Saturday, April 19, 2014

Considering the Purchase of a Resort Parks International Discount Camping Membership

When Eric and I decided that we would sell our home, buy a motorhome and travel the country in retirement, we decided to buy a discount camping membership to help defray the costs of campground fees.

We bought a Resorts of Distinction camping membership in March 2012.  Resorts of Distinction provides us with over ninety campgrounds that we can stay at for free.

first Resorts of Distinction campground we stayed
at in October 2012.

Affiliated campground programs Adventure Outdoor Resorts, American Camping Network and North American Camping Club provide us with access to several hundred discounted campgrounds in the United States as well as discounts at over twenty campgrounds in Canada and one campground in Mexico.  And, there are discounts at selected condominiums.

is the first American Outdoor Resorts campground
that we stayed at in March 2013.

The Resorts of Distinction membership has been a great investment.  In two years we've saved enough in camping fees to cover the buy in cost of the membership.  A second discount membership could be a worthwhile investment to provide more discounted camping options.

Askew's Landing in Edwards, Mississippi was the first 
North American Camping Club campground 
that we stayed at in February 2013.

Ocean Breeze Resort sells memberships to Resort Parks International.  Ken Cronkhite gave us a catalog so we could read about their program and investigate participating campgrounds.

Resort Parks International and its campground program, Encore and Thousand Trails RV Resorts and Campgrounds, along with Enjoy America, offers over six hundred of discount campgrounds across the United States with more than twenty-five campgrounds scattered across Canada and three campgrounds on the Baja Peninsula in Mexico.

Eric and I sat down with the Resort Parks International catalog and researched the discounted campgrounds. There is some overlap with our Resorts of Distinction membership.  This camping membership program offers hundreds of discounted campgrounds that we currently don't have access to.  The membership includes discounts on a selection of condominiums and cruises.

After educating ourselves on the Resort Parks International membership program, and making up a list of questions,  it was time to sit down with Ken to review the costs of this camping membership.  Depending on the price to buy in, Resort Parks International could be a great additional source for discounted camping.

The price of Resort Parks International worked for us.  We bought the membership and look forward to exploring hundreds of more discounted campgrounds across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

We bought a membership yesterday.  The paperwork was filled out and filed.  We received our Resort Parks International membership number this afternoon.  Ken followed up with us to make sure we have everything we need to start using our Resort Parks International membership.  We now have the option to stay at Kenai Riverside Campground - RV &  B & B in Cooper Landing, Alaska, and Edgewater Lodge and RV Park in Soldotna, Alaska at discounted prices while we are touring the state this summer.

2 comments:

  1. Super,, What did the membership, cost, I have considered purchasing. JimA

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jim, the cost of memberships are, unfortunately, like snowflakes. Each on is unique to the varied campground, cruise & timeshare services provided. And, the cost varies depending on where the membership is sold.

    I know this is a terrible answer. Please decide on what you want from a membership, estimate how long you will be using it & decide on the amount that you are comfortable spending. Our membership, as it was offered, cost $2,500.

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