The Full Timing Lifestyle
As more and more people are selling everything and hitting the road, the issue of where to stay and how to RV the cheapest way possible is high on the list. Of course, you can always boondock, but if you want amenities such as electric, water, septic hookups, pool, clubhouse, playground, and other things that full service RV parks offer, then you look for parks that offer these things.
We have been on the road since 2012 and have found that belonging to various RV clubs is the way to go. Belonging to these clubs saves us money on nightly fees, which range from $30 to $50 a night, and sometimes more. From our experience, the first one you should join is Coast to Coast. To become a Coast to Coast member, you first must join an affiliated membership campground which becomes your "home resort." Once you join a home resort, you are then eligible to become a Coast to Coast member, and that means having access to Coast's network of over 200 affiliated RV resorts and parks in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, become available to you and your family for a significant savings. You can stay at their parks from one week to four weeks, depending on their classification. And if you stay there for one week, you can go from park to park. Stay longer and you have to be out of the system for one week before going back in. You can find out more about Coast to Coast resorts through this link. They also have open-to-the-public parks and resorts called Good Neighbor Parks that offer discounted camping to Coast to Coast members.
We were able to join Coast to Coast when we joined Ocean Canyon Properties. OCP has seven resorts throughout the southwest and southeast, and we can stay at any of their resorts for three weeks at a time without paying the nightly rate, so we joined at Styx River in Robertsdale, Alabama, which is our "home resort." OCP is expensive to join, but when you realize that you can stay at over 200 Coast to Coast resorts around the country along with the OCP resorts ~~ for the rest of your life ~~ it turns out to be a pretty good deal. I figure we have already recouped all of our investment, and are now in the plus. For more information on OCP, please visit my OCP page where I give more information on them.
We also belong to Thousand Trails. Thousand Trails has about 80 parks throughout the United States. Through our membership with Thousand Trails and the Trails Collection, we are able to stay at their parks as well as any of the 108 Encore Properties throughout the country. For more information on joining Thousand Trails, please visit my TT page where I give more information on them.
If you are going to go full time, I recommend you join all of these camping organizations. Passport America offers campgrounds around the country for 50% off the regular rate. There are a lot of campgrounds that are part of Passport America, even though there are restrictions and you have to look at each campground to see what their restrictions are. Some are unlimited, but some say no weekends, some only one to two days, others limit you to off season. But I think it is well worth it. It's the least expensive at $49 a year, and even though some of the campgrounds have restrictions, you can still find deals along your route.
Another club we belong to is Escapees. It's about $40 a year and their resorts offer discounts between 15% and 50% off their daily rate. Plus they have their own Co-ops and Rainbow Parks. They are not free, but offer a good rate to stay there.
We also belong to Good Sam, but as we only get 10% off at their campgrounds, they are my last resort for choosing a campground.
As we travel the country, there are times when you cannot find an OCP, Coast to Coast, or Thousand Trails Park, especially when you are en-route to a specific destination and there are none on your route, however, I have found that I can usually find a park to stay at if I pick our route carefully. If I cannot find an OCP, Coast to Coast or Thousand Trails park, then I look to Passport America or Escapees as my other choices.
For example, in early 2016 we spent a lot of time going between Tres Rios and Houston, and then in July decided to head west to Nevada, California, then into south California and back east along the southern route back to Tres Rios. In December we headed east to spend Christmas in Tampa. We spent approximately $2,721 on camping fees for the entire year, and I estimated we saved about $6,237 by staying at our club parks.
Then in 2017 we traveled from Florida north to Montana, Washington and Oregon, then back to Texas. By staying at Coast to Coast properties and Thousand Trails, we saved around $5,985 in campground fees. We spent approximately $2,767 in campground fees for the entire year.
In 2018 we worked for a few months and traveled a little bit, saving $4,577 and spending $2,415. In 2019 we did a lot of traveling, starting out in Florida and heading up the east coast all the way to Maine, then back through New York, Ohio, Indiana, then southwest back to Texas. As of October, we spent $1,718, and saved $8,792.
In 2019 we headed west in early December as we wanted to be in Florida in January to spend time with our friends Bill & Julie. We spent a few months in Florida then headed up the east coast, then in Pennsylvania and northeast to Maine. After our week in Maine, we headed back west through New York, Ohio, Indiana, then south and west back to Texas. The amount we spent on actual camping fees in 2019 was roughly $2,249, and by staying at many of our resorts during the year, we saved over $10,000. That is huge!
As more and more people are selling everything and hitting the road, the issue of where to stay and how to RV the cheapest way possible is high on the list. Of course, you can always boondock, but if you want amenities such as electric, water, septic hookups, pool, clubhouse, playground, and other things that full service RV parks offer, then you look for parks that offer these things.
We have been on the road since 2012 and have found that belonging to various RV clubs is the way to go. Belonging to these clubs saves us money on nightly fees, which range from $30 to $50 a night, and sometimes more. From our experience, the first one you should join is Coast to Coast. To become a Coast to Coast member, you first must join an affiliated membership campground which becomes your "home resort." Once you join a home resort, you are then eligible to become a Coast to Coast member, and that means having access to Coast's network of over 200 affiliated RV resorts and parks in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, become available to you and your family for a significant savings. You can stay at their parks from one week to four weeks, depending on their classification. And if you stay there for one week, you can go from park to park. Stay longer and you have to be out of the system for one week before going back in. You can find out more about Coast to Coast resorts through this link. They also have open-to-the-public parks and resorts called Good Neighbor Parks that offer discounted camping to Coast to Coast members.
We were able to join Coast to Coast when we joined Ocean Canyon Properties. OCP has seven resorts throughout the southwest and southeast, and we can stay at any of their resorts for three weeks at a time without paying the nightly rate, so we joined at Styx River in Robertsdale, Alabama, which is our "home resort." OCP is expensive to join, but when you realize that you can stay at over 200 Coast to Coast resorts around the country along with the OCP resorts ~~ for the rest of your life ~~ it turns out to be a pretty good deal. I figure we have already recouped all of our investment, and are now in the plus. For more information on OCP, please visit my OCP page where I give more information on them.
We also belong to Thousand Trails. Thousand Trails has about 80 parks throughout the United States. Through our membership with Thousand Trails and the Trails Collection, we are able to stay at their parks as well as any of the 108 Encore Properties throughout the country. For more information on joining Thousand Trails, please visit my TT page where I give more information on them.
If you are going to go full time, I recommend you join all of these camping organizations. Passport America offers campgrounds around the country for 50% off the regular rate. There are a lot of campgrounds that are part of Passport America, even though there are restrictions and you have to look at each campground to see what their restrictions are. Some are unlimited, but some say no weekends, some only one to two days, others limit you to off season. But I think it is well worth it. It's the least expensive at $49 a year, and even though some of the campgrounds have restrictions, you can still find deals along your route.
Another club we belong to is Escapees. It's about $40 a year and their resorts offer discounts between 15% and 50% off their daily rate. Plus they have their own Co-ops and Rainbow Parks. They are not free, but offer a good rate to stay there.
We also belong to Good Sam, but as we only get 10% off at their campgrounds, they are my last resort for choosing a campground.
As we travel the country, there are times when you cannot find an OCP, Coast to Coast, or Thousand Trails Park, especially when you are en-route to a specific destination and there are none on your route, however, I have found that I can usually find a park to stay at if I pick our route carefully. If I cannot find an OCP, Coast to Coast or Thousand Trails park, then I look to Passport America or Escapees as my other choices.
For example, in early 2016 we spent a lot of time going between Tres Rios and Houston, and then in July decided to head west to Nevada, California, then into south California and back east along the southern route back to Tres Rios. In December we headed east to spend Christmas in Tampa. We spent approximately $2,721 on camping fees for the entire year, and I estimated we saved about $6,237 by staying at our club parks.
Then in 2017 we traveled from Florida north to Montana, Washington and Oregon, then back to Texas. By staying at Coast to Coast properties and Thousand Trails, we saved around $5,985 in campground fees. We spent approximately $2,767 in campground fees for the entire year.
In 2018 we worked for a few months and traveled a little bit, saving $4,577 and spending $2,415. In 2019 we did a lot of traveling, starting out in Florida and heading up the east coast all the way to Maine, then back through New York, Ohio, Indiana, then southwest back to Texas. As of October, we spent $1,718, and saved $8,792.
In 2019 we headed west in early December as we wanted to be in Florida in January to spend time with our friends Bill & Julie. We spent a few months in Florida then headed up the east coast, then in Pennsylvania and northeast to Maine. After our week in Maine, we headed back west through New York, Ohio, Indiana, then south and west back to Texas. The amount we spent on actual camping fees in 2019 was roughly $2,249, and by staying at many of our resorts during the year, we saved over $10,000. That is huge!