot said:

good information here, thanks

Unfortunately we sometimes have problems of getting caught up in a difference of opinion with another forum member and lose sight of our intention to help a newer member. I have never bought a membership in TT, but have many friends who have and who contiue to use and enjoy it. Based on your posts, I think that you are approaching things in the right way, so just keep and open mind and do what you feel will fit you best. 😊

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Stay away from Thousand Trails unless inexpensive is most important; they are all under local control, with almost no amenities carried through from one to another, or level of service. The fees, and extra’s you pay for will vary greatly; from power, sites, mail/packages, WiFi etc... You can not count on anything; preserve, to preserve. Except a varying state of neglected mantinance. They all cater to a large population, of “seasonal/annual” sites; and their local buddies, who more often than not, do not follow the rules. It is especially disheartening to be a “See something Say something “ person, and be ignored. While the few of us that actually bought into it get treated like second class folks; for following the rules. Like actually staying in your site; and not using, a 50 amp site, in a restricted stay preserve, as your private storage lot. While the park is FULL. Or packing your Sh*# up late; then leaving for the day instead of vacating the site for others coming in...
Oh ya mine for sale

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
RVers Online University

campgroundviews.com

RV Destinations

Find out more or sign up for Escapees RV'ers Bootcamp.

Advertise your product or service here.

The Rvers- Now Streaming

RVTravel.com Logo



×
×
  • Create New...