When it comes to low cost camping, it’s hard to beat free.
Well, in this case, about as close to free as you can get.
As we prepare to leave this September for our 365 day / 50 state U.S. tour ( See: The Trip Of A Lifetime), one of our biggest concerns was securing a place for our teardrop camper to call home each night.
And moreover, to do it without breaking the bank!
We do have some incredible offers for stays around the country from some pretty amazing fellow gardeners, friends, family and followers.
But 365 days is a long time to be on the road. And it is also lot of nights to find places to stay.
One thing is for sure, it could easily get quite expensive.
But those worries all changed when we heard about Harvest Hosts.
It is simply an unbelievable way to travel and stay at amazing places. And all for next to nothing!
An Incredible Answer To Low Cost Camping
When we first heard that we could actually spend our nights around the country camping at wineries, gardens, farms, outdoor museums and even golf courses – to say we were excited is the understatement of the year.
What is not to love about setting up camp in the middle of a beautiful winery?
Or the wide open spaces of beautiful farms or organic vegetable gardens?
One of the things we look forward to most on our tour is seeing the backyard gardens, farms and getting to know the people behind them.
The whole concept that we could actually stay at some of these places we wanted to see and experience anyway was almost too good to be real.
But, it was and is real. And it is exactly what Harvest Hosts is all about.
You can see how two people like us fell in love with the concept instantly.
Moreover, as you’ll see below, it simply is an incredibly economical way to travel in a camper. Period.
In fact, we love it so much, it is going to be our preferred choice of travel from here on out.
And that includes this September, as we embark on our 1 year tour.
Low-Cost Camping – The Harvest Host Program
So what is Harvest Host and how does it work?
Harvest Host is a membership program. For a small annual fee, RV or tow-behind campers can park and stay at any of the 709+ locations in their network.
And that network includes some amazing location all over the United States and Canada.
And get this, after the membership fee, the nightly stays are all at no cost!
All that is asked is to support the location’s efforts in some way.
What a wonderful concept!
So if we happen to be at a winery, we can enjoy a glass of their wine. Or maybe a lunch or breakfast at a golf course, or a visit to the gift shop at the botanical garden.
When you think of all of the savings from what would be spent on camping fees, it is a win-win for all parties.
So what is the annual membership fee?
As crazy as it sounds – it is just $79 a year! See why we thought it was too good to be true?
Actually, for those wanting to do the same, you can save 15% more off of that price using the link here : 15% OWG Harvest Host Membership, or by clicking the link in the black box below.
That’s right – we loved them so much we even became a partner!
Sharing The Farm..
How much of a partner? Well, we hope to be adding our little farm in the near future to their list of locations folks can stay at.
It will be a great way for us to share the farm with others.
It is really amazing that the membership pays for itself in just a few nights of camping. And for us being on the road for an entire year – it is a lifesaver!
And just take a look at some of the places we will get to stay at during our trip:
The Benefits Of Harvest Hosts
- Wineries and breweries
- Fruit & vegetable farms
- Organic farms, flower and herb gardens
- Farm markets, goat/cow dairies, creameries and maple sugar farms.
- Historic open-air museums
- Wildlife rescue facilities
- Farm museums, aviation and oil museums, brewery museum
- Dinosaur museum and even an alligator and alpaca ranch
- Berry farms, cider mills, orchards, u-pick operations
For two lovers of the outdoors looking to visit gardens and farms from all over – it really is too good to be true.
We honestly can’t wait to bring you the stories and photos of it all as we go!
And next Sunday, we get to reveal the finished teardrop camper! All complete with a video and pictorial tour.
The folks at nuCamp did an amazing job building it, and we can’t wait to try it out!
We’ll also have updated details on the specific dates for each state. It is all coming together – and the countdown is on for September!
Here is to low cost camping, and seeing the country one state at a time! Happy Traveling – Jim and Mary
Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.
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