In the event you’ve ever been to an RV present, you’ve possible heard of Harvest Host. In the event you haven’t been to an RV present, however you or a few of your pals go tenting, there’s a excessive chance that somebody that makes use of Harvest Host. So, what’s it? Is is price it? Do you have to use it? In our expertise, the reply to all of these questions is a powerful YES! I’m going to inform you why we really feel this manner, however first, for those who aren’t acquainted…
Harvest Host is an organization that has reached out to quite a few farms, wineries, distilleries, museums, breweries, and even golf programs to allow tenting at their locations of enterprise. There are a couple of restrictions. You must be self contained, so you have to have your individual rest room, water, and electrical. You may solely keep one evening (except particular preparations have been made with a single Host.) No tents are allowed. And, it’s solely accessible to their members.
Anybody who meets the camper requirement can be part of Harvest Host. The price of a primary membership (which doesn’t embody the golf programs) is $99.00 for a 12 month interval. So no matter month you be part of, is the month your yearly membership begins. Why would a farm or vineyard need you and your camper on their property while you aren’t paying them for a web site? Properly, a part of the Code of Conduct that you simply agree too when becoming a member of Harvest Host is that you simply spend a minimum of $20 at every of the Host’s as a Thank You for permitting you to be there. The $20 may be for a product that they promote, a donation, a tip, or a service that they supply. These locations of enterprise acquire you as a buyer for the day in return for permitting you to camp there for the evening.
Alright, because the camper…. You’ve simply paid $99.00 to affix, and now it’s a must to pay a minimum of $20 for every of the Hosts that you simply keep at? Sure. Let’s be trustworthy, why do you assume a number of Walmart’s assist you to keep the evening of their car parking zone. As a result of they know there’s a very excessive chance that you’ll be coming inside and shopping for one thing. Nonetheless, it’s nonetheless price each single penny when you ask us. And right here is why…
First, waking up among the many grapes in a winery is much more picturesque than a Walmart car parking zone. I’m grateful for Walmart permitting this, however we choose to make the most of that in an emergency scenario, like, we will’t hold our eyes open anymore and aren’t near the place we deliberate on being but.
Second, the price of tenting has elevated astronomically. We’ve had great issue staying at any campground for lower than $20 an evening… And guess what, that $20 was at a Nationwide Forest. Now, there are fully free dispersed tenting websites, I do know. And sure, that’s really free. But when you’re going to spend $20 to remain in a Nationwide Forest the place you don’t have any hook-up’s, why not keep at a Harvest Host the place your tenting expertise will likely be totally different than everybody else’s. When you begin paying campground price’s at State Parks, RV Parks, and Resorts, you’re looking at anyplace from $40 per evening to upwards of $150 per evening at a number of the resorts. This can be a yearly price of $100, and also you get to remain at quite a lot of unimaginable locations.
Third, the cash that now we have been capable of save on websites, has supplied us with a possibility for experiences. Experiences like… Wine tasting’s at a winery. Photograph shoots at an outside studio. Museum excursions. Airboat rides to see the alligators. Moonshine tastings. The locations you may go, and the issues you may see, are really infinite.
In the event you had a $500 tenting finances for a 4 day weekend for two individuals… You spend $100 in your Harvest Host membership. With the remaining $400, you may spend 1 evening at a vineyard. Go inside, do a tasting, perhaps even purchase a bottle of wine for dwelling. You spent about $50. On the 2nd evening, you head over to the native museum and spend $15 per individual to go inside. The third evening you go to a neighborhood farm the place they promote greens and their native honey. $20 for farm recent greens on the dinner desk at all times makes it style higher. You’re already 3 nights into your 4 day weekend, and also you’ve solely spent a complete of $200 of your finances and that features the price of the membership! Perhaps on the 4th evening you discover a Gator Ranch the place for $10 per individual you may stroll the alligator boardwalk. However as an alternative, since you’ve saved a lot in your different nights, you resolve to spend the $35 per individual to take the airboat experience the place you see wild alligators of their pure habitat AND you get the boardwalk. Plus now you may head out to dinner in your final evening of trip as an alternative of getting to cook dinner within the camper.
In your 4 day weekend, you’ve completed a wine tasting, visited a neighborhood museum, purchased native farm recent vegetable, and gone on an airboat experience to see the alligators. Appears like a way more attention-grabbing 4 day weekend than simply going to the native campground.
On the Harvest Host web site, it’s $99 for the yearly membership. They generally run specials providing 15% off. Or in case you are taken with becoming a member of and there’s no low cost accessible at the moment, you may ship us an e-mail at [email protected] and we will give you a private invitation to Harvest Host and a 15% off low cost.