Membership
RV Parks & Discount Camping Clubs,
by Alice Zyetz
Second only to "How
do you get your mail?" is
the question "Where do you park at night?" The answers
are as varied as there are RVers. They range from staying
in public campgrounds to free and inexpensive parking on government
land and in truck stops and from stopping for the night at
"Camp Wal-Mart" to staying at posh private campgrounds
in resort areas for a two-week vacation. In addition are the
KOAs and myriad private campgrounds sprinkled throughout the
country for which you can get 10 to 15 percent discounts from
camping organizations like Good Sam, Escapees, AAA, and others.
MEMBERSHIP
PARKS
Since there are so many options
available, why join a membership campground? For some
part-time RVers, this represents a resort with many amenities
to use as a less expensive ongoing vacation spot, with the
added advantage that there is usually a reciprocal agreement
allowing one to stay at similar resorts elsewhere in the country
and be part of the "family." For those who are part-time
or full-time, the membership campgrounds are a home away from
home or the home itself, albeit you can't stay there full-time.
Usually, members are limited to two weeks in and one week
out in the peak rental periods. During the off-peak period,
members can stay for three weeks, but they still have to leave
for at least one week before returning. However, for additional
money, you can rent for months at a time.
 Membership
parks (also called resorts or preserves) began as exclusive
chains of campgrounds. More expensive to join, they offered
clubhouses, pools, activities, hiking trails, basketball and
tennis courts, gated access, and advance reservations. As
time has gone on, the distinctions have blurred somewhat.
Some chains went out of business or were bought by other chains.
Prices have been reduced, and some access has been open to
the general public for large group camping. In addition, original
memberships get resold, ownership of the individual campgrounds
is somewhat volatile, and the selection of campgrounds that
are available to members tends to change throughout the term
of the membership period.
One of the largest chains,
(with more than 50 preserves) is the combination of Thousand
Trails, NACO, and Leisure Time Resorts. Read the fine
print. There is an initial buy-in (typically $3000+) based
on the number of parks you have access to plus annual dues.
You then have a number of "free nights" per year,
but must pay a small amount per night after you exceed that
number. Rental units are also available.
Western
Horizon Resorts, with 24 locations in 13 states and
Mexico, is a traditional membership campground, although the
company also owns and manages three reciprocal resort companies
discussed below. WHR member Nancy
Kieffer reports that although the parks are "free"
to members, most now charge $1 to $2 per day as an "electricity
surcharge," and she characterizes the parks she has visited
this year as being "bare bones, with dismal recreational
and parking site amenities." On the plus side, Nancy
reports that there is no restriction on the number of "free"
nights (except as subject to the two weeks in and one week
out rule). Unlike Thousand Trails, WHR does not charge annual
dues after the initial buy-in, and the company also offers
discounted memberships in several of its other reciprocal
RV resort networks.
 Cal-AM
Resorts is an example of the new breed of membership
RV campgrounds with high-end recreational amenities, on-site
libraries, and extensive event planning services for guests.
Currently there are seven Cal-Am Resorts in the Phoenix, Arizona
area with more planned throughout the west.
CONTINUED
ON PAGE 2>
Reciprocal RV Companies, "Used" Memberships,
Discount Camping Clubs, and Things to Keep in Mind
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Alice
Zyetz and Jaimie Hall have
been RVing fulltime with their husbands
for more than ten years each. Together
they have published two books on the
RV Lifestyle: