Thousand Trails Membership

My wife and I are currently thinking about full timing but only half the time.  Basically we want to get out of Pennsylvania and head south to warmer climates during the winter months.

Unfortunately we aren't rich and living on a Pesnion.  I looked at some of the prices for staying at some of the RV camping sites down south and I just couldn't afford some of the high prices.  During my research I found Thousand Trails web site.  For a yearly membership fee of $545.00 I am allowed to stay at certain camp grounds at no cost for 14 days.  I'm required to leave that camp site for seven days.  After 30 days I pay $3.00 a day to defray the costs of amenities. 

Here is the website address:  http://www.thousandtrails.com/membership-info

This seems like a good deal for someone who is on a budget.  Is anyone a member and if so what do you think about it.  The wife and I will be living in a 33 foot Fifth Wheel.  Many thanks to those that respond.

Half timing isn't really fulltiming, I think you want to be snowbirds, nothing wrong with that.

I did my research on that membership years ago, I even visited one of their Florida campgrounds and stayed on a crummy lot for nearly a week as a guest of another member. Not sure how folks get the nice lots but both my membership friends and I were assigned uneven muddy lots with overgrown weeds and deep ruts. The nearby dumpster stunk up something awful as it wasn't emptied often and was overflowing during my stay.

The roads in our section were in horrible shape and impossible to walk down and worse for driving. Both my friends and I were double charged for my lot and we made numerous trips and phone calls to the office trying to sort this out. The office kept harassing me to buy a membership and I can't see the point of buying into a crummy lot, so I left and went to a state park which was less than half the cost of what I paid nightly at the membership place as a guest.

As a snowbird, you do have tons of options in all different price ranges. For some strange reason, many campgrounds are not on the internet, I have no idea why, but I run across this often enough in Florida and other states.

You may want to check SC and GA as well. Many great rates there. SC state parks allow half price stays in the winter for 30 days per park, something worth checking into as most are on the coast. I also found quite a few parks in GA near the coast for around $300-400 a month that were nice and appealing. Some charge extra for electric.

If you have the Golden Age pass, you can stay half price at US Army Corp parks on the numerous lakes on the GA and SC borders. There is a 2 week max, but you can go from park to park with this half price rate.

Florida does have affordable snowbird parks, but they aren't on the beach. But since you will have a truck, you can commute to the beach when you desire.

I would try wintering WITHOUT a membership first and see what parks you can find. If you are going to move every 2 weeks, then the options are numerous, but many places you can get a monthly rate and stay all month or longer.

Trying staying at the membership park as a guest before signing up to be a member, you may find it suits you or maybe it doesn't suit you at all. For me, it was not my cup of tea and I just could not make the number work in my favor on my small budget.

One year I careened around Florida a full winter without advance reservations, but since then I pretty much make reservations in advance so I have a warmish spot to camp in already prepaid. I met several folks this past winter that were careening around looking and seeing before they made reservations for next winter.

Good luck!

I will admit my experience is local here to the Pacific Northwest (where Thousand Trails started).  I did join for one year to try it out.  My experience was camping a lot rougher than I wanted with my motorhome.  Yes, some sites had full hookups but I never seemed to be able to get one.  Roads were rough, sites uneven etc.  I did not renew for a second year. I could afford a year to check it out, glad I did.  Now I know what I am missing.

We have spent almost twenty years wintering in FL.  There are some great, and expensive, campgrounds there but there are also many inexpensive ones.  Like you were told, they will not be on the beach but they can be really nice.  And there are parks in the $200-$400 per month range.  Real nice ones but not with some of the amenities that resort parks have.  Give that a try and you may find a place where you meet some new friends and want to go back each winter. 

I looked into Thousand Trails and found it enticing, yet did not buy it.  I was told about this one when I first got my MH; http://www.escapees.com/NonMembers/Support.aspx 
They have a bootcamp which tells you everything you need to know about RV'ing.  I joined thinking it was included, but it was an extra $200 for the BC and it conflicted with my schedule.  They have discounted rates for CG's all over the country.  I was a member for a couple of years, but never used it even once, and don't read magazines, just threw that away, so for me, I didn't see any value in it.  Many though in your similar situation use it a lot and find real value there.  It may just work for you and it's only like $40 to join.  There are many others as well for you to check out. 

Normally there would be a 66% chance of me typing this from a TT park.

Thousand Trails has this lovely thing called a ZONE PASS.. If you decide to buy one or two please contact me by PM so I can get credit for it. (Membership rewards program)

As Members, we can spend 2 weeks in the TT parks then we need to move out for a week,, Then we can either Return or move to another TT park for two weeks.. Very good for Engine,Tires,and such by the way.

(OH and my space bar is flakey).

As ZONE pass users your first 30 nights (on30 amps)will be free,,,,after that you pay a very small fee per night (I'm am still not clear on what that is but am fairly sure it is less than 10 dollars) .

Most of the coastal states have TT parks.. Georgia is an exception.. I am about 52 miles NORTH of Floridia (Where there are TT parks) in Georgia (Sad Grin) Broke down so I can not leave,,, 21.6 miles from my daughter's house (Happy Grin).

(There is good and bad in many things)

The other nice thing about the zone pass.. IT is renewable, Unlike my nationwide membership which is lifetime.

Now,the parks

Thousand Trails parks tend to be older,,and the operating budget for the park needs improvement.. So conditions could be better.

In all the TT parks I have been to however,,,The Staff has been very good..Much better than many of the other parks (Both Membership and non-membership) that I have been in.

(Though that said the staff where I am parked is one of the good ones too).

My Recommendation: PM me for my membership number... Give it a try.. IF you do not like it  Send them a "No Thank You" letter at renewal time.

OH.....And watch for a "Two Zones for the price of one"sale.

Normally in the winter I would spend around 200/month for parking (less or slightly more depending on the month) and less than100 (Thanks to having two memberships) in the summer.

We have been Thousand Trails members for 7 years and have several friends who have been members much longer. It's a good deal if you stay in their parks often, and a poor deal if you do not. Would you be willing to travel to where the TT parks are so you could use them, or do you want to wander around other places?  A TT membership has limited value if you wander, cause they won't be where you are. But we meet people who just travel around TT parks, and often meet up with others doing the same. Many of the parks have social events and activities, etc. and some folks make take advanatge of that to have their fun. Whatever rows your boat...

Some of the parks are quite nice (Hershey, PA is very nice!), some are old and tired and a lot are somewhere in between. I would suggest buying the annual Zone Pass and trying out some parks within your travel area. Visit several parks to form your own opinion. We get our money's worth with just 3 weeks a year in TT parks, but would profit much more if we stayed there more often. However, we usually have other places we want to visit.

When we purchased a new to us 5vr 2 years ago, they gave us a free night at one of the Thousand Trail parks in NH. We tried it out and it was a dump. Campground was built in the fifties and not updated at all. The other thing I didn't like was that you had to apply for a certain geographical section of the country and you could only go to those campgrounds in that part of the country. We got a free membership for a year and only used it that one time.

This I believe is the great thing about this country, many choices.  The two posts above have two different accounts of the same Membership club.  To one it may be rustic, an out of the way jewel, another finds it to be a unacceptable. 

I like older CG's if they have lots of trees, views, lakes, and dirt roads.  One I recommended to a friend, said it was a dump.  It turns out he likes really nice swimming pools, big colorful playgrounds, lots of activities, and paved roads throughout. 

So I believe what Gary said is right on the mark with so many choices we have,

Gary RV Roamer said:

It's a good deal if you stay in their parks often, and a poor deal if you do not. Would you be willing to travel to where the TT parks are so you could use them

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I've often purchased things I thought I needed, just to find, when it comes down to it, I didn't use it.

Not a joiner, so I won't comment on TT. There is at least one escapees park in southern Alabama that is quite nice. I'm also sure you could find a park in central Florida  for $300 per mo.or less.

Look at rvreviews.com for a more complete listing and reviews of rv parks.

Ernie

Not membership info, but a way to consider: Think of becoming a "host". In the NW, you can stay at certain parks/campgrounds for free if you "work" for about 20 hours a week. Asking around the "work" is light: handing out wood, some dressing of the sites after they are vacated etc. I don't think they run you by the clock, just do so some general upkeep and you are good to go.

We went full time in November of 2014. An initial TT zone pass (14 days in system and 7 out) was quickly upgraded to a full on resale purchase. We can now stay 21 days at a specific park but move directly to another. Since January we have been bouncing around in Southern Ca from park to park. While Thousand Trail resorts are older, we have had a great time and have met an incredible number of fantastic people all enjoying the RV lifestyle.

While we are free to go other places as well, and we have spent time outside the TT system, we have been very pleased, for the most part, with our experience. Simply the most affordable way to full time IMO other than to boondock all the time. And we have decided that we definitely prefer hookups. Our favorite park so far has been Pio Pico, just east of San Diego!

Obviously, there are numerous ways to experience this lifestyle. I guess it all depends on ones personal preferences and budget.

It's rather easy for a fulltimer to get their money's worth from a membership park. They are gonna be parked somewhere 365 days/year, so utilization of a membership is high and the value therefore excellent. It's somewhat harder for part timers to utilize enough, and for an occasional RVer it means you have to be willing to make the park(s) your actual RV destination. Many people do this and love it, but for others it is too constraining. Different strokes for different folks.

Gary RV Roamer said:

It's rather easy for a fulltimer to get their money's worth from a membership park. They are gonna be parked somewhere 365 days/year, so utilization of a membership is high and the value therefore excellent. It's somewhat harder for part timers to utilize enough, and for an occasional RVer it means you have to be willing to make the park(s) your actual RV destination. Many people do this and love it, but for others it is too constraining. Different strokes for different folks.

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Yes, that's what I ran into.  I have so little time to take the MH out, when I do I want to go hiking in Bryce Canyon, or spend time in the Grand Canyon, Taos, or spend time with family out east, etc..  It will be nice when I have the time to just go to a park and chill. 

I have dreams of smashing my cell phone, it never seems to ring without work needing to get done. 

I attended a meeting with TT in the 70s.  My issue with them was they were not necessarly located where I wanted to stay.  I got my FREE 4" TV and left.  Best decision I ever made.
Kenny

In my case they WERE located where I wished to be... Alas, not so much any more but they are still well located for me So I am a member.. And I use it (normally) way more than enough to make it worth while.