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Old 12-17-2020, 06:29 PM   #1
shovelhead86
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Thousand Trails?

I seen an ad for Thousand Trails and thought I would ask here if anyone has purchased it and how has your experience with it been? DW is thinking about giving up the Volunteering at State parks thing.
Any and all info appreciated.
John
 
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Old 12-17-2020, 08:32 PM   #2
ChaseTX
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I hate to not have any pertinent information to your original questions, but how does the State Park Volunteer opportunity work?
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Old 12-18-2020, 06:00 AM   #3
DutchmenSport
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Thousand Trails will cost you Thousands of Dollars and you are tied in, basically, to a lifetime contract, and after the original membership costs (which is horribly expensive), you have annual fees, and then your individual campsite fees. And you are obligated by contract to pay the annual fees .... forever .... if you go that way. And getting out of the contract is impossible. Most people get out of the deal by selling their contract to some other sucker!

For all the money you will spend on TT, you can do a lot more camping in a lot more locations for just the cost of their membership only.

If you are accustom to free camping by volunteering at State Parks and such.... you are in for one hell of a sticker shock when you see what TT will cost you!
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Old 12-18-2020, 09:26 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DutchmenSport View Post
Thousand Trails will cost you Thousands of Dollars and you are tied in, basically, to a lifetime contract, and after the original membership costs (which is horribly expensive), you have annual fees, and then your individual campsite fees. And you are obligated by contract to pay the annual fees .... forever .... if you go that way. And getting out of the contract is impossible. Most people get out of the deal by selling their contract to some other sucker!

For all the money you will spend on TT, you can do a lot more camping in a lot more locations for just the cost of their membership only.

If you are accustom to free camping by volunteering at State Parks and such.... you are in for one hell of a sticker shock when you see what TT will cost you!
That's true if you buy the most expensive plan. We have a zone pass with the added "Trails Collection." In 2020 we used it less than usual because of Covid. Nevertheless, our average nightly cost was $22 per night at Thousand Trails and Encore parks. It works for us!
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Old 12-18-2020, 09:41 AM   #5
richfaa
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TT is a good buy if it meets your travel needs. We chose not to have it As in our opinion it tends to dictate were you go as if you are going to pay that kind of $$ you better use it. We have friends that have it and are completely satisfied,
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Old 12-18-2020, 11:24 AM   #6
shovelhead86
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A to how the state parks volunteer system works is , you apply to an opportunity and agree to work about 24 -30 hrs per week for your site and utilities. Elect and water sewer. usually not propane but where I am now I have as well. You are not overworked and my wife and I have enjoyed it. In 10 years we have not been at a place we have not liked. We find places to volunteer at online at WWW.volunteer.gov and also on Workampers.com. It has been good but I'm soon to be 78 and DW is 74. I really do not know why she wants to quit as we are both in pretty good health. I have her talked into at least 1 more year. Give it a try it sure cuts down on expenses.
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Old 12-18-2020, 11:55 AM   #7
shovelhead86
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Thankyou I will pass on the TT
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Old 12-18-2020, 12:06 PM   #8
PNW Fireguy
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It's definitely not everyone's cup of tea. It works for us as another tool within our bag. If someone decided it was a good fit I would highly recommend finding a used membership via Campground Membership Outlets. It will save you a boat load over puruchasing directly from TT.
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Old 12-19-2020, 08:13 AM   #9
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What is involved in buying a used membership?
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Old 12-19-2020, 08:17 AM   #10
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If you contact Campground Membership Outlet directly(Google them) Kimberly will walk you through the entire process. She was excellent to work with. Generally they have an ever changing list of memberships for sale. She will send you the lust with some basic regarding what the different offerings have for benefits. If you find one you like immediately contact her and she will pull it from circulation so you can begin your process if you choose.

There are also tons of private sellers out there pedaling their memberships as well. The benefit I found with Campground Membership Outlets is that I avoided the sellers that were pricing way outside of market value.
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Old 12-19-2020, 08:51 AM   #11
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I know the OP said they would pass on Thousand Trails but I wanted to offer my take. NO, NO, NO, NO. And by the way, NO!
You are tied into a very limited number of parks. The parks are old. The sites barely fit a Montana, if at all. The parks are in the middle of nowhere.
I received a free membership when I purchased my Montana. I had to pick a "zone" not really knowing anything about any of the parks, just the general area of the U.S.. I gave the plan a fair shake and stayed at 6 or 7 of their parks. Nothing but disappointment at each location. Old, no updates, non functioning utilities/amenities, small sites, middle of nowhere, etc. Think of every bad RV park that disappointed you. Now put a name to that. I did, its named Thousand Trails.

Just my experience, others may vary.
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Old 12-23-2020, 02:10 PM   #12
GreG L.
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You know what they say about opinions, but most here are correct, it has to be right for you.
Have not head of TT being like a time share but I suppose they have something like that. We got it with another program we joined 20 years ago and can walk away any time, as most of the annual plans are today, if not I wouldn't buy, like any time share No, No, No.

Is it for everyone, no.

Most are old but have had no issues getting in and out of sites.

Most are off the beaten path and you have to go some distance to use them. Quite allot on the east and west coast but not much between.

Usually WiFi is bad and cell is worse.
All that said we have been to some that are nice.We use them about 8 times a year going between FL, CA and back and usually stay a week some ware at least once a year.
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Old 12-23-2020, 02:16 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shovelhead86 View Post
I seen an ad for Thousand Trails and thought I would ask here if anyone has purchased it and how has your experience with it been? DW is thinking about giving up the Volunteering at State parks thing.
Any and all info appreciated.
John
Search on You Tube. Lot's of full timers with different opinions. I don't think it would benefit us, but you may. One thing to learn is there is a secondary market, a membership that sells new for say $1,000 might be on the 'used' market for $500. This membership requires CAREFUL research!
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Old 12-23-2020, 02:45 PM   #14
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Non member

We've stayed without being members. Prices were reasonable and facilities great. The one we last stayed at is on the oregon coast and was a 7 out of 10. The only down ratings were for the hot tub and snack shack being closed. You may want to check on it be calling a site directly.
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Old 12-23-2020, 03:08 PM   #15
DaveK
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Lots of inaccurate information here. Thousand Trails is not a timeshare. It is not difficult to sell a used membership and you are not stuck for life. Kimberly is a good contact for used memberships. I could go on and on, but we have probably paid for our membership three times over 6 years. I have stayed in TT campgrounds and non-TT campgrounds. Good, better and best exists everywhere. Personally, I would not RV without TT as an option.
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Old 12-23-2020, 03:45 PM   #16
ejerni
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Thousand Trails

We suspended our dues indefinitely. We won't use it anymore because the tenters are allowed in any site they choose. So they take up the spots that we might fit into. Or should I say they have in the past. We are Elite members and paid alot for this.
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Old 12-23-2020, 05:13 PM   #17
sberlin
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Our friends had one and loved it and wanted us to get one. The main thing for us is it didn’t fit our travel plans. We like to stay 3-4 weeks at parks and this I think only allows 2wks at a time. We also wanted more flexibility as we don’t like some of their parks.
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Old 12-23-2020, 06:15 PM   #18
DaveK
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There are various Thousand Trails membership levels at various costs.

My membership allows 3 weeks at a park and I can then go directly to another TT park for 3 weeks. The only exception for me is that parks in FL and some in CA have a two week limit in peak season. I understand that because it was not intended for a person to reside a whole season in one popular place. It's true that TT is not for everyone's travel style.

I use TT campgrounds primarily but supplement that with other camping options depending on where I'm traveling.
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Old 12-24-2020, 08:28 AM   #19
Biker bill
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A lot depends on which 1000 trails plan it is. My plan was 3 weeks in a park then you had to leave. I spent 5 months on Oregon coast and long beach washington and spent no money, no electric fees. Yes you have yearly dues. I full timed and saved $1000's. The new Plans I hear aren't as good. Lots of parks in west, some states have none. Do your homework then make a decision.
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Old 12-24-2020, 08:57 AM   #20
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sorry to say biker bill, you did spend money going to those parks, you purchased the package earlier and now you are using that money.
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