I have been a member of Passport America for over a year, and I thought it would be an excellent time to review the program. So let’s start with what Passport America is and is not. First, Passport America does not own any campgrounds, but several campgrounds partner with them to offer 50% off a campsite stay. In fact, there are now over one thousand participating campgrounds in the Passport America lineup.

Sabrina and I have heard about Passport America for several years, but we didn’t join until we had the president of Passport America, Boomer Simmons, on the podcast. The reason for the delay is we thought the Passport America membership was much more expensive than it is, so we never looked into it. That was undoubtedly our mistake. Membership starts as low as $44. Sabrina and I paid even less than that because we signed up using a special at the FMCA convention.

So after a year, was it worth the $44? I would say definitely yes. The membership paid for itself on its first use, and within the first six months, we signed up for a lifetime membership because they were doing a 30th-anniversary rate. We paid under $300 and figured it would pay for itself within two years, if not sooner.

The membership has been great, but there are things to pay attention to when booking a stay. First, you will want to check for reviews on the campground you are staying at. As I mentioned earlier, they do not own any of these campgrounds, so they are all independent of one another and can vary on how nice they are. After using the service, I can say we have not stayed at a bad park, but we have avoided some based on Google reviews.

Second, use the Passport America app. It has a lot of helpful info for when it comes time to book your stay. The most crucial bit of information you will want is Campground Notes. Choose the campground you want to stay at from the app, then scroll down to Campground Notes. The notes will let you know if there are any blackout dates. You will also find out if there is a limit on how many nights the discount is good for. Sabrina and I just stayed at a campground last week that only allowed one night of the discount. Because of the app, we knew this in advance and were not surprised by it. I would say most campgrounds typically give you a discount for at least three nights. Some have no limits, but knowing all of this before you book is good.

Once you find the campground you want to stay at, I usually call them to make the reservation and let them know I will use my Passport America pass. They typically ask for our membership number and expiration date on the card, which we now don’t have because we are lifetime members.

Some of our favorite campgrounds are now part of the Passport America program, like Coronado Campground in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Overall, I believe the membership is worth it. Still, I would say the best thing to do before signing up is to see where you are traveling for the year and see if campgrounds are participating in areas that get good reviews. If so, you will get your money back quickly and save on future trips.

I will add that there are other benefits to being a member, but we only use the campsite discounts. If you would like to learn more about Passport America, click here.

I hope you found this mini pod helpful. If you have experience with Passport America, please comment on this episode and let others know what you think.

Take care of all, and safe travels!

The post Passport America Membership Review appeared first on Beyond The Wheel.