Thousand Trails Campground Membership Details: Good & Bad | RV Life | Fulltime RV Living
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- Опубликовано: 17 окт 2024
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✅ In This Video
Fulltime RVers Liz and Paul stay at campgrounds for an average of less than $5 a night. They share how you can camp for 365 days a year for as little as $1.64 a night.
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✅ Who We Are
Liz and Paul are fulltime RVers who met on the road as solo travelers. Each of us had been on the road for a year before getting together as a couple. This channel provides entertaining and informative RV tips and tricks if you are thinking about living the RV life fulltime, part time or just on weekends.
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Let us know your average campground expenses and what you think of Thousand Trails.
Do you camp for less than $5 a night average?
I was just researching in Western New York to see what they cost. Since I am only tent camping it's ridiculous 35 to $50. But once I get my New York park pass because I am disabled it will be $5 a night with electric and water in any New York State Park. Once I get a new battery for my e-bike coming soon I can go 60 miles without worrying about running out. I was just thinking about this. I'm waiting for my park pass I can't wait to go camping. How are you guys doing?
If you're blind in New York you can fish for free also. That's New York
Unfortunately Thousand Trails has very few campgrounds in Canada where we live. If we lived in the States it could be useful though, but we'd then be restricted to specific locations. We love to boondock though so we pay $0 *most* of the time. Does that count, LOL?
Just finished 25 days through Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, N Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado and Texas. Average was $43 / night, only two nights in NP campgrounds, the rest in private (incl. KOA).
You are so cute together! I love how Liz always has her hand reaching out for Paul's. What a blessing for both of you!
Awww, thanks so much! We are so grateful for each other. Eight+ months now!
We just did a 4300 mile run and gun for two weeks. We stayed at full hookup site each night. Costs ranged between $35 to $50. All sites had plenty of room and were nice.
Wow, so glad to hear there are still reasonable campgrounds out there. Yay! We do like the Thousand Trails resorts for many reasons. Mostly, because we stay up to three weeks we like that they are gated and most have all the amenities like a pool, hot tub, tennis, clubhouse. Some even have a restaurant or a store.
I bet you had a great trip and made plenty of memories!
Thank you for explaining Thousand Trails! You did so in a clear concise manner without confusion. It's helpful to provide contacts too.
Thanks so much Rhonda. We kept putting off making this video because it IS complicated. Glad it came out clear and understandable. We love our membership! We think it's a must for fulltimers especially!
What I recommend is to purchase a zone pass which is good for a year for about $500 and you can add an additional zone for about $50. Try it. See if you like the campgrounds. And the whole thousand trails thing. The upfront membership cost is a lot, and it puts you on the hook forever. If you are full time and move around a lot, then it might pay you to become a member. But for most it is a tool to be used in certain locations. I used it last year for 2 different 2 week stays in las vegas and 2 weeks in palm springs. The zone pass paid for itself and more. Be careful before you pay for the extra membership. Have fun and be safe.
Yes! That's exactly what we recommend in the video. Thanks for backing us up. And for the additional info about how affordable it is to add zones. Happy camping to you!
Lots to consider! Thanks so much for the help guys!
We love it and think it's right if (a) you plan to do fulltime or close to it that involves traveling in Thousand Trail locations and (b) you typically stay in campgrounds and not boondock. We are camping for five months straight this year all in Thousand Trails!!
Thanks for all the info...... and especially appreciate the footage of the various TT campgrounds you’ve been to! So helpful to actually see the campgrounds other than in still pictures. Bought our first motorhome last Feb. just as covid hit. A TT zone membership was incl..by dealership which we haven’t been able to take advantage of yet. Thinking about renewing so thank you again!
You are so welcome! We are very pleased with our Thousand Trails membership. The numbers just can't be beat. Be sure to try several different campgrounds before deciding if you like them or not. The urban ones are, well, urban. We very much like the ones that are away from it all.
Great video, let’s hope with soooo many people joining that TT puts that money into the parks that need maintenance and updates. 🤩😘
Last year we noticed some Thousand Trails parks in need of reno. This year we watched Whalers Rest get a new gate; arrived to a freshly painted Birch Bay, La Conner is getting lodge updates...lots of good stuff happening. Yay for that!
I started with the camping pass and all the zones, it was around $1,100-ish. If you move every three nights then you have to figure in gas for each move and if you move only once every 14 nights then you have to pay for a week at another campground. So far, I still haven't made up my mind if I want to invest more and purchase an elite membership but I do plan to renew what I have. I haven't found any of the campgrounds to have working internet other than at the club houses so a good hotspot is a must for us while using thousand trails. The biggest downside for me is not knowing if I will have full hookups or not until I get there. I'm traveling with a disabled adult and he needs sewer, electric, and water. That means if I show up for a two week stay and they don't have sewer available I have to rush around last minute to find other accommodations. I wish they would allow us to reserve a specific type of site, even if we had to pay a non-refundable fee for doing so. That's all I would need to make me pull the trigger on a higher price membership.
Those are definitely some considerations. I think you can call the parks directly to find out about how many sites have sewer. I see that Thousand Trails has now uploaded some (or all) of the campground maps to its website. You may be able to see from those how many are sewers. Maybe the answer is to stay at campgrounds that are 100% sewer. Most of Rancho Oso are sewer and it is all sewer at Birch Bay, Long Beach, Las Vegas, Yosemite Lakes and Oceana. Probably a bunch more.
My gas consumption went WAY down when I got my Elite membership. Staying for three weeks at a time (or even two) meant I wasn't pulling the rig and using all that fuel. Even at the $4600 I spent, it works out to $12.60 a night for the first year, then all years after that about $1.64 a night.
Happy camping to you.
Really nice to meet you last weekend. Love our TT Camping Pass. Suggestion: you need a little extra time at the end of your videos, so that we can click the LIKE-button, before RUclips automatically skips to the next video. Take care: great Vids!!!
Hi Mike! Yes, it was so great meeting you and Sara! Thanks for the "like" tip. I know a lot of people watch on their TV and it's a different experience than on a phone or laptop. Happy camping to you!
That's funny -- I noticed the same thing! Before I knew it, RUclips had jumped to the next video and I had to pause it and click the "back" arrow to get back to your video so I could read the comments, hit "Like", etc. 🙂
When we had a contract on our ranch and closing was scheduled on April 30th we bought our T.T. membership. Can't wait to fully utilize once we sell our ranch since our buyers defaulted on us. We have a showing tomorrow so we will see what if anything comes from this. We are on the 21 days park to park the Elite Connections membership. We are using is for vacation this year so far. We have Lake Conroe reserved but there is a hurricane potential this next week so we are waiting to see how that pans out.
Oh my gosh, as a former Realtor, I am so sorry about the original buyers backing out. So frustrating. Good luck on your showing tomorrow. I am hoping it will all work out for you soon. Looking forward to meeting you on the road!
@@LizAmazing Showing went well and realtor is bringing another person to look and while we got ready today for the showing another couple drove up and looked. Fingers crossed with Praying one of these will work out this time. If that happens then we may meet up sooner than later. Take Care you two!
Where The Trail Leads - WTTL RV Yes! Looks like things are moving in the right direction for you!! Hang in there!!
I have been with Thousand Trails now for 4 years now.I had a zone pass for 2 years just went camping on the weekends. I was on the fence about going full-time. Then one summer at
Pio Pico they had a special on the Elite
Plan. Paid it in full.an that got the ball rolling for me 4 months later I was full-time. I live in the Thousand Trails system
I just have my monthly dues. An they are under $50. I look at as my rent. I did sell my house.I took some of that money an
Used 44ft 5th wheel toyhuller an used
3500 Ram truck.both are paid off.
I run the West coast.
Awesome Michael! We think the West coast is the best coast for Thousand Trails. We just spent 10 weeks in Washington state and loved it!
That's crazy I just recently bought a used 33f fifth wheel and a used 3500 gmc to go fulltime RV living. But not yet a thousand trails member...
Curious about buying a used 5th wheel. I am an older lady that cannot replace parts of a suspension system...is it riskier? Do you have tips for buying a 5th and truck used? Is your truck a single or dually? I have seen some great looking used 5ths, and that would help financially for sure... thanks
@@TheLakingc
Looking for a 5th wheel trailer can be overwhelming. When I was looking a trailer.I all ready new that I was getting a
5th wheel toyhuller. Did did not mater to me if it was used or new.you won't to keep in mine that a lot of RV park's have a 10 year old limit.here are some things to look for on a used trailer.look at the roof to see if there is any damage to the roof. Like holes or tears.next look down the side of trailer if is a fiberglass you are looking for delamination if you see that just walk away. When you go inside
Open up all the cupboard an check to see if there is a water stain not a good sign. When you walk on the floor an you fell soft spot more than likely it is water
Damage.an make sure the refrigerator
Is working.best of luck looking for your dream 5th wheel trailer.
@@michaelforget1823 thank you!
I bought an Elite membership from Kim at CMO, she is great. It does take a while to transfer but no hurry now with the virus.
Yay! Thanks for the endorsement. We are looking forward to this virus being over for sure! Happy camping to you once you get out there.
We got our Camping pass almost a year ago, then upgraded to the Elite Basic in late November. We've stayed in parks in Arizona, Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina and now we're in Virginia. We've stayed in 22 TT parks so far and couldn't be happier with the investment. We bought a new membership and our monthly payment with the RPI and Trails Collection add-ons is under $200 per month. We rarely stay outside of Thousand Trails if we can help it. We're going to be heading up to Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan before heading back down to Texas for the winter. We'll probably head to Florida and Arizona for the winter also. Next spring the plan is to head to the Oregon coast and Washington state. So many great parks, and a couple not so great, but overall we love Thousand Trails. Covid kinda sucked for camping for awhile, and the parks shut down their activities and pools, but the park we were in in Willis Texas let us ride out the lockdown there for 42 days until the state started opening up again. That was the Lake Conroe RV & Camping Resort, and it will always have a special place in our heart. Got a great corner site right on the lake with great views and a big yard. Lake Conroe is probably our favorite RV park, and we're going to be hanging out there this winter a fair bit, and trading off with the Encore over 55 parks down by South Padre Island.
Yes. Thanks so much for sharing your experience. We have not visited any on the east coast. We can vouch for 24 of the 25 we've visited on the west side of the country. And Thousand Trails sure did come through for their members during lockdown. Wishing you happy camping and looking forward to meeting you on the road someday!
We just purchased our membership (3rd party through Kimberly @ Campground Membership Outlet -- she's awesome, and basically the only go to for resales) and are super-excited. We have an Alliance/Platinum Plus membership which gives us the longest window of res time -- which is key w/ TT if you want to hit the hot spots. Our membership will always have a 30 day longer window than any membership sold in the future. Currently, it's 210 days. We do have to pay $5/night after 50 days, or double dues $1200 ish for the privilege. TT is great! We've enjoyed our camping pass so much this summer that we decided to upgrade to full/lifetime members :) Best Wishes!
Yay! And welcome. And thanks for backing us up that Kim is awesome!! We had heard the Alliance you can't sell for 10 years, is that true or just a rumor? I know Kim does a great job! We hope to see you in a campground someday!
@@LizAmazing Kim did not mention the 10 year rule -- it seems like she would have. It's a weird membership in that it is both an Alliance AND a Platinum Plus. From what I understand, only the res window applies in our situation, and then we have the Platinum + upgrades. It was basically the most expensive membership she had to offer within our requirements -- which was mainly a long res window. The 10 year rule may only apply to Alliance ONLY memberships. BTW -- love your channel :)
Thanks for your kind words-- and yes she would have covered any drawbacks. Enjoy!
We are way too green to share a full understanding of our expenses on campground/boondock/rv costs! 🤣 This is an EXCELLENT video tho!
Thanks so much- I just went to your channel and LOVE you guys. Watched, liked, subbed and commented on the video you sent. Paul is watching now. Looking forward to meeting you on the road!!!
Thank you, thank you - THANK YOU!!! Meeting you guys on the road would be so incredible. We would love to meet you and chat in person 😊😊
I bought in through Kim, too. Smooth transaction and membership was up and working in 3 weeks.
Wow! Paul bought his in lat 2018 and it took a little over two months, as did mine purchased in spring 2019. When did you buy yours? Maybe there is a good time of year to purchase it where they can process quickly. And thanks for the endorsement of Thousand Trails and Kim at Campground Membership Outlet!
Thank you for the explanations. I don't like neighbors close so will be boondocking mostly. I will have 3 dogs and concerned about barking and too many other dogs nearby. Probably not for me.
These are good things to think about. Yes, you will likely be close to your neighbors and that could stress your dogs. Most Thousand Trails also allow non members to stay, usually for about $50 a night. If you are interested, you could go and stay a few nights and see how the dogs do.
There’s a disabled vet that I often see at the dog park that does this. He rotates between a number of ones on the West Coast and is at the one near me every few months. He does the 21 day plan. When he first told me about it, I thought it was too good to be true. He bought a second-hand membership for around $2500 directly from a friend and has nothing but good things to say about the parks. Extremely nice guy with a sweet German Shepherd mix.
Awesome! Glad to hear you, too, have also heard good things! We've only been on the Thousand Trails on the west coast (so far!) and look forward to seeing them all. Thanks for your comment!
Liz Amazing It honesty sounds too good to be true but what you describe matches his experiences to a T.
Love watching you both go on these Journeys really enjoy every one of them thank you so much for your time doing these videos love watching where you go and the people you meet is just so wonderful you both be careful out there because the virus is still out there these safe love you God bless you wish you the best until the next video
Awww, thanks so much Shelia! We look forward to your comments. Thanks for your love and support! Be safe as well.
Such an informative video. This cleared up a lot of questions I had about thousand trails.
Thank you! So glad it was helpful. See you in our brand new video right here: ruclips.net/video/bXZuZYBXFrM/видео.html
Hello from Okinawa, Japan! We can only say that for 9 more days 😢. Kim was wonderful helping us with our used membership. We bought it in early June and are still waiting for it to be finalized. Hopefully soon. We can’t wait to get started.
I bet any day now. I think if you call Member Services you can perhaps nudge them along. Nine more days and then you'll be in Washington State? The weather is so very fine here! Safe travels!
I find $10 to $20 a night campgrounds for 4 months a year and stay free 8 months a year for volunteering 20 hours a week. Sometimes i think about buying a membership and not volunteering any longer. But then read about having difficulty making reservations, unruly kids, pot smoke, tight sites, etc so i havent yet. Upgrading rv and getting a free pass. Will hopefully get to give TT a little try for the 4 months this year.
There is certainly a vocal group of Thousand Trails haters online. Paul and I have been to 29 of the campgrounds and don't know what to make of the naysayers. Maybe all the "bad" parks are in the east? Maybe they secretly love TT and don't want anymore people to join? I do know that what I value in a park may be different for someone else. For example, I don't use the pools or playgrounds. Glad you are going to give it a try and make your own decision. See you out here!
Thanks for your amazing upbeat videos, despite the troubles along the way. You have kind of renewed my interest in RVs, traveling, thinking outside my comfort zone. TT sounds like a great deal for full timers, or most of the timers. and yes I had been wondering throughout watching all your videos how the heck you afforded staying in all the campgrounds.. I mean boondocking sounds great, but the water thing... I just hate the thought of going outside, enjoying the day, then not being able to take a decent shower!! I wonder if the pandemic has increased the number of people out there?
That's what we love about campgrounds-- water! When you are boondocking you have to be SO careful about usage, take a navy shower or even a sponge bath, wipe the dishes, don't flush, etc. Takes the fun out of camping for us! And even with all the conservation you have to come into town and get water fairly often.
We replaced our showerhead and we have decent showers. And Paul sometimes uses the bathhouse.
We are meeting lots of people with new campers. I mean with cruises and Disney out of the question, the RV life is the perfect way to take your bubble with you. We social distance and enjoy this life very much.
Good video for information. However just to comment we have TT membership and have it suspended right now as we live in Canada and unable to use. We purchased just a 1 year to test and check it out. Both parks that we did stay at poor experience. Las Vegas is nothing but a parking lot. The unit beside us was motorhome, they had their awning open, could not open their slides. Palm Springs we dealt with a sewer backup at several sites in our row. Maintenance was a joke at responding. At least with the current situation our membership is on hold with the border closures. As well our experience is that TT followup is very poor. Stay safe and safe travels!
This is good information, thank you! Las Vegas is our least favorite place, but then it’s urban so not really camping. Sorry you had a bad experience in Palm Springs....
We were just at Birch Bay- a beautiful park and on the border. Also La Conner! We really want to get to Canada! We hope to get to your beautiful country soon!🇨🇦
I as well have noticed a downgrading of the TT parks as the Covid stops a lot of movement of people!
Great information, thank you for “making sense” of a confusing subject.
Glad to hear this, Hugh! Thanks so much for your comment!
Great information! Just today received an email from TT for a $499 membership. Eric is in Oregon! I'll check this out and be sure to mention your name. I'm the state campground and BLM boondocking kind but TT could be incredibly helpful for so many reasons. Happy trails!
Yes, Eric is in Bend-Sunriver, one of my favorite campgrounds! Tell him I said hi! And we know lots of people who bounce from boondocking to campgrounds to get laundry done, etc. Hope to meet you on the road someday!
@@LizAmazing Eris IS great, thank you! Hope to meet you, too, maybe early next years in a TT campground!
Hi Liz. New RV Camper here. I have been looking at Thousand Trail camping pass ($599 a year now on sale) vs a Thousand Trail Membership (thousands of dollars initiation fee plus hundreds of dollars of annual fee). I only care about staying at RV camps and save money when staying. Since camping pass allows you to stay 14 nights and have mandatory 7 nights out, why can't you purchase a second pass to fill up the 7 night mandatory requirement? An additional $599 is surely cheaper than staying at another camp for a week or upgrading to a membership plan.
I haven't found any posts talking about this. Am I missing something?
You are only allowed one pass per household. You'll love the full membership, it definitely pays for itself quickly.
This is great when my daughter gets up I will tell her about this but I'm not going to wake her up if it's 6:30 here in Houston time we've lost our power and it is cold oh my goodness I do have my phone because I had a charge before I went to bed so I can talk a little bit but thank you so much for this information we will take advantage of it because we travel a lot God bless have a great day.
Thanks so much and hugs to you, Helen!
Almost all RV parks are parking lots. The biggest down side to TT is 30a power and no sewer in a lot of places. We were in Northern California and it was 110° with a 42’ motorhome. 30a won’t cut it. Thousand trails needs to work on their infrastructure it has issues at every park we’ve stayed at.
We are finding some Thousand Trails have thickly wooded sites: Pacific City, Bend, South Jetty, Whalers Rest, La Conner and Mt. Vernon. Snowflower and Yosemite Lakes are wooded but not as private but are both pretty campgrounds. Agreed that 30amp won't cut it if it's really hot. Hope to meet you someday!
In central California now at a TT tomorrow hope we can breathe, not TT fault 🤣. 50A would be great, it’s hot and need AC with this smoke.
Yep. I talked to the ranger today at Rancho Oso and he said the smoke is clearing out. Hope so! We've heard Morgan Hill and San Benito are smoky. Be safe!
At Morgan Hill, smoke has cleared out 😀 today. Temperature ok in shade have a little shade, but got 50A so we’re set.
Yay! For the 50amp and thanks for checking in! I hope they have that ginormous pool open!!
Yeah if you can get into some of the parks in Thousand Trails many of them have more seasonal sites than Transit sites
Some Thousand Trails have a portion of sites set aside as seasonal, but of the 29 parks we've been to now, we have never seen it to be a high percentage, maybe 15% at most. We do recommend getting a membership with 120 days out as 90 days (the membership Paul had) just didn't cut it for high demand campgrounds.
@@LizAmazingThanks , but up north they do have issues in some parks including poor electrical boxes
I don’t have an RV yet but planning for the future after coronavirus. Stay safe. Thanks so much for your video. Watching from the beginning and a new subscriber.
Oh- awesome! Enjoy your binge watching where you'll get to see how Paul and I met! Fun!!! And happy planning for an RV. When you finally get out here I think you will find this to be a welcoming community and a wonderful way of life. We look forward to meeting you at a campground someday!
Ok, found your TT video...i see what you mean, you are right. But, see, we had a dozen kids and only camped maybe 3-4x a year! We could not even get into a TT in California. But maybe in the 70s and 80s you needed reservations, too, i don't know. That was his job. I know he paid a lot every month plus thousnds down. I was horrified, but he bought a broken sewing machine from a door to door guy, too...what can i say? But they had promised there would ALWAYS be a place and there rarely was the few times we used it. Huge expense for us. But if full-timing, yes, it would be worth it. My questions are, after the first year of$4600, is it $600/year or just the second year? No $50/mo? Can you choose a site or is it chosen for you? Can you have a guest if they stay in your RV? What does 120 day advanced reservation mean? Is that how long after you call that you must wait to camp? Thank you.
Hi again and great questions. There are different levels of memberships and you're right. They make more sense if you are fulltime. The more you pay the further out you can make reservations. We have found the 90 day window not to be long enough for peak times or popular campgrounds. California would fall under this. We have a 120 day booking window and have ZERO problems. We can stay wherever we want whenever we want. I paid $4600 the first year and then just annual dues of $600 or so. That works out to $50 a month. So just to be clear: After the first year our total expenses are the $600 dues. We don't pay anything more to stay at Thousand Trails. Also, for the extra money you can stay longer. We can stay up to 21 days and can spend 365 nights at TT campgrounds every year if we wish.
@@LizAmazing Thank you so much. I saw another vid that was so confusing that i tore up my notes and said "Skip it!" But you make it so clear, thank you.
lots of great info - inspiring me to get rolling. you guys look more comfortable and relaxed on camera in your recent videos. you feel like real, honest people to me (not performers) cheers!
Great to hear, Kevin! Thanks so much! We truly are having fun making these videos. We hope we are smoothing the path for others wanting to become fulltime RVers as well. And we love Thousand Trails! Looking forward to seeing you on the road someday!
Thanks Kevin, I feel like I'm starting to be a little more comfortable in front of the camera. 😳
Thanks for watching our videos! P.
Thx for the info. Will call them soon.
We couldn't afford to fulltime without them! Tell Eric we said hello!
Hey you two crazy kids! I'm a full-time RVer who stays at TT parks a lot. It's s great deal. Because of something Liz said in this video, I wanted to tell ya that I'm an AANR member and I regularly stay at a lovely sun club in Corona. CA. They welcome newbies there 👍
Oh that's good to know. I will check out the AANR! Happy travels to you!
Us too! Spent a lot of time at Cypress Cove in Kissimmee, however our 310-GK-R is now stationary at The Woods RV Resort in Land O Lakes, FL. For those wondering what we’re talking about, AANR stands for American Association of Nude Recreation. They represent 200+ clothing optional RV Parks, where running around naked is encouraged.
Stand by for cardiac issues for camp ground prices in Key West.
Oh my gosh- I bet! I wish there were a Thousand Trails down there!
So whats the weight of your rig? And pin weight?
Really like your videos. Thank-you for being together. Was wondering what your exit is when age catches up. My wife and I have been RV's for 16 years since retirement at 62. Travel has gotten hard on us now. This year we have shut down travel and have bought a home near family.
Hi Terry! Paul is 70 and quite fit and I am 57. It may be that we slow down the travel to just become snowbirds or that we buy a house. We truly have no idea and are having such a blast traveling right now. I guess we will cross that bridge when we come to it.
Congrats to you for completing 16 years on the road! How fun and what a nice way to spend your retirement. Enjoy your family time!
great info, are you able to stay four nights and go another of their camp site and then move between continuously for the month or time you plan to utilize the parks? and you can do this for up to a year ?
After you stay four nights you have to go to another campGROUND, not campsite. But you can bounce around and go to the same few campgrounds in an area. Once you leave a campground, you can't return until 7 days have passed. If you upgrade your membership, you can stay as long as 21 days and go directly to another campground and also stay up to 21 days. And yes you can do this 365 nights a year with either the camping pass (four days to go park to park) or any of the other ones (21 days park to park). For the camping pass, you can stay up to two weeks in a campground and then have to be out of the Thousand Trails system for seven days. Some people boondock that week and return to the same campground over and over.
@@LizAmazing Thanks for the info, i appreciate it. so basically i can stay four at their camp ground, and leave and head directly to another one of their campgrounds no problem. another camp site would be a different company all together. but if i stay more than four nights, then i can’t go to another camp ground of theirs, i would have to wait 7 days?
i think they know some people stay along time, so just make a mini site on one end and claim it different, then people don’t have to go really far with fit the requirements.
Hi guys!! Another great informative vlog, thanks & stay safe🤗
Thanks so much Lisa! We enjoy hearing from you!!!
We are getting ready to hit the road. Keep considering TT. Question. Is it possible to stay at one to try it out and of course pay regular fees? Or are they TT members only? Is it possible to work/ host at them? Thanks!
Yes on both counts. Go to Thousand Trails website and find a campground. Call them directly and book. Not all campgrounds have work/hosting but many do. Best of luck!
Heard there is a company that shows you how to buy, take over someone else membership!?? & It's legal & much cheaper.
ok just saw rest of video on buying used membership
Try Idylwild Thousand Trails ... very pretty (tell me, which one did you both hate?)
Yes, Campground Membership Outlet. About half the price of a new one, but you have to wait three months to even make a reservation.
We haven't been to Idllywild yet but it is on our radar- Paul has been up there and says it's been very pretty.
We didn't like Thousand Trails Los Vegas!
Come visit the east coast in the summer. I go between lake and shore and sea pines. Both great campgrounds minutes from the Jersey shore
Oh that's so good to know. We are 28 Thousand Trails campgrounds so far but haven't been to any east of Arizona. Looking forward to visiting ones in the east!
Love these guys!
Awww, thanks so much! We love having you with us! Hugs!
BTW, math doesn't come out at 365 days when you can only stay about 250 days..
Still, how do you beat that deal ?!?
Zones are mixed up for us as we do from Mi. southward to Fl. And east from Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Ga to Florida. Kind if Midwest a bit and South east areas.
The zone has Indiana and Penn in one zone and the south east states in another...i need 2 zones ....
You can stay 365. You just have to leave by day 4 to not have to leave the system.
I don’t disagree on a lot of your info, however TTN is not what it used to be, after it was opened up to the public, the membership went downhill. Especially when we found out that your maintenance fee does not go to the upkeep of each campground, it actually goes to the promotional programs. I had a Platinum membership, then they
Yes, it's not for everyone and (like most things) it's probably not as good as it was decades ago. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Yamee Fat Bear IM YOUR GIRL!! Ive always LOVED Ebikes; so SEND it My Way!!
If the snow doesnt melt there will you just carefully tow the trailer down the hill anyways? put chains on the truck wheels to ensure safety? or is there a big melt in the forecast...
Melted-- YAY! We are now looking at palm trees. That was a LOT of snow!!! Got your entry and good luck! And nice to hear from you Lauren. I bet no snow up there yet.
@@LizAmazing oh weve had snow for almost 4 weeks now..
How true does this all still hold? Is it more difficult today to get reservations?
No problems at all. We have the 120 day booking window, highly recommend!
@@LizAmazing I'm glad I came across a more recent comment and to see that the TT membership is still working out for you. I'm on the fence but leaning more towards getting the middle of the road lifetime membership and buying a new cuz I don't think I can wait around for however long for the transfer of a used membership. I currently have a Northwest zone pass and have only stayed at one TT campground so far in Washington and I loved it even though I could understand why some people might say something negative about it like it was close to the freeway or we had water outage for a couple of days and the laundry room wasn't working etc etc. I lucked out on a really excellent site and yes I could see my neighbors but it wasn't like a sardine can. And frankly it's just a place to sleep for the night for me. I spend most days out exploring or working and I'm not even there all day. TT definitely sounds like a great way to save some money on campsites.
We’re parttime rvers on the east coast,thank you for your video.
We can't wait to explore that side of the country! Keep warm and happy planning for Summer 2021!
TT parks are really sub par. I’ve been a member for two years (Elite Basic) and although I’ve certainly gotten my money’s worth, I would hesitate to recommend them. Electrical boxes that are turned into tent sites rather than being repaired making it ever more difficult to find a site. Dusty gravel roads. Sites too close together. Trailer parks with a bad vibe. I had a reservation at South Jetty (ugh!), but opted for Sutton NF campground instead. $12 a nite vs $0 at TT, no hookups, but much more enjoyable. If you like corporate, run down, commercial campgrounds, knock yourself out.
We did not like the front part of South Jetty. We stayed closer to the back near the dog park and it was a great site. It's true that a good site can make or break a campground vibe. We would say that with our stay in Whalers Rest- we chose the rundown crowded section to get wifi versus the pretty sites with trees!
Like anything, it's not for everybody. And $12 a night isn't bad at all. Happy trails to you!
we do dry camping and only need a shower/access to water/laundry,do you think the cheapest membership would work?and whats the reaservation windo?
The cheapest one is the camping pass for about $700 a year. This would give you one region of the country with 8-21 campgrounds to choose from, depending on which region. You would get a 60 day booking window and could stay for up to two weeks at a time and then be out seven days. That level of membership seems ideal for you. If you are traveling across regions, I think it is only $200 to add another region. And it's a great way to try this membership. Contact Eric to get the full scoop and be sure to tell him we sent you: 🌲 Thousand Trails: Eric Benson call: 541.527.0140 or email: eric_benson@equitylifestyle.com
As always love hearing from y'all, was wondering if u guy's have a tour through your beautiful place, I looked through and didn't think I saw one but would love to see what your home on wheels looks like. Thanks and as always love you guy's and your videos.😊
Hi Amy! Nice to hear from you. We do have a tour- here it is: ruclips.net/video/aJBzbsDXRII/видео.html
If you'd like to get notifications of our videos, be sure to ring the bell! And thanks so much for your kind words. We love you, too!
Excellent info. Contacting Kim now to get more info.
Yay so glad to hear this. We are very pleased with Kim. Paul and I look forward to meeting you in Thousand Trails Campground someday!
Can you do a video on how y’all met and got together
Yes! Right here: ruclips.net/video/jvWDUG3zgdA/видео.html
I have older but well maintained equipment and am only now thinking of going full time is my 99 f250 and 96 5th wheel going to be a problem. I have no pets,children or guests with me and just want to actually visit the places I’ve seen crossing the country over the decades.
We see plenty of vintage rigs in campgrounds. If you know they are solid and up to the task, then go for it. We have heard of some other campgrounds (KOAs and others) that refuse to accept rigs older than ten. Thousand Trails does not discriminate. But you can't put up tarps at your site, stuff like that. Enjoy going fulltime and see you on the road!
Liz Amazing thx
Hey guys..glad to see you are doing ok...Jeanne and I are still working new Mexico to tx...that membership would be good if we are going to go full time...not sure yet..our hdt and 5th wheel would most likely be to large to get in-and-out of some of those places...but we will look at it...take care...stay safe..hope to see you and paul on the road...🙂..J&A
Hey you two! We do see people with 40ft trailers in Thousand Trails. How big is your rig? Paul just reminded me our neighbor has an F450 dually pulling a 42' fifth wheel. We can't think of any campgrounds that couldn't accommodate but we can only speak for the 25 we've visited. I think you could ask Eric and he would have hard stats.
And, gosh, keep cool down there. Thanks for checking in- we always look forward to hearing from you. Stay safe!
@@LizAmazing thanks for getting back..truck and 5th wheel is 76 feet...thats small compared to what we are doing now (238 feet) with wind blades...November can't get here fast enough..😆 🤣...
Wow! You are 20 feet longer than us. We have some long rigs but yeah I bet that is pretty big for most everywhere. So cool you are doing the wind blades. Enjoy your adventure and maybe do a countdown notebook where you rip a page each day!
So, if we are not full time campers you dont recommend thousand trails?
Work out how many nights you camp a year and where you want to go. It absolutely can be a good deal for you. Joanna at Thousand Trails can help you figure out what's best for you. Contact Joanna here: form.jotform.com/joanna_depace/LizAmazing
Always great info for F/T RVer’s.
Hi Sep! Thanks so much! We look forward to chatting with you soon! Keep cool and away from the hot ashes down there!
Awesome info Liz, thank you. We’re going to shoot an email off and we’ll definitely mention your name. Cheers and safe travels!
Thank you! Looking forward to meeting you in a Thousand Trails campground. For a look at a couple more of their campgrounds, watch our latest video here: ruclips.net/video/ER-l3ELvShY/видео.html
Thanks for telling me about this In a reply, you guys are really convincing to start my own rv adventuring. Do you guys have any advice for a website you trust to find a decent rv(particularly cheap).
Yay! So glad you appreciated me letting you know about this video. I would say RVTrader would be fine. When you find something get it inspected or thoroughly inspect it yourself. Join some online Facebook forums on what to look for when shopping. Older rigs can have roof issues so you'll want to check that as well all the other mechanicals. Just take it slow and be thorough as you do your search. Best of luck!
Phone really unedited my grammar and spelling ...sorry, I got fat fingers and poor up close vision and the phone decides what i thought I was trying to type. LOL
Love your videos. Very informative. What is the FB page you recommended? I only found the generic 1000 trail page.
There are at least two pages on FB that we know of: Thousand Trails: The really good and the Really bad. And the other one is similar but includes (Outdoor World) after Thousand Trails.
Great Video !!!!!!!
Thank you James!
Thank you for sharing this information. I've heard some negative reviews about this organization. It's good to get a full-timer's opinion. My husband is retiring in 2 years and we are hitting the road.
I don't know what it is but there is a strong group of people on FB who are always complaining about Thousand Trails. I saw where someone said the other day that it is a "ripoff!" Well, I think it's hard to beat $1.64 a night! (Which is what it is with the Camping Pass)
What I think is really going on is that the happy folks are not posting about online but are just out here enjoying the campgrounds. We love it and meet plenty of camping neighbors who also love Thousand Trails. Did you know that during the lockdown across the country, they allowed all the campers to stay for free? So instead of having to leave at their deadline be it 14 or 21 days, they all were permitted to stay for no charge. In many cases that was a couple months. That was awesome.
Congrats on your husband's upcoming retirement. I think you will find a warm and welcome community of fulltimers out here on the road. We look forward to having you two join us. Happy planning!
Came over to watch this video you linked me too. Since you spent alot of time in KY area, are you from KY. We are from Northern KY. Small world.
Hi neighbor! Yes, I am from Lexington so we are probably only about an hour or so apart. Yes, it is indeed a small world. Give KY a hug for me, I miss it!
@@LizAmazing I've spent lots of time around Georgetown and just love the rolling hills filled with equestrian ranches. Such a beautiful part of the country.
@@flawlessvic It sure is!
Family!😀 Is there wifi?! .. that's my only question . Threw a cellphone T-Mobile to be exact
Almost all Thousand Trails campgrounds have wifi but they are slow. You could text and email and in less-busy times of the day watch videos. You can pay for wifi in your camper or use the free wifi at the lodge.
Email me, and I can send you a link to which Thousand Trails have service and what carriers. Some have very poor service but a cellular booster helps. We did a video about our booster and have a coupon. Here's the video: ruclips.net/video/i-pKsvFaKwU/видео.html
Our email is LizandPaul@lizamazing.com
Do not cry when these RV parks start going on in foreclosure ……
Not a chance that will happen, it’s a very profitable company.
Are u guys going to stay where you are until the sky clears over california or will you even go back to california? maybe head to texas or arizona for the winter i suppose; avoid all the craziness in california these days.
Definitely avoiding California! Oh my goodness. I know some roads going to Thousand Trails in Yosemite are closed. We will go east and then south to Arizona. Enjoying Washington very much right now though!!!
@@LizAmazing we may be heading close to there end of sept so may meet up yet eh!! washington will b very nice right to middle of october.
We will be gone in less than two weeks. Darn. We will have to meet up another time....sure looking forward to the borders reopening!
@@LizAmazing ya Im fed up not having my usual vacation due to the borders being closed. have u run into any issues re cv19 in washington as it is a hot spot in the country eh...
No issues. Everyone is taking covid very seriously. Especially in Blaine where we saw 100% mask compliance. And Bellingham.
Is there anything like this in middle America? Where thousand trails is not?
I wish! What a great business that would be for someone to start! Thousand Trails is 50 years old and you would think someone would fill in the gaps by now. Paul and I are going to go to South Dakota later this year and we will be a month outside of Thousand Trails system. We are not looking forward to that.
@@LizAmazing It seems like most people want to travel around the coastal areas. My husband and I left Seattle 3 and a 1/2 years ago and we live near Branson in Missouri and you could not take me away from this part of the country. When our a youngest leaves for college in 2 years we want to hit the road but Other then visiting family I want to spend a lot of time in this part of the country where we are. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and I also have family in California and my mother in law is in Georgia. So the coastal areas don't appeal to me as much oddly enough. I did not get to travel or see much when I was a kid so I spent my life on the West Coast.
Agreed. I think Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and South Dakota would be good places for someone to start if they wanted to create a campground membership in an area that Thousand Trails does not cover. Lots of great National Parks in those areas which attract a lot of people.
Do they allow tenting
They do! Not all parks though. I'm now working with Joanna who has some great info. Contact Joanna here: form.jotform.com/joanna_depace/LizAmazing
I'm sorry to be one of the people to flog you with questions but I've been researching and am still having problems understanding some things. I've never RV'd before but I'm considering full-time as a solution to my current lifestyle. If I wanted to have access to both Northeast and Southeast what kind of pass would I want? And most importantly - do all their tiers require you to be out of TT for 7 days? Because I'm petrified of boondocking; is there any TT tier that allows you to go from one TT park to another without any gaps?
Great questions. You could buy a zone pass for the Northeast and add on the Southeast. BUT the zone pass requires you to either go four days from park to park (very do-able) or two weeks in and one week out. We have the Elite which allows us to camp up to 21 days at a time at a park and go directly from park to park with no out time. If you want to do it on the cheap then the Zone pass would be the way to go, but you'd be moving every four days. More info here:
🌲 Thousand Trails: Eric Benson call: 541.527.0140 or email: eric_benson@equitylifestyle.com (Plz mention Liz Amazing)
🌲 Resale Thousand Trails Membership: Kim 1-800-272-0401 or kimberly@membershipoutlet.com (Plz mention Liz Amazing)
So water and electric are included in the TT membership fees??
Yes. And about half of the 25 campgrounds we have been also have full sewer hookups.
Another great video! Lots of great information. Our first TT membership was one zone for one year free with the purchase of our former travel trailer. We upgraded the following year to buy one zone, get one zone free. Then we were able to buy a membership from the sweetest older lady who lives near us. She and her husband purchased their membership quite awhile ago and used it constantly. After he was gone she continued to use it and she shared so many pictures and experiences with us. Our transfer was smooth and we love camping at TT. One of the benefits is that we met you at TT in Washington!!!
Dave & Adrienne
Hi Adrienne! So nice to hear from you again. It really is wonderful to bump into the same people at different campgrounds. We hope you and Dave get out again and enjoy this beautiful weather. We are in La Conner now. Have you been here? We love it!
We haven't been to La Conner yet. We have so many TT locations close to home and we decided we'd better start getting out and enjoying them all! We think you would enjoy Leavenworth, WA TT. It's near a quaint, little Bavarian-styled town. The town is famous for their Christmas festivities (we don't take the trailer then!). They also have some pretty awesome summer theater. Lots of trails and places to enjoy the outdoors. We'll check out La Conner. If it's 'Liz and Paul approved' we know it will be great! :)
Awww, thanks so much! So many campgrounds around here to check out. We will just have to come back!!! We are headed out of Washington far too soon!
WOW! At this point in my research I'm feeling confused. Other videos say Thousand Trails is $214/year; the Thousand Trails site says $615 and I only see one pass. I'm assuming the $7000-$13000 is some "hidden cost" that is only mentioned once you actually call them. This just annihilates my whole plan. Is it also true that if your RV is over ten years old they will deny you? I have a bit of an emergency situation and thought maybe I could do RV living for the next two or three years, but the more I find out the more impossible this seems; $13000 can buy a mobile in FL; but I'm not 55+ and I have a child.
Hi and great questions. Our video answers them as far as the different levels of membership and what we paid. You can do it regionally for $700 but there are benefits to paying for a higher membership. We paid $4200. We've heard about the ten year rule but that is at KOAs and other private campground. It is not in effect in any Thousand Trails park we've been, and we've visited 28 of them.
Yea I would definitely stay away from TT
@@GM-jv9jz lol! I assume this is because you are a TT member and don't want others to find out how good TT is. We've seen a lot of these scare tactics here and on FB where members want to keep others out. Thousand Trails is not for everyone. But you will not be able to find a better bargain- especially if you are a fulltimer.
Thanks for the Video .... nice to learn.
Thanks so much for watching! Be safe out there.
High initial membership fee $7-13K, then annual fee to park for free. Huh! Then you can't get in to the popular visited spots. Nah.
We haven't had any problems with our Thousand Trails. Have you had that? Our experience is with 25 campgrounds plus we are booked out until Dec 28 with no issues at all. We do know Florida in winter and PNW in summer can be busy.
I agree. I would stay away from TT
Its currently 615 to join then 499 for a year
OK, good to know. We definitely think it's the best deal out there, especially for full timers! We have now been to 30,000 trails campgrounds. We are very pleased overall.
Great info, as usual!! Thats you two. Happy weekend.
Hi Liz! Thanks for your comment and for watching our latest video. We love Thousand Trails and are eager to share our good experience. Wishing you a great weekend as well.
Awesome ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🇺🇸
Thanks so much!!! We love Thousand Trails and can't believe what a great deal it is! Happy camping and safe travels to you!
Did you say scoop or poop?
lol! Paul and I are wishing you happy camping and safe travels!
I heard that your yearly dues lock in at the price you paid for the general membership if you are over 62. Anyone have info on this?
Great video ny the way.
Hi Pamela!
Great question. Yes. If you buy a new membership you can get that feature. If/when you go to sell your membership on the secondary market it will not transfer. And thus you cannot buy a used membership with this feature. We love Thousand Trails and look forward to meeting you at a campground someday. '
Here is the contact info again:
🌲 Thousand Trails: Eric Benson call: 541.527.0140 or email: eric_benson@equitylifestyle.com (Plz mention Liz Amazing)
🌲 Resale Thousand Trails Membership: Kim 1-800-272-0401 or kimberly@membershipoutlet.com
Well my home is paid for so I would have to figure out taxes, utilities and upkeep to see what it cost me per night. Oh then their is that bad HOA fee that they want to control your life.😥
HOAs! Don't get me started. Thousand Trails is a great way to travel fulltime or for extended periods. Another option is to work at KOA. We were surprised with all the benefits of that program. Here's our video about it: ruclips.net/video/x05KgjpHFAQ/видео.html
Do they always gave enough room?
Yes. We can fit our 35' rig in any of Thousand Trails campgrounds- that we know of. We've heard the sites may be smaller in the northeast. On the west coast, some sites are narrow but all have been deep enough. Thanks for watching!
Like any campground, TT Campgrounds can be full. I believe that the basic TT membership allows you to reserve a site 60 days in advance using their convenient online reservation system. Upgraded memberships allow you to reserve sites even earlier before your arrival date.
Motorhomes pickups and fifth wheels is not cheap
The. new ones are expensive but you can find towables of all price points in the used market.
@@LizAmazingok thanks
The TT campgrounds on the east coast, some are like high end resorts and others are average. However, for the price they are all great deals. Thanks for the videos!
Thank you, that's good to know. That's how we feel about the 25 ones we've visited on the west side of the country. Thanks for watching and commenting!
1000 trails member for 31 years.
Wow! Well, that's saying something! We sure love it!
Bet you have one of those plans that some people would sell a kidney and lung to get
Looks like a must have for full timers!!
Agreed. I was fulltiming in my camper van when I heard about Thousand Trails. I found all the boondocking and constant on the go too much for me. Joining Thousand Trails allowed me to upsize to a fifth wheel, knowing that I could now afford to stay longer!
When Liz said ‘it was so private I could walk around naked’ and Paul has a nice big smile on his face😊 I love seeing honeymooners ❤️
Awww, thanks so much!
Do you get paid to promote this?
No we don't. We do get a small referral fee for anyone who mentions our name. We gave an honest review of the good and the bad and hope it helps others. Thank you!
Too limiting in locations. No thanks.
That's the truth. You just can't travel across the country, say Montana, Idaho, Colorado, etc. We wish they would add more campgrounds. Even so, we believe Thousand Trails is the best deal out there for fulltimers. Happy travels to you!
Where do you go after the 28th night?
To another Thousand Trails! We can go directly from one to another, staying up to 21 nights at each per our membership. AND twice a year we can add on another seven days for just $29. Check it out!