Snowbirding – Securing Space at an RV Park

November 14, 2022

When my husband Gary and I decided to become snowbirds and take a six-month road trip though the United States, it was suggested by VIU English instructor and poet Janet Simpson-Cooke (who recently finished her first novel) that I write a blog throughout my journey.  I thought about it during the first three weeks of our travels but told myself I needed time to decompress.  I chose to spend much of that time in our seriously comfortable motorhome bed reading recent best sellers, although I did occasionally post on social media. 

In truth, I just didn’t know where to begin.  Then someone asked if we were having difficulty finding places to park our RV along the way.  That is something about which I have a great deal to say.

Gary and I love the open road.  We don’t want to park somewhere for more than 4 nights in a row but even if we were just driving to a long-term destination, we would still need a place to park our motorhome each night.  That can be costly. 

According to Camper Report, the average price for a mid-range RV campsite in the US in 2022 is $30-$50 per night, depending on location and types of amenities offered.  Converted to Canadian dollars at an average exchange of 1.2939 (hovering around 1.40 currently), plus credit card conversion fees of 2.5%, the average is CAD$40 to $66.  If calculations were to include only RV Parks located near the main highways and which can accommodate our motorhome and provide water, power, and sewer the average might be significantly higher. 

Even if the average cost were just CAN$50, a monthly cost of $1,500 can be prohibitive, especially when fuel and the cost of the RV itself are factored in. 

Fortunately, in the early 80s Gary had learned about Thousand Trails, a collection of campgrounds around North America that are owned by the same company. Memberships are sold to allow customers to enjoy these campgrounds at no cost. 

Our basic Thousand Trails membership paid for itself on our first, month-long trip in June of this year. However, it is important to make such a purchase with eyes wide open.

• Many dealers are now providing Thousand Trails memberships with the purchase of an RV.
• Numerous restrictions and variations apply depending on the type of membership, and the terms can be extremely confusing.
• Some facilities, perhaps even most, are run down.  That’s okay if you just want a place to spend a night or two at the park, but definitely not if you are looking for an enjoyable resort experience.
• Thousand Trails campgrounds are run and managed independently, so each park is different. Different rules, different standards of service, and so on.
• You must make reservations several months in advance for the most popular parks due in large part to Canadian Snowbirds like us.  Winter RVing hot spots are always full.
• Cell service can be challenging or non-existent at some parks.  Wi-Fi is rarely available outside the Welcome Center or clubhouse.

In our inaugural motorhome trip, we discovered there were often no Thousand Trails campgrounds near the route we had chosen.  So, we also subscribed to The Trails Collection Reciprocal Program which allows participating Thousand Trails members to use facilities at the campgrounds and RV resorts affiliated with the program.  Out of the 108 resorts available, all are free except for 18 (which are only $20 a night with the membership). 

This subscription also paid for itself the first month we used it.  However, it too has pros and cons.

• Membership in the program comes with its own restrictions and variations, which are not clear and in our experience are inconsistently applied.
• Unlike the “first come, first served” policy for the Thousand Trails preserves, the Trails Collection assigns a specific site at the time a reservation is confirmed.
• There are age restrictions (must be 55+ to stay) on some of the resorts.
• While Thousand Trail campsites tend to be vast and remote, facilities that are part of The Trails Collection are usually smaller, more centrally located, and better maintained.

When purchasing membership in either program it is best to do so in person or by telephone rather than online.  Ensure terms are fully explained and a written copy is provided. Today I found the following website that appears to provide comprehensive information I wish I had been aware of months ago. https://www.travelswithted.com/thousand-trails-membership-levels/

Because we will be traveling outside the northwest and southwest zones that were covered by our initial Thousand Trails membership purchase, we paid an additional US$70 to include the southeast zone.  I then spent many hours planning our stops down Interstate 5 to the coast of California, continuing across the southern part of the country to Florida. The initial plan was to stay at every RV park situated along our way for two nights each until we reach Florida, where our stays will be longer.

In accordance with the terms of our membership, I started making reservations sixty days before we were scheduled to arrive at any RV park. Sadly, after booking a stay at the Trails Collection Resort near Portland I found I was unable to book at the next. Following a long wait I was able to reach a sales representative who advised that after a stay of any length at a Trails Collection Resort, be it one night or 14, we cannot stay at another without waiting for 7 days! 

I had subscribed to the Trails Collection Resort Program online, and while I can find other websites that reflect my understanding that we only had to wait seven nights if we stayed at any Trails Collection Resort for more than four consecutive nights, I can no longer find that information on the Thousand Trails website.  Hmmmmm.

Back to the drawing board. Many more hours of planning our six-month getaway were now required. I was dealing with the following restrictions:

• Assuming there is space available we can stay up to 14 consecutive days at any park that is part of Thousand Trails or the Trails Collection.  However, if we stay at any location for more than 4 consecutive nights, we must wait seven nights to stay at another of their parks.

• There is no vacancy in some of the parks on the days we will be in the area.

• While there are plenty of Thousand Trails locations in the state of Washington, those in Oregon are concentrated on the coast, a considerable distance from the Interstate Highway and can only be reached via narrow, winding roads.                                                                                                          

• While there are many available parks in California that are included in our memberships, there are only a couple in the northern part of the state.

• There is only one park in Arizona that is part of Thousand Trails, and it is situated mid-state.  While there are numerous options in that state within the Trails Collection, stays at any of them must be separated by seven days.

• There are no Thousand Trails or Trails Collection parks situated in New Mexico, much of Texas, or the remaining states we must drive through to reach Florida.

• There are many RV parks in Florida that are part of the Trails Collection, but just three that are owned by Thousand Trails.

I spent many additional hours identifying places to boondock between stops at the RV Parks that are accessible through our memberships. They include many big box store parking lots, Cracker Barrel Restaurants, and highway rest areas or Welcome Centres in some states. Texas, for example, is very hospitable.

Soon after that was accomplished, Gary suggested we take out membership with Harvest Hosts for a nominal fee.  This enables us to choose from a wide variety of locations to park for one night… wineries, breweries, farms, ranches, casinos, churches, and other attractions that have big parking lots… in exchange for a $20 donation or purchase. Some even offer electrical hook-ups.   They also appear to be safer and more interesting than the dry camping locations I had previously identified.  So, I began the time-consuming task of finding suitable Harvest Hosts along our route and making reservations for the nights we could not say in an RV Park.  Aaaarrrrgggghhhh!

Then Gary started thinking about the cool temperatures we are likely to encounter after the sun goes down.  He did some more research and learned about Passport America where members can stay at participating RV parks for half the usual price, although usually for just one night.  He said the membership fee is low and would be more cost-effective than running the generator and/or using propane when we are boondocking.  I love the man, but really???  For the third and FINAL time (or so I thought), I laid out our trip to and through Florida, noting that some of the parks in Arizona that are Passport America participants require a two week stay, only the first night of which is half price.

Using RV Trip Wizard makes it much easier to lay out a trip itinerary than when I first planned our sight-seeing trip in June using Google Maps, but it still takes a great deal of time. Once that task was again completed, I continued making reservations 60 days in advance of our stops along the way. A couple of weeks ago all that remained was to book the places we planned to stay in Florida. It had been quite a juggling act to deal with membership restrictions and find nightly accommodations while minimizing the number of times we will have to pay to stay somewhere, even at a reduced fee.  But I had mastered the challenge and successfully booked our first stop near Epcot where we will enjoy the beautiful tree decorations and listen to Marie Osmond read the Christmas Story on December 24th, followed by a candlelight processional at America Gardens Theatre Pavilion.

Sadly, while attempting to make reservations at the remaining places in Florida that had been chosen, I learned that at least one of the three Thousand Trails locations and many Trails Collection parks are already fully booked and have no vacancies for the foreseeable future. Moreover, discounts at most Passport America locations in that part of the country are not valid during winter months. Now I, the consummate planner, am settling for any place in Florida I can manage to book. Sheesh!

The trip back home is something I am unwilling to even contemplate at this point.