Thousand Trails .... are you a member?

[Soled-out]

This has probably been asked, but a search under the topic didn't help. Sorry!

So what do you think? Do you recommend joining? ($199 for a year's worth of camping in one of five US zones.)

Thanks!

[Mike]

Re: Thousand Trails .... are you a member?

Around here, the state and federal campgrounds and many of the private campgrounds cost about $15.00/night

SO.... If you will camp more than 20 times in the year, it is a good deal

OR if these campgrounds have special features that you like such as swimming pools or game rooms, or other things you like, then just do the math to see how often you need to camp to break even

[Soled-out]

Re: Thousand Trails .... are you a member?

Thanks for the reply.

I'm trying to reserve some sites on the northern Oregon coast for next summer. I found three campgrounds that cost $29, $40, and $50 per site per night. Plus some add fees on top.

So the math works, but I'm wondering if the campgrounds are decent in other areas, and if there are any problems people have encountered with TT. From what I've read, the old TT program looked like an expensive time share. But it looks like they've simplified their program and removed signing your life away if you join.

[Mike]

Re: Thousand Trails .... are you a member?

Sorry, I can't help you with that kind of detail. The only suggestion I have is to post some names like the name of the timeshare company or the names of the campsites you are curious about so that folks here might be a able to respond

[markkee]

Re: Thousand Trails .... are you a member?

I used to reserve campgrounds. We were getting overwhelmed by cost and added registration fees. Most places in western Oregon are very expensive and crowded. We learned to disperse camp within a few miles of major campgrounds to save on the fees. Most of days are spent in areas that are free to use during the day. We take advantage of this and sleep for free at night.

When we need a break from dispersed camping, we find luxury rv parks that offer discount rates to tent campers-$15-$25. We do our laundry, catch up on Internet, etc.

You have me thinking about the $199 Thousand trails membership. This may be a great option for us when we desire to have showers and electricity. I am going to look into it!

[tplife]

Re: Thousand Trails .... are you a member?

We enjoy their properties, but you don't need to be a member for RV or tent sites...They offer great amenities, like 50A service where only a few miles away (Yosemite) there are no hookups. And their parks where we stayed were on the river with great trout fishing off lures, the kind of quiet you don't get in NP campgrounds, and easy in/out...

[markkee]

Re: Thousand Trails .... are you a member?

I do understand about not being a member. I use Thousand Trails to locate luxury RV parks. They are usually less expensive than national park or national forest campgrounds with about 100 times more amenities.

[Augie Dog]

Re: Thousand Trails .... are you a member?

I had joined this organization here in North Carolina and they misrepresented themselves.When I discovered they did not tell the truth I canceled my membership. At the time I joined it was $5,000.00 and a yearly maintenance fee of $250.00. You can not stay in another park if it is not your home park during holidays. If you search some of the RV sites you can purchase an existing members' membership at a HUGE discount. Do some research before you join them. Their selling point is safety and security while you are camping. I have been camping for 15 years and never had a security issue one time. Other than that they have some beautiful parks with a lot of activities. Good Luck!!

[Night Train]

Re: Thousand Trails .... are you a member?

My parents were full timers and they were members of Thousand Trails. We visited them often in several of the TT "compounds" and I must say I was quite impressed with the amenities. I understand that TT has been through several mergers and it may not be what it once was, or may be even better with the expanded sites that a merger would bring. They had bought the full membership for about $7,000 and as full timers felt that they got more than their money's worth. However, when mom became too ill to continue traveling they found out just how little a TT membership is worth on the resale market. BE VERY CARFUL if you decide to buy someone's membership. There is quite a bit of fraud and deception going on. Having difficulty in selling his membership my father contracted with a company to do it for him. They were out of the Pacific Northwest, and supposedly specialized in the resale of camping memberships and time shares. They sold it. He never got a cent.

[Soled-out]

Re: Thousand Trails .... are you a member?

Thanks! I would never commit to a long-term membership, or anything similar to a time share. We bought a one-year deal for $200 that gets us into all the Pacific NW campgrounds for no addition cost. Kind of a trial run.