I am trying to gauge the average hookup fees for full hookup. When I visit campground websites I am seeing rates averaging $30/night. That is about $10k per year. However, it seems most people claim much lower annual campground fees. What are you averaging for a year? Am I going to be at a disadvantage because I am not a "senior"? (I am okay with "senior" discounts, FTR. I look forward to the day when I can get them:)
Do club memberships make a big difference? Which ones?
Thank you!
Racerguy said
08:53 AM Mar 16, 2010
I would say Passport America is the number 1 over all best. Many like others but most are more expensive. Just gogle it and you will understand how it works.Basically it's half off at certain campgrounds for a set amount of time. I'm sure others will chime in as there are many discount plans out there.
53 Merc said
09:07 AM Mar 16, 2010
Kyle, a lot of RVers utilize free or low cost campgrounds as a means to reduce costs. One site that provides a lot of information is http://www.freecampgrounds.com/ There you are able to find places in most areas of most states. Some states or towns have shut down all the free sites due to pressure from the local RV parks. I can agree with most of the small business owners not wanting city or state competition. A lot of the blogs out there will have information included in their writings. Research is a good place to start. I just found a free city park in a little town in west Texas. 2 days free, after that 10 dollars a day. Electric, water and sewer. Looks like about 10 spots. If you require a pool, badmiton courts, tennis courts and concierge service to come pick up your trash, pick up and refill propane cylinders, it's gonna cost you.
-- Edited by 53 Merc on Tuesday 16th of March 2010 09:08:02 AM
igotjam said
09:39 AM Mar 16, 2010
Kyle...we use passport america and good sam when available. In 3 years we have always stayed at private parks. WE like modern rest rooms and cable TV when possible. You are correct on the pricing. WE spend about 10K/yr. Sometimes our PA gets us a $10 night while other times we spend $45. We tend to move every week...if you stay longer (monthly) the price would go down.
Jim01 said
12:49 PM Mar 16, 2010
Our average cost per night in 2009 was $13.14.
Part of this time we were on a monthly rate, we used Passport America when ever we could, and I did receive a discount on camping at one park where I helped out the manager a little.
We don't stay in luxury "resorts", and I check the Trailer Life CG Book to see which CG has the lowest rates in the area that we are staying in. We don't pay for extras like Cable TV when we can receive TV on our antenna, and we will take a water and electric site, (no sewer), if it is available and we are staying for a week or less.
We stay in State parks and COE and National Parks when available but really didn't stay in many of those in 09, and we did very little boon-docking.
I do believe that in the past year or so, the CG fees have gone up in a lot of areas so I would imagine we'll be someplace between $15 and $20 for 2010.
I would think that even without any senior discounts, you should be able to keep it below $20 a night if you really try.
Good luck with your planning.
Jim
thebearII said
01:12 PM Mar 16, 2010
Monthly or Bi-Monthly rates will reduce average cost.
Also off-season rates are lower.
So a combination of boondocking, monthly stays, stopovers at friends, overnights at Wally Park or truck stops, travel to off-season destinations and a few $45 per night stays will give a lower overall average. Throw in some workamping sites and the costs drop dramatically.
Average cost will depend on your travel plans and area of travel. If you travel around Southern California and stay exclusively in private RV resorts your average might be a minimum of $55 per night during the winter and $65-$70 in summer. If you stay in state campgrounds the cost will average about $25 per night.
Bill and Linda said
02:36 PM Mar 16, 2010
Good points from all.As a point of reference from our experiences, private campground fees (seem) to be higher on the eastern side of the US.(When we started it was $3.00 a night for water and electric and 50 cents extra if you wanted a sewer.Times have changed.)
I would also point out about Escapees vs. Good Sam or similar “clubs:” for us Good Sam was better because we tend to travel more (often) and we have found more Good Sam discounts where we’re traveling.But we don’t stay for 2 or 3 months anyplace.So the sheer size of the available Good Sam discounted sites is greater for our needs.So, as I tend to say, “It depends.”
We have also found the COE campgrounds, on the eastern side, to be upgraded in the recent years to the point of having a full hook-up including 50 amps for $20-$22.That’s not too bad for a one or two night rate assuming full service is important to you.(Obviously less if you don’t have 50 amps or sewer.)
I think you need to look at where, and how often, you’re going to travel.Then check out what “clubs” have campgrounds where you will be or would want to utilize; including whether making reservations on-line or by phone is important to you.(It is to us in some cases – not all.) Then you can judge what is right for you.
IMO, there is no one “right” answer: “It depends on your needs.”
Safe travels
Bill
Spirit of 76 said
02:51 PM Mar 16, 2010
Dang...you folks have an answer for everything! Hey, I have this strange rash on...oh nevermind :)
Sincerely...thank you for the information. I will add it to my "look into this" file.
Luvglass said
03:15 PM Mar 16, 2010
We move around a lot and although we do stay sometimes for a month, we average moving every 5 days. Last year we averaged $611 a month.
bjoyce said
05:45 PM Mar 16, 2010
I keep track of how much it costs us to stay at campgrounds that give no discounts or the 10% you can get with Good Sam, AARP, AAA or FMCA (many take multiple) and in 2009 it was $30.09/night average for 136 nights and $34.12/night average for 165 nights in 2008. The rest of the time we were on Passport America, membership parks, a coupon, staying at a dealer, friend, casino parking lot or dry camping somewhere like the dessert or an Elks lodge. Totaling dues, stays, etc. our nightly average was $18.35/night in 2009 and $20.96/night in 2008.
Bill and Linda lumped Escapees with Good Sam, which I strongly disagree with. Escapees has two kinds of places to camp, Escapees own parks which we have averaged $19.12/night in six years of use and parks that give either 15% off or 50% off to Escapees members. But there is so much more to be in Escapees than camping discounts, it is a great organization and when in an Escapees park you feel like home. Right now we at at Escapees Rainbow Plantation in Summerdale, AL paying $85/week plus electricity which I estimate will end up about $17/night.
Mallo said
08:32 AM Mar 17, 2010
OK a couple of things --
Since the first of the year our costs for camping have bounced from a low of $16 a night to a high of $52 a night (State Parks vs an RV Park in the Florida Keys)
We move on a weekly basis and we have decent sized holding tanks.
That combination means that Full Hookups Water, Electric and Sewer (WES) isn't a requirement.
We easily get a week at a time one our tanks allowing us to go for use Water and Electric sites putting us in State and Local parks and lower cost private parks.
So when I say a low of $16 a night that was for WE but we have found state parks with WES for $18 a night so it can be done with a minimum of fuss.
And yes Passport America can be a good deal we don't use it as we haven't run into many campgrounds that take it, commonly we use Good Sam (10% off) or the weekly rate (one or more nights free out of the week).
Don't get too wound up over fees there are a number of ways to skin that cat.
Mallo
Spirit of 76 said
08:38 AM Mar 17, 2010
Great...I like the idea of staying for a minimum of 1 week at a time. That would allow me to settle in a bit and get some work and schooling done (we are roadschooling our daughter and I am pursuing my Masters degree online), too.
Thanks again!
Bill and Linda said
08:49 AM Mar 17, 2010
Bill, sorry about the “lumping” of Escapees and Good Sam.
Escapees is indeed a great organization. I was only referring to the number of campgrounds available for discount and where they may be located during your travels as was the question as I understood it.Not the value added benefits of Escapees which are more far more extensive and you pay for those, somewhat, up front.‘A very good thing for some, not as much for us right now based on our travel areas.That’s why I always say, “It depends.”
Safe travels
Bill
heyduke said
05:42 AM Mar 18, 2010
a followup question since it seems to be necessary to ask... is there a preferred "club" when traveling on the east coast vs the west? i ask since out first year will be on the east coast then we will follow that up on the next two years on the west coast... which should I get the first year? the second...
Pinon said
11:53 PM Sep 17, 2010
I think people spend how much they want to/can afford to spend. We don't have a lot of experience w/ this, but we did live in an RV for 8 months btwn selling our last house and buying this one. We stayed at a rather nice campground (Hidden Ranch Campground in Zuzax, NM - about 10 miles East of Albuquerque.) Nice property, a little obsessive and controlling management in my opinion. It was $350 a month and included utilities, water, sewer. Every month when we paid the rent we would say to each other - that was the cost of just the utilities (electric, trash, water, phone line) in our house! I expect when we start full-timing we will plan on some monthly stays. We may also spend some effort finding deals when money is tight. For instance, in New Mexico where we live the annual camping permit for a NM resident is $180 (non-resident is $225.) Then a $4 a night fee for electric OR sewer, $8 a night if you want both. Most state parks here seem to have a maximum 3 week stay. I also would love to volunteer at some of the really amazing Nat'l Parks. Yosemite, Yellowstone, some in Alaska, etc and get a free site. That said, the average work-camping position I have heard of does not attract me. The whole 20 hours a week for a free campsite? My hourly wage is a little higher than that, unless I am volunteering b/c I approve of your cause. Of course it helps that my job is portable and I enjoy it. If I hated it I would think differently about these campground hosting jobs I read about. We also plan to spend several weeks a year sitting in our family's driveways. Christmas in Louisiana, Thanksgiving in North Carolina, etc. Pinon
Ckerr said
04:53 PM Sep 18, 2010
From our somewhat limited experience, fees vary hugely based on the part of the country and what you are looking for.
For example, we currently find ourselves at a private RV park near Ashdown Arkansas that is running us $600 a month with full hookups including utiliites. It is an Ocean Canyon property if anyone is familiar with them. Normally we would NEVER consider paying this amount, but we figured we would do it for one month so Johnny could get settled in time to go to work on Monday.
After getting set up we spent the rest of this week explorng the area looking for a more reasonable optoin. There is a very nice state park just up the road, but alas- no sewer connections. Not an option when he's working 6 12 hour shifts a week. Other than the state park, every other "rv park" has consisted of a bunch of trailers jammed together with about 5 feet in between them on a gravel lot with no trees usually located between a busy highway and a railroad track.
So I guess we will pay the $600 a month and live in the shade of the pines next to the fishing pond with a golf course, pool and little restuarant in case he doesn't feel like cooking. Only thing we are really disappointed in is they don't have a laundry facility. Other than that, it feels worth it right now -- especially considering the available options.
There you are able to find places in most areas of most states. Some states or towns have shut down all the free sites due to pressure from the local RV parks. I can agree with most of the small business owners not wanting city or state competition. A lot of the blogs out there will have information included in their writings. Research is a good place to start.
I just found a free city park in a little town in west Texas. 2 days free, after that 10 dollars a day. Electric, water and sewer. Looks like about 10 spots.
If you require a pool, badmiton courts, tennis courts and concierge service to come pick up your trash, pick up and refill propane cylinders, it's gonna cost you.
-- Edited by 53 Merc on Tuesday 16th of March 2010 09:08:02 AM
Part of this time we were on a monthly rate, we used Passport America when ever we could, and I did receive a discount on camping at one park where I helped out the manager a little.
We don't stay in luxury "resorts", and I check the Trailer Life CG Book to see which CG has the lowest rates in the area that we are staying in. We don't pay for extras like Cable TV when we can receive TV on our antenna, and we will take a water and electric site, (no sewer), if it is available and we are staying for a week or less.
We stay in State parks and COE and National Parks when available but really didn't stay in many of those in 09, and we did very little boon-docking.
I do believe that in the past year or so, the CG fees have gone up in a lot of areas so I would imagine we'll be someplace between $15 and $20 for 2010.
I would think that even without any senior discounts, you should be able to keep it below $20 a night if you really try.
Good luck with your planning.
Jim
Good points from all. As a point of reference from our experiences, private campground fees (seem) to be higher on the eastern side of the US. (When we started it was $3.00 a night for water and electric and 50 cents extra if you wanted a sewer. Times have changed.)
I would also point out about Escapees vs. Good Sam or similar “clubs:” for us Good Sam was better because we tend to travel more (often) and we have found more Good Sam discounts where we’re traveling. But we don’t stay for 2 or 3 months anyplace. So the sheer size of the available Good Sam discounted sites is greater for our needs. So, as I tend to say, “It depends.”
We have also found the COE campgrounds, on the eastern side, to be upgraded in the recent years to the point of having a full hook-up including 50 amps for $20-$22. That’s not too bad for a one or two night rate assuming full service is important to you. (Obviously less if you don’t have 50 amps or sewer.)
I think you need to look at where, and how often, you’re going to travel. Then check out what “clubs” have campgrounds where you will be or would want to utilize; including whether making reservations on-line or by phone is important to you. (It is to us in some cases – not all.) Then you can judge what is right for you.
IMO, there is no one “right” answer: “It depends on your needs.”
Safe travels
Bill
OK a couple of things --
Since the first of the year our costs for camping have bounced from a low of $16 a night to a high of $52 a night (State Parks vs an RV Park in the Florida Keys)
We move on a weekly basis and we have decent sized holding tanks.
That combination means that Full Hookups Water, Electric and Sewer (WES) isn't a requirement.
We easily get a week at a time one our tanks allowing us to go for use Water and Electric sites putting us in State and Local parks and lower cost private parks.
So when I say a low of $16 a night that was for WE but we have found state parks with WES for $18 a night so it can be done with a minimum of fuss.
And yes Passport America can be a good deal we don't use it as we haven't run into many campgrounds that take it, commonly we use Good Sam (10% off) or the weekly rate (one or more nights free out of the week).
Don't get too wound up over fees there are a number of ways to skin that cat.
Mallo
Bill, sorry about the “lumping” of Escapees and Good Sam.
Escapees is indeed a great organization. I was only referring to the number of campgrounds available for discount and where they may be located during your travels as was the question as I understood it. Not the value added benefits of Escapees which are more far more extensive and you pay for those, somewhat, up front. ‘A very good thing for some, not as much for us right now based on our travel areas. That’s why I always say, “It depends.”
Safe travels
Bill
I expect when we start full-timing we will plan on some monthly stays. We may also spend some effort finding deals when money is tight. For instance, in New Mexico where we live the annual camping permit for a NM resident is $180 (non-resident is $225.) Then a $4 a night fee for electric OR sewer, $8 a night if you want both. Most state parks here seem to have a maximum 3 week stay.
I also would love to volunteer at some of the really amazing Nat'l Parks. Yosemite, Yellowstone, some in Alaska, etc and get a free site. That said, the average work-camping position I have heard of does not attract me. The whole 20 hours a week for a free campsite? My hourly wage is a little higher than that, unless I am volunteering b/c I approve of your cause. Of course it helps that my job is portable and I enjoy it. If I hated it I would think differently about these campground hosting jobs I read about.
We also plan to spend several weeks a year sitting in our family's driveways. Christmas in Louisiana, Thanksgiving in North Carolina, etc.
Pinon