Are you a member of FMCA, Escapees or other group...
TheBobGuy said
02:17 PM Mar 23, 2007
If you are a member of FMCA or Escapees, do you have a preference of one group over the other? What were your reasons for joining and do you actively participate in one or the other?
Just curious! On other forums we see differing posts about both groups and thought it would be interesting to see if anyone was really active in both, or one more than the other.
Seems to be more "fulltimers" in Escapees, but there are that could easily change as more people embrace the lifestyle. (We're not fulltimers, but do plan to spend 2 or 3 years traveling beginning in the next year or so)
Judy said
05:45 PM Mar 23, 2007
We are members of Escapees and full timers. I am not familer wit FMCA. Escapees have nice pks as we have been to a few of them. The benfits that Escapees has better fits our needs say down the road. By being active do you mean going to ralleys?? We are active in the Escapees chapters and have joined. southwestjudy & Bob & 2blackdogs
TheBobGuy said
06:19 PM Mar 23, 2007
Hi Judy! Thanks for your reply! The FMCA is Family Motor Coach Association. It is for Motorhome owners so I guess that leaves 5ers out, but I was curious if many of the MH owners were in Escapees and FMCA. It just seems like the two groups don't "share" many members. We have belonged to both for awhile but have never been to any rallies or escapades etc. We are going to begin traveling quite alot in the next year so thought we would like to join in the rallies etc more.
Which of the Escapees parks have you visited? There is a thread going on the Escapees forum about the quality at some of the Escapees parks. What was your impression of the ones you have been to?
Hopefully we'll get a few more answers! Thanks again! I enjoy reading your responses on the forum! Molly
mcw50 said
10:32 PM Mar 23, 2007
We belong to both FMCA and Escapees. Their missions are a little different, and we enjoy both organizations...and have been to "Escapades" and some of the FMCA Region Rallies as well as national rallies. We are not active in any "chapters" of either organization as we are full-timers and most of the time we are not "in the right place at the right time" for rallies of the chapters that most interest us. We have stayed in Escapees parks in New Mexico, Arizona, Florida, Tennessee and Alabama and found them friendly and nice.
bjoyce said
10:47 AM Mar 24, 2007
We are members of both Escapees and FMCA. We think very highly of Escapees and are both lifetime members and I am on the Advisory Council, a volunteer position. But if you have a motorhome I also recommend FMCA just to have the free Medex Plus medical evacuation coverage. If you are a member of FMCA do not get involved with the national or area leadership, the politics is very strong. As to the Escapees parks, that is only one benefit of membership. We have had mostly good experiences at Escapees parks and the price of about $12-15 night (including electricity) is good. We feel welcome with Escapees and also like the magazine. Don't forget that many commercial parks give Escapees a 15% discount instead of the 10% for Good Sam, AAA, or FMCA. That extra 5% can add up. We also enjoy the Escapades. There are always people who want things perfect or "like they remember them".
-- Edited by bjoyce at 11:51, 2007-03-24
Tom & Paula said
02:35 PM Mar 24, 2007
We also are members of both Escapees and FMCA. With FMCA we have been to major rallies and also belong to our local chapter. With Escapees we belong to the Graduating Class of 2007. This is a group of RVer's who are going to go fulltiming sometime in 2007. On our trip to Florida this year we stayed at the Escapee RV Park in Busnell and the savings paid for our membership. Tom
emeacham said
05:09 PM Mar 24, 2007
We are members of Escapees, not FMCA. We haven't been to any Escapades or their parks, yet. We've just started the process of becoming Texas residents through the use of Escapees Mail Forwarding Service. I expect we'll visit their parks at some point.
We're not familiar with FMCA, but my Sister & her husband were fulltimers a few years ago and we became familiar with Escapees at that time, so that was the primary reason we joined. Their reputation seems to be very high, and their mail forwarding service, from what we have heard, is very good.
Happy Travels,
ahoweth said
06:58 AM Mar 25, 2007
Hi:
We are members of both the FMCA and Escapees. We have been fulltimers for over 2 years now and are Texas residents through the Escapees organization. We haven't attended any Escapades or belong to a chapter but we have stayed at several of their parks and the organization is sound and well run and we have always felt welcome and enjoyed the attitude and friendliness of the folks in Escapees. It is a class act in our opinion.
We have been members of FMCA for 13 years and enjoy that organization as well. We have attended a number of their national ralleys and are a member of the chapter representing our brand of motor coach. The FMCA ralleys are a great time and they present educational seminars on all types of things from engines to staying healthy on the road. Their national ralleys host a huge number of retailers as well so you can really see everything for motor coaches there. Yes the politics of the organization can be sticky if you get involved but that may be your bag and you don't have to get involved in that unless you want to. It just isn't our thing, but I am glad that some folks like that sort of thing because we really do like the organization. The FMCA offers many member benefits that are very nice perks and they also have an excellent magazine if motor coaches is your thing.
Isn't it wonderful that there are quality organizations with wonderful people in them which ever way we go. Just remember, you get out of any organization just what you are willing to put into it. You can find bad things in any organization if that is what you are looking for. I like to believe that you have 2 doors you can open in your life. One opens onto the bad things and the other opens onto the good things. It is up to you to decide which door to open. Door No. 1 or door No. 2?
Tmcblane said
07:02 AM Mar 25, 2007
We belong to Escapees, but got kicked out of the FMCA for having a fifth wheel! :)
TheBobGuy said
07:00 AM Mar 26, 2007
Hi guys and thanks for your responses!
It's great to hear different perspectives about both groups! We are members of both but have not been active yet.
We really enjoy the Escapees forum and have learned alot over there. Seems to be a great group of people but sometimes we sense that some of the "oldtimer" members aren't too happy with the influx of newer members. Anyone have any experience there? (Don't want to step on any toes!)
Tab--sorry to hear you got busted from FMCA!
Thanks again for great responses!
Molly
bjoyce said
09:28 AM Mar 26, 2007
Don't use the Escapees forum as in indicator of how all Escapees are. Howard keeps this forum more civilized and generally "nicer" than about every other forum I know. There are some curmugeons and members with agendas on the Escapees forum that can make it a pain to read. Realize that most Escapees are not on the forum and that there are many non-Escapees on the forum. We really enjoy being Escapees. Like every group, those who have been in the longest often have rose-colored glasses about how things were. An organization will wither and die if it just appeals to the original members but some of those original members like it that way since they are set in their ways.
Old Snipe said
08:49 PM Mar 26, 2007
Hey Tab!
You are still welcome at my campfire!
It is not about the RV, it is about the man driving it!
Best Regards!
Tmcblane said
05:20 AM Mar 27, 2007
LOL! Thanks Paul, I would be glad to sit by your fire :) and you along with everyone else are welcome to sit by mine!
If you are a member of FMCA or Escapees, do you have a preference of one group over the other? What were your reasons for joining and do you actively participate in one or the other?
Just curious! On other forums we see differing posts about both groups and thought it would be interesting to see if anyone was really active in both, or one more than the other.
Seems to be more "fulltimers" in Escapees, but there are that could easily change as more people embrace the lifestyle. (We're not fulltimers, but do plan to spend 2 or 3 years traveling beginning in the next year or so)
southwestjudy & Bob & 2blackdogs
Thanks for your reply! The FMCA is Family Motor Coach Association. It is for Motorhome owners so I guess that leaves 5ers out, but I was curious if many of the MH owners were in Escapees and FMCA. It just seems like the two groups don't "share" many members. We have belonged to both for awhile but have never been to any rallies or escapades etc. We are going to begin traveling quite alot in the next year so thought we would like to join in the rallies etc more.
Which of the Escapees parks have you visited? There is a thread going on the Escapees forum about the quality at some of the Escapees parks. What was your impression of the ones you have been to?
Hopefully we'll get a few more answers! Thanks again! I enjoy reading your responses on the forum!
Molly
As to the Escapees parks, that is only one benefit of membership. We have had mostly good experiences at Escapees parks and the price of about $12-15 night (including electricity) is good. We feel welcome with Escapees and also like the magazine. Don't forget that many commercial parks give Escapees a 15% discount instead of the 10% for Good Sam, AAA, or FMCA. That extra 5% can add up. We also enjoy the Escapades.
There are always people who want things perfect or "like they remember them".
-- Edited by bjoyce at 11:51, 2007-03-24
We also are members of both Escapees and FMCA. With FMCA we have been to major rallies and also belong to our local chapter. With Escapees we belong to the Graduating Class of 2007. This is a group of RVer's who are going to go fulltiming sometime in 2007. On our trip to Florida this year we stayed at the Escapee RV Park in Busnell and the savings paid for our membership. Tom
We are members of Escapees, not FMCA. We haven't been to any Escapades or their parks, yet. We've just started the process of becoming Texas residents through the use of Escapees Mail Forwarding Service. I expect we'll visit their parks at some point.
We're not familiar with FMCA, but my Sister & her husband were fulltimers a few years ago and we became familiar with Escapees at that time, so that was the primary reason we joined. Their reputation seems to be very high, and their mail forwarding service, from what we have heard, is very good.
Happy Travels,
We are members of both the FMCA and Escapees. We have been fulltimers for over 2 years now and are Texas residents through the Escapees organization. We haven't attended any Escapades or belong to a chapter but we have stayed at several of their parks and the organization is sound and well run and we have always felt welcome and enjoyed the attitude and friendliness of the folks in Escapees. It is a class act in our opinion.
We have been members of FMCA for 13 years and enjoy that organization as well. We have attended a number of their national ralleys and are a member of the chapter representing our brand of motor coach. The FMCA ralleys are a great time and they present educational seminars on all types of things from engines to staying healthy on the road. Their national ralleys host a huge number of retailers as well so you can really see everything for motor coaches there. Yes the politics of the organization can be sticky if you get involved but that may be your bag and you don't have to get involved in that unless you want to. It just isn't our thing, but I am glad that some folks like that sort of thing because we really do like the organization. The FMCA offers many member benefits that are very nice perks and they also have an excellent magazine if motor coaches is your thing.
Isn't it wonderful that there are quality organizations with wonderful people in them which ever way we go. Just remember, you get out of any organization just what you are willing to put into it. You can find bad things in any organization if that is what you are looking for. I like to believe that you have 2 doors you can open in your life. One opens onto the bad things and the other opens onto the good things. It is up to you to decide which door to open. Door No. 1 or door No. 2?
It's great to hear different perspectives about both groups! We are members of both but have not been active yet.
We really enjoy the Escapees forum and have learned alot over there. Seems to be a great group of people but sometimes we sense that some of the "oldtimer" members aren't too happy with the influx of newer members. Anyone have any experience there? (Don't want to step on any toes!)
Tab--sorry to hear you got busted from FMCA!
Thanks again for great responses!
Molly
We really enjoy being Escapees. Like every group, those who have been in the longest often have rose-colored glasses about how things were. An organization will wither and die if it just appeals to the original members but some of those original members like it that way since they are set in their ways.
You are still welcome at my campfire!
It is not about the RV, it is about the man driving it!
Best Regards!
-- Edited by Tmcblane at 06:21, 2007-03-27