Come on don't be shy. What "hidden fee" do you find the most or which one is the most annoying? Discover practical tips on how to offset these costs, including insights into fuel savings programs tailored for RVers. th-cam.com/video/zXZHqyGsW7E/w-d-xo.html
You are right about the extra fees...camping is starting to resemble buying concert tickets from Ticket Master!!! A $25 concert ticket all of a sudden costs you $200 with the extra fees!!!
As a former Bed & Breakfast owner I understand (and hate) extra add-on fees. We never did such a thing. Our rates included all the amenities the Inn had to offer. That said, I did pay a site lock fee once, but it was only $5.00. When campgrounds start tacking on these extra fees (maybe they think they’re an airline), I simply look someplace else.
Texas State Parks. When I was staying at one it was $25 for a camp site. Then $5 per person. I argued with them and said that it cost $30 for a camp site because I can't set up there without at least one person. Colorado State Parks, fee for a site then an added fee for entrance. Impossible to stay there without entering.
I once stayed at a park that automatically added a charity donation to the bill but never mentioned it. You wouldn’t know it was there unless you reviewed your receipt. Since it wasn’t a charity I would have donated too, I made them refund my credit card for that amount. I’ll make my own donations, thank you very much!
For the EV portion, I'm curious how they will do with EV trucks once more start coming? For the Cybertruck specifically, but pretty sure its the same for the Lightning and Silverado, you could be charging the truck from the 50amp plug, but limit the current draw to 25amps. You could then have your RV plugged into the truck. When the RV doesn't need more than 25amps, the truck is charging. When it does need more than 25amps, the truck bears the extra burden through the battery instead of the park. You will use more power overall, but with less peak amps pulled.
Wild. I've never seen these before. Maybe it's because we mainly stay at state parks and Army Corp campgrounds as well as boondocking? Very interesting to hear about.
The pet fee especially frosts me when there are exactly zero amenities aimed at my pet. The site lock fee is especially bothersome because it costs the park owner nothing to allow us to choose our site but we tend to only use this when we are traveling in a group and want to park next to each other. Finally, there is the ‘convenience fee’ for making an online reservation, when often that is the only method of making a reservation. Yeah, I’m talking about you, Michigan State Parks. ☹️
The site lock fee is basically a fee for not allowing them to move folks around to accommodate as many guests as possible. If you're not locked into a particular site they can organize things more efficiently. Think of it like defragging your hard drive, without guaranteed sites they can defrag things to make room for new files, but if you're locked in then they might not be able to make an open spot big enough to fit someone else's reservation in. It's really about how it's presented, and how so many parks won't put you on that site that you requested if you don't pay the fee even if the site remains empty for your entire visit.
Open Roads usually gets us 20-50 cents cheaper per gallon at Love's than nearby regular gas stations like Sheetz or Wawa or Circle K. We have saved hundreds, if not thousands of dollars with Open Roads 🐾🐾
I don't like the lock fee and have never used it. We usually travel with another couple, have never paid the fee and have been fortunate to be put next to each other. I'm sure one of these times we may not be so lucky and not be next to each other but that is okay. Heading to South Dakota August 17th and will see what happens there. BTW, keep on making these great videos.
We had several of those fees added when we stayed at the Hideaway Retreat in Navarre Florida. The place was already grossly overpriced but because we planned vacation late we didn't have much choice. Needless to say we'll never stay there again and wouldn't recommend it to anymore.
Very illuminating. Great job! We're noticing the family owned RV Parks are being purchased by large companies, and rates are skyrocketing. A segment on buyouts and what this might mean for RVers would be interesting. A good example is the RV Park in Ouray, CO and Gardiner, MO. Also, some in CA & OR. We noticed this in the West. I'm curious if it's nationwide. It's sad that the only RV Park in the city of Jackson Hole, WY, is closing. We really enjoyed that Park. This will likely create more pressure on BLM land boondocking.
Nebraska state parks require a separate vehicle pass for every vehicle, including motorhomes and towed cars. When I stayed near Omaha for a while for work I saw a LOT of people getting upset when they were told, at the gate, you can't come in unless you pay an extra $15/day or $70/yr for the towed vehicle. It certainly sucked for anyone with a motorhome or gasser. They either have to drive the RV everywhere or pay double for a second vehicle, whereas anyone with a trailer can just unhitch. And with the sites only costing $30/night that extra $15 a day is a pretty big change in price.
The ones that get me the most are the "reservation fee" of $6.70 and "utility fee" of $7.00 per night charged by the Florida state parks. Since you must pay the utility fee, why not just add $7.00 per night to the price of the site?
Here's one you didn't mention... a shower fee with a coin box to activate it. Just for that, I'll take a shower in the camper, even if I have to use the floater toter because I'm not hooked up to sewer. And there's the absurd price for a meagre bag of firewood, even at Provincial parks. Look for people selling wood near campgrounds at more reasonable prices and quantities. Pet fees are ridiculous.
We just left a campground in Minnesota where there were no full hookup sites but we had a water/electric site. We did not know until we got there that there was a daily electric fee if you wanted to use the electricity! No clue until we got there and she asked if we would be using electricity! This place was also a terrible campground that was not kept up very well. Never going back there again!
I cannot stand resort fees. One that got me was in Colorado State Park Campground. I paid the $41 online for a spot, then when I arrived was told I needed a park pass to get into my spot.
i live in my rv by myself and so far ive had no hidden fees ever anyplace ive gone for the last year. But now i know about them i can make better choices on where i will end up. i generally stay at the nearest rv park to wherever my work sends me every 3 months
Wife and I have been camping for past 17 years and haven't encountered these fees since we've always stayed in national, state, and county parks. But now with two teenage boys, staying in such locations is "so lame." So we've just started staying at the KOA's, Thousand Trails, etc... and yes, fees galore or as I like to refer to them "teenage entertainment fees!"
So I’m a future single RV’r and will be looking for a RV soon. These campgrounds charge a base rate for 2 people . I’m sure they’re not deducting anything off the price for a single RV’r??
I stay at KOA in Tucson and I've never paid a site lock or any other extra fee. Granted I go there in June-July so there's no fight for a site. I tend to stay in the exact number site from year to year.
Hidden Fees are one of the reasons my wife and I prefer State and Federal campgrounds. I have never seen extra fees at State Parks. National Parks often have a Entrance fee, but at least they are up front about those. I have yet to see extra fees at Corps of Engineer campgrounds. A few City and County parks seem to be a bit hit or miss on extra fees.
My biggest pet peeve is a 3-5% credit/debit card fee that RV parks sometimes charge if you don't pay with cash. We don't like Reserve America booking fees either. This is why we prefer to avoid RV parks entirely, with the possible exception of 1/2 price Forest Service CGs with our America the Beautiful pass. We have a giant solar system that allows us to run everything in our motorhome, including A/C, just like we were hooked up to a power pedestal in an RV park. This means we pay little to no camping fees at all despite living in our RV full time. In fact, it's been 16 months since we plugged into a power pole at an RV park or campground. We usually boondock out west, but we're visiting family now in NC, where boondocking places are rare. Our big solar system has allowed us to stay in a spacious, no hook-up site at a convenient RV park for only $100/mo. including unlimited water and dump station use. Not only are there no extra fees, but we're saving $500/mo. off of their normal rate, which is a godsend for us retirees on a limited budget. It's good to have options.
Site lock fee definitely annoys me. I paid it a couple times, but I stopped paying it a while ago… It’s pretty rare that we don’t actually end up getting the spot we choose at the spots we frequently go, which is nice.
The two that I've run into the most are site lock fees and convenience fees. The convenience fee maybe makes sense at places where you can show up and pay cash, because they do pay a fee to the card networks, but I've stayed at places that were pre-pay online by card only and it felt like, since that will apply to everyone, it should just be part of the rate. Same with the site lock fees. I've stayed at a couple places where there wasn't an option to just get assigned a site and not pay the fee. If it's something that applies to every single reservation, it should just be part of the listed price.
The extra per person fee really frustrates me. We have 5 kids so that can really add up and no way we are using $10/person/night more in water/utilities/etc. It’s blatantly a fee to discriminate against families IMO. We would always take our business elsewhere if a place had fees like that just purely out of principle.
The more I learn about RV'ing, the more I learn that it is a BAD IDEA. From hidden fees, to Frame Failures, to all the extra apps and memberships, to Warrantys that are not honored...It's just not worth it the risks and the cashgrab. Sad.
Sorry to hear that. It definitely has its hurdles like anything else but we still love it and our preferred way to travel. My hope is to inform people to know what to look for.
The lock fee is a NO go for me. We went on a 7 week road trip and that got pulled on me 2 times. At one park she said that she moved me back to the spot I ask for, hehehe there was 25 spaces and only 10 had RVs in them, the spot I ask for was open. She was trying to make me feel good that I got that spot. I just look at her and said thanks. Will not go back there.
We just camped for a week at Swan Bay Resort & Marina in NY for the week and they hit our credit card 1 hour after we checked out with a electricity charge of $64.46, when questioning it they said it was $10 a day for a stay less than a week or metered charge for a stay over a week.
I suspect the "cat" fee isn't about whether or not the animal is outside or not, but about whether someone is changing the catbox and dumping the litter (and "kitty rocas") in the dumpsters; it's a biohazard and there's really no way around it unless they ban pets entirely. So depending on how high it is, I'd just pay the fee. While dogs pose a health problem, as long as people clean up after their pets, any residue is usually washed away in the next spray down or rain, while someone coming after the person who dumped their catbox in the garbage could get hit with dust that's carrying toxoplasmosis and other problems (especially for pregnant women). This is all my guess, however--I love cats and am glad I'm not having to try to manage one on the road.
We pay a site lock fee, due to the fact that we mostly go to the sand dunes, RV is build around dry camping our Trailer is 48-Foot long, so we lock the site that we can get into and out of easy, we do not camp to much at a campground, so for us not a huge deal,
A new one we have seen twice, is an early check in fee. Absolutely ridiculous. Either the site is available and let me use it, or it's not and I wait. Savannah Lakes RV resort and Creek fire RV resort.
I hate site lock fees! With that now, you are basically not getting a choice if they invoke it. I understand what it is, but in today's world, we are getting fee'd to death. BTW, Keep On Adding is Hilarious! Leave it to Jared to bring that one to me. Thanks!
You might want to check But Harvest hosts now recommends 1:54 at least a $50 purchase. So with the membership of 149 a year plus the 50 your talking 62 dollars for one might a month
The "resort fee" is what I dislike. Any campground with a pool (that's been closed since covid) and some horseshoes can call itself that. Doesn't matter if I don't want to use the resort stuff or not. It should be baked into the price from the start, I would expect to pay more for a fancy resort if that's what I wanted.
I would submit that the majority of the (campground) fees generally apply to more expensive campgrounds, which I avoid like the plague. We're heading to a campground soon that is $450/mo with electric included. THAT is a steal in summer to me. And honestly, as long as the water's clean, the power flows and the sewer doesn't clog... I'm good. We're either on the computers working or we're on the motorcycles riding. That's my sweet spot. Paying $1000/mo for a site? Hard pass. (Though we did do that once during Sturgis, and again in Goodlettsville, TN. You know the place.)
Extra State Park Nightly fees! Examples: Colorado - $10 ($41 + $10 = $51 a night) and Nebraska - $7. You can get around these nightly fees by buying an annual pass, if you stay enough days.
Regarding the extra person fees, if they are going to charge for every extra person, why then, as a single person I have never received any kind of discount for having less than two people in the campsite. Hmmmm.
I think it's important to let the campground know that it is the additional fees that make you choose a different campground. If they hear it often enough that the fees are costing business, they will be more receptive to changing those fees in the future. Don't just quietly close a different location. Let them know why.
Not a bad idea as long as it’s done kindly. Many times the front desk people are just working a job and not the owner but they can pass it along if they hear it a lot.
AZ state parks charge $15/night for an extra vehicle. My wife was doing a travel nurse assignment and we wanted to stay at a park,but this extra fee made it too much.
I'm from Ontario Canada, I stopped camping at private parks. So many fees. I rather just booked a hotel for the night, at point Provincial parks are cheaper and flat rates.
The guest fee & the site lock fee burn me the most If visitors are staying overnight, i get it maybe, but to just hang out with family & and friends, no fee...should be figured into reg camp costs. I would prepay if they wished , i would pay a cancelation fèe but im no paying to lock a site...sorry.
The hidden fee is right behind you... Refrigerator on the slide out.. All that extra weight.. You will be replacing your slide out bottom.... SO park extra fees will be nothing to that...
Would rather see the option offered. Check here for a discount if you do not want to lock in this space and get a discount if we move you. Then I would have the feeling I get the spot, but if I really do not care, checked, they can move me if they need to, and I get a discount.
The fees that Reserve America charges to make a MANDATORY reservation at OUR State & National Parks!!!!! Why can't I pay cash at the time of check in?????? Frustrating!!!
Number 1. The fee that makes me angry is the resort fee. That price should just be part of the price. Most of the time, we do not use any of the extra stuff they provide, so this really makes my blood boil. The only time I would stay at a place with resort fee's if there is no other option in the area where we are staying. Number 2. Pet fee... I would rather see people who do NOT pick up after their dog, be kicked out and charged a fee say $100 for not picking up poo. Number 3. Kid fee ... This is just stupid. Maybe, if you have more than 4 kids?
At Indiana State Parks, you have to pay the park entrance fee on top of your reservation fee. They also add a transaction fee and different county taxes depending on which county you are staying in.
One of the main reason we boondock unless we need water, or need to dump the tanks. Peace, quiet, and no elitist glampers looking down their nose at us.
Site Lock Fee- I was chatting with a campground manager and this came up. He said it’s because they have lost reservations if they don’t have sites next to each other for groups. If the sites aren’t locked, where you’re guaranteed a type of site with certain amenities but not a certain site number, they can shuffle existing reservations to make room for groups. So those site lock fees help recover the revenue of lost group reservations. I kinda gave him the side-eye and said I see their point but that seems like a stretch. When I asked what percentage of reservations lock their sites, he grinned and shrugged. I kinda took that to mean a lot of people lock their sites and it’s a money maker. We pay the site lock fee pretty often to lock in sites next to my parents because we camp together a lot of the time. To me if you reserve multiple sites on one reservation that should put them next to each other, it shouldn’t cost an extra $30-$50 in lock fees for that.
Always good to kindly inquire like that I love it. Sometimes I ask about the Kid/extra person fee, at times and occasionally I’ve had them wave the fee surprisingly.
We LOVE the harvest host fee. You have to consider you gain an experience and or merchandise/products for the money you spend. You get to pick the experience and products, no one is forcing you to stay there. It is a great way to get off the beaten path and have an experience like you never would have gotten otherwise. If you want to stay somewhere completely for free BLM is they way to go not harvest hosts and that is very well explained before you join.
That’s why I’ve heard people call KOA keep on adding. The vast majority of the time I am able to avoid all of those fees because I Boondock at least 90% of the time and I full-time in my motorhome.
I get that they have that option but for me it is the pick your site and then oh wait, if you really want that site you have to pay extra. Some parks have switched to calling it what it is which is a site preference with an option to lock it in.
@AllAboutRVs c'mon think it through. You would end up with 24' trailers in spots built for a bigger rig just because he wants to be close to the bathhouse. You gotta pay for that. If you dont, I will optimize my campground as to what best helps me utilize the space.
@@michaelschaefer5014I totally understand optimizing it and am all for it, it’s just the way it is put out there. You are told to pick it thinking it is your site but then they change it to if you really want it, pay to keep it. It is better to call it like it is which is a site preference selection with an option to pay to lock it. One way is an option that is available to you rather than what you thought you were signing up for will be taken unless you pay more.
be aware of this hidden fee... when booking a site... do u want to "lock it in?" ... usually this means reserve the site... well it now means reserve and a $50 dollar fee ... seriously!!! #sunoutdoors
Some of these aren’t really “hidden” fees. As long as you know about them when you book, I don’t have a huge problem with them. If you don’t want to pay them, don’t go to that place. If enough people make that decision, the prices will drop. It’s called a free market.
Come on don't be shy. What "hidden fee" do you find the most or which one is the most annoying?
Discover practical tips on how to offset these costs, including insights into fuel savings programs tailored for RVers.
th-cam.com/video/zXZHqyGsW7E/w-d-xo.html
The site lock fee is the one that’s really gets me. Resort fee on top of the camp site fee is another one. Just include it all in one price.
I agree 1 simple price.
You are right about the extra fees...camping is starting to resemble buying concert tickets from Ticket Master!!! A $25 concert ticket all of a sudden costs you $200 with the extra fees!!!
Ouch. Crazy
And they charge more for the isle seats!
As a former Bed & Breakfast owner I understand (and hate) extra add-on fees. We never did such a thing. Our rates included all the amenities the Inn had to offer. That said, I did pay a site lock fee once, but it was only $5.00. When campgrounds start tacking on these extra fees (maybe they think they’re an airline), I simply look someplace else.
I hear you. I respect when a place keeps the pricing simple.
Yes, I hate the $10 per extra person. It is so ridiculous. We shouldn't have to pay for the other half of our family to stay in the same RV.
So true. Why hit the families up for more?
Exactly, most campgrounds that do charge the extra fees already charge enough to cover the water cost of the rest of the family staying there.🤣
Texas State Parks. When I was staying at one it was $25 for a camp site. Then $5 per person. I argued with them and said that it cost $30 for a camp site because I can't set up there without at least one person. Colorado State Parks, fee for a site then an added fee for entrance. Impossible to stay there without entering.
There is a web site that you can check for hidden fees for hotels, we need something like that for RV parks!
That would be nice.
I once stayed at a park that automatically added a charity donation to the bill but never mentioned it. You wouldn’t know it was there unless you reviewed your receipt. Since it wasn’t a charity I would have donated too, I made them refund my credit card for that amount. I’ll make my own donations, thank you very much!
Wow that’s crazy.
gotta love that random/forest camping.
Thank you for sharing this. SO many fees that I had no idea about. This is great content that will be very helpful for many. Keep killing it!
For the EV portion, I'm curious how they will do with EV trucks once more start coming? For the Cybertruck specifically, but pretty sure its the same for the Lightning and Silverado, you could be charging the truck from the 50amp plug, but limit the current draw to 25amps. You could then have your RV plugged into the truck. When the RV doesn't need more than 25amps, the truck is charging. When it does need more than 25amps, the truck bears the extra burden through the battery instead of the park.
You will use more power overall, but with less peak amps pulled.
Wild. I've never seen these before. Maybe it's because we mainly stay at state parks and Army Corp campgrounds as well as boondocking? Very interesting to hear about.
I hate the online convenience reservations fees. And the extra fees to have guests visit.
I agree.
The pet fee especially frosts me when there are exactly zero amenities aimed at my pet. The site lock fee is especially bothersome because it costs the park owner nothing to allow us to choose our site but we tend to only use this when we are traveling in a group and want to park next to each other. Finally, there is the ‘convenience fee’ for making an online reservation, when often that is the only method of making a reservation. Yeah, I’m talking about you, Michigan State Parks. ☹️
The site lock fee is basically a fee for not allowing them to move folks around to accommodate as many guests as possible. If you're not locked into a particular site they can organize things more efficiently. Think of it like defragging your hard drive, without guaranteed sites they can defrag things to make room for new files, but if you're locked in then they might not be able to make an open spot big enough to fit someone else's reservation in. It's really about how it's presented, and how so many parks won't put you on that site that you requested if you don't pay the fee even if the site remains empty for your entire visit.
Open Roads usually gets us 20-50 cents cheaper per gallon at Love's than nearby regular gas stations like Sheetz or Wawa or Circle K. We have saved hundreds, if not thousands of dollars with Open Roads 🐾🐾
You’re a great speaker.
I don't like the lock fee and have never used it. We usually travel with another couple, have never paid the fee and have been fortunate to be put next to each other. I'm sure one of these times we may not be so lucky and not be next to each other but that is okay. Heading to South Dakota August 17th and will see what happens there. BTW, keep on making these great videos.
We had several of those fees added when we stayed at the Hideaway Retreat in Navarre Florida. The place was already grossly overpriced but because we planned vacation late we didn't have much choice. Needless to say we'll never stay there again and wouldn't recommend it to anymore.
Very illuminating. Great job!
We're noticing the family owned RV Parks are being purchased by large companies, and rates are skyrocketing. A segment on buyouts and what this might mean for RVers would be interesting. A good example is the RV Park in Ouray, CO and Gardiner, MO. Also, some in CA & OR. We noticed this in the West. I'm curious if it's nationwide. It's sad that the only RV Park in the city of Jackson Hole, WY, is closing. We really enjoyed that Park. This will likely create more pressure on BLM land boondocking.
Nebraska state parks require a separate vehicle pass for every vehicle, including motorhomes and towed cars. When I stayed near Omaha for a while for work I saw a LOT of people getting upset when they were told, at the gate, you can't come in unless you pay an extra $15/day or $70/yr for the towed vehicle. It certainly sucked for anyone with a motorhome or gasser. They either have to drive the RV everywhere or pay double for a second vehicle, whereas anyone with a trailer can just unhitch. And with the sites only costing $30/night that extra $15 a day is a pretty big change in price.
The ones that get me the most are the "reservation fee" of $6.70 and "utility fee" of $7.00 per night charged by the Florida state parks. Since you must pay the utility fee, why not just add $7.00 per night to the price of the site?
really thank you for this . I see that now
You're welcome
One other one we have seen recently is an extra fee if you want to run your AC at a park in Maine. We thought that was a bit over the top.
Wow that is crazy! Which one park was that?
Here's one you didn't mention... a shower fee with a coin box to activate it. Just for that, I'll take a shower in the camper, even if I have to use the floater toter because I'm not hooked up to sewer. And there's the absurd price for a meagre bag of firewood, even at Provincial parks. Look for people selling wood near campgrounds at more reasonable prices and quantities. Pet fees are ridiculous.
We just left a campground in Minnesota where there were no full hookup sites but we had a water/electric site. We did not know until we got there that there was a daily electric fee if you wanted to use the electricity! No clue until we got there and she asked if we would be using electricity! This place was also a terrible campground that was not kept up very well. Never going back there again!
I cannot stand resort fees.
One that got me was in Colorado State Park Campground. I paid the $41 online for a spot, then when I arrived was told I needed a park pass to get into my spot.
i live in my rv by myself and so far ive had no hidden fees ever anyplace ive gone for the last year. But now i know about them i can make better choices on where i will end up. i generally stay at the nearest rv park to wherever my work sends me every 3 months
Three month stays often get you a discount too!
Wife and I have been camping for past 17 years and haven't encountered these fees since we've always stayed in national, state, and county parks. But now with two teenage boys, staying in such locations is "so lame." So we've just started staying at the KOA's, Thousand Trails, etc... and yes, fees galore or as I like to refer to them "teenage entertainment fees!"
Nice “teenage entertainment fees”.
Thank you!
So I’m a future single RV’r and will be looking for a RV soon. These campgrounds charge a base rate for 2 people . I’m sure they’re not deducting anything off the price for a single RV’r??
Haha, you could try. It would at least be fun to hear the responses.
@@AllAboutRVs will definitely keep you posted. Thanks for the great videos.
The site lock fee. The extra person fees do get crazy too.
I stay at KOA in Tucson and I've never paid a site lock or any other extra fee. Granted I go there in June-July so there's no fight for a site. I tend to stay in the exact number site from year to year.
Funny... I travel solo... and I never get a refund for only 1 person who uses half of what a couple uses.
Hidden Fees are one of the reasons my wife and I prefer State and Federal campgrounds. I have never seen extra fees at State Parks. National Parks often have a Entrance fee, but at least they are up front about those. I have yet to see extra fees at Corps of Engineer campgrounds. A few City and County parks seem to be a bit hit or miss on extra fees.
They are also usually much more spread out and comfortable.
@@AllAboutRVs Yes, another reason why we prefer them.
Except for the "convenience fee" just to make a reservation. When I stop for the night at BLM sites for $31 and $8 on top is a lot.
My biggest pet peeve is a 3-5% credit/debit card fee that RV parks sometimes charge if you don't pay with cash. We don't like Reserve America booking fees either. This is why we prefer to avoid RV parks entirely, with the possible exception of 1/2 price Forest Service CGs with our America the Beautiful pass.
We have a giant solar system that allows us to run everything in our motorhome, including A/C, just like we were hooked up to a power pedestal in an RV park. This means we pay little to no camping fees at all despite living in our RV full time. In fact, it's been 16 months since we plugged into a power pole at an RV park or campground. We usually boondock out west, but we're visiting family now in NC, where boondocking places are rare. Our big solar system has allowed us to stay in a spacious, no hook-up site at a convenient RV park for only $100/mo. including unlimited water and dump station use. Not only are there no extra fees, but we're saving $500/mo. off of their normal rate, which is a godsend for us retirees on a limited budget. It's good to have options.
Very nice. That setup gives you a lot of options.
Site lock fee definitely annoys me. I paid it a couple times, but I stopped paying it a while ago… It’s pretty rare that we don’t actually end up getting the spot we choose at the spots we frequently go, which is nice.
I definitely don’t like the site lock fee😔😢 anyways keep the videos coming really enjoy them thanks
Thanks! Will do!
The extra person fee for a family feels like a punishment for having children. Feels like a discriminatory action against families.
It does feel that way. Things aren’t cheap for families.
The two that I've run into the most are site lock fees and convenience fees. The convenience fee maybe makes sense at places where you can show up and pay cash, because they do pay a fee to the card networks, but I've stayed at places that were pre-pay online by card only and it felt like, since that will apply to everyone, it should just be part of the rate. Same with the site lock fees. I've stayed at a couple places where there wasn't an option to just get assigned a site and not pay the fee. If it's something that applies to every single reservation, it should just be part of the listed price.
I like simple pricing like you.
The extra per person fee really frustrates me. We have 5 kids so that can really add up and no way we are using $10/person/night more in water/utilities/etc. It’s blatantly a fee to discriminate against families IMO. We would always take our business elsewhere if a place had fees like that just purely out of principle.
The more I learn about RV'ing, the more I learn that it is a BAD IDEA. From hidden fees, to Frame Failures, to all the extra apps and memberships, to Warrantys that are not honored...It's just not worth it the risks and the cashgrab. Sad.
Sorry to hear that. It definitely has its hurdles like anything else but we still love it and our preferred way to travel. My hope is to inform people to know what to look for.
The lock fee is a NO go for me. We went on a 7 week road trip and that got pulled on me 2 times. At one park she said that she moved me back to the spot I ask for, hehehe there was 25 spaces and only 10 had RVs in them, the spot I ask for was open. She was trying to make me feel good that I got that spot. I just look at her and said thanks. Will not go back there.
Haha, half full and had to change things to get you to the spot you picked. Funny how they try to spin it.
We just camped for a week at Swan Bay Resort & Marina in NY for the week and they hit our credit card 1 hour after we checked out with a electricity charge of $64.46, when questioning it they said it was $10 a day for a stay less than a week or metered charge for a stay over a week.
I suspect the "cat" fee isn't about whether or not the animal is outside or not, but about whether someone is changing the catbox and dumping the litter (and "kitty rocas") in the dumpsters; it's a biohazard and there's really no way around it unless they ban pets entirely. So depending on how high it is, I'd just pay the fee. While dogs pose a health problem, as long as people clean up after their pets, any residue is usually washed away in the next spray down or rain, while someone coming after the person who dumped their catbox in the garbage could get hit with dust that's carrying toxoplasmosis and other problems (especially for pregnant women). This is all my guess, however--I love cats and am glad I'm not having to try to manage one on the road.
No extra fees when you camp in the National Forest….
You do get out of a majority of them when you have national forest available. Wish it was in the east as much as it is in the west.
We pay a site lock fee, due to the fact that we mostly go to the sand dunes, RV is build around dry camping our Trailer is 48-Foot long, so we lock the site that we can get into and out of easy, we do not camp to much at a campground, so for us not a huge deal,
Site lock fee drives me nuts!
We even came across 2 RV parks this summer that charged the per person fee for more than ONE person!! 😡
Site lock is my number one annoyance fee.
I hear ya.
Most do not impact us but lock fee is nuts.
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A new one we have seen twice, is an early check in fee. Absolutely ridiculous. Either the site is available and let me use it, or it's not and I wait. Savannah Lakes RV resort and Creek fire RV resort.
Good ones, Yes those are frustrating.
Those RV places are following the fairly recent trend of hotels/motels that have begun charging early check-in fees. Very frustrating.
Never stayed at a park like that.
You forgot the state/national park “convenience fee” and the online payment fee when that’s the only way to book them.
Good one. I’ve always thought that was a strange one.
I hate site lock fees! With that now, you are basically not getting a choice if they invoke it. I understand what it is, but in today's world, we are getting fee'd to death. BTW, Keep On Adding is Hilarious! Leave it to Jared to bring that one to me. Thanks!
Haha thanks!
You might want to check But Harvest hosts now recommends 1:54 at least a $50 purchase. So with the membership of 149 a year plus the 50 your talking 62 dollars for one might a month
I’ll look at that but I thought it was $30
The "resort fee" is what I dislike. Any campground with a pool (that's been closed since covid) and some horseshoes can call itself that. Doesn't matter if I don't want to use the resort stuff or not. It should be baked into the price from the start, I would expect to pay more for a fancy resort if that's what I wanted.
I would submit that the majority of the (campground) fees generally apply to more expensive campgrounds, which I avoid like the plague. We're heading to a campground soon that is $450/mo with electric included. THAT is a steal in summer to me. And honestly, as long as the water's clean, the power flows and the sewer doesn't clog... I'm good. We're either on the computers working or we're on the motorcycles riding. That's my sweet spot. Paying $1000/mo for a site? Hard pass. (Though we did do that once during Sturgis, and again in Goodlettsville, TN. You know the place.)
Sire fee is aggravating. Ok it’s available so that’s the one I’d like so why can they just make that happen without a cost
The municipality charges a rent tax or a transaction fee tax.
Oh good one.
Site Lock is the worst A 'reasonable' ($5) extra person might be OK IF they also had a fewer person discount for the Solo travelers 😊
I can understand an additional Pet Fee, but $5.00 a day, per dog? And we actually canceled a spot because they limited to one pet...Really???
Extra State Park Nightly fees! Examples: Colorado - $10 ($41 + $10 = $51 a night) and Nebraska - $7. You can get around these nightly fees by buying an annual pass, if you stay enough days.
I only stay at military camp grounds
We like Harvest Host but it’s never free. We love wineries but the wife cannot leave for under 100.00. lol
Regarding the extra person fees, if they are going to charge for every extra person, why then, as a single person I have never received any kind of discount for having less than two people in the campsite. Hmmmm.
I think it's important to let the campground know that it is the additional fees that make you choose a different campground. If they hear it often enough that the fees are costing business, they will be more receptive to changing those fees in the future. Don't just quietly close a different location. Let them know why.
Not a bad idea as long as it’s done kindly. Many times the front desk people are just working a job and not the owner but they can pass it along if they hear it a lot.
AZ state parks charge $15/night for an extra vehicle. My wife was doing a travel nurse assignment and we wanted to stay at a park,but this extra fee made it too much.
That’s a high fee for an extra vehicle.
I'm from Ontario Canada, I stopped camping at private parks. So many fees. I rather just booked a hotel for the night, at point
Provincial parks are cheaper and flat rates.
Some campgrounds are charging extra to use the showers. Common is 2 bucks for 3 minutes. This is extortion.
Yes, hidden fees upon fees are off putting & rving is becoming unaffordable even for a solo campervan.
The guest fee & the site lock fee burn me the most
If visitors are staying overnight, i get it maybe, but to just hang out with family & and friends, no fee...should be figured into reg camp costs.
I would prepay if they wished , i would pay a cancelation fèe but im no paying to lock a site...sorry.
More reasons I don't camp at an RV Park.
You do avoid the majority of them that way!
Booking fees are equally ridiculous.
I agree.
I hate the entrance fee per person/ per day that our state parks charge. If you like taxes, you'll love Texas.
The hidden fee is right behind you... Refrigerator on the slide out.. All that extra weight.. You will be replacing your slide out bottom.... SO park extra fees will be nothing to that...
It could but we do have the Vroom replacement and the roller plates to help with that.
I'm fine with most of the extra fees provided they are clearly disclosed . I guess I've been ruined by air travel.
Haha. Air travel will do that.
Transient fee, anyone seen that one yet?
Would rather see the option offered.
Check here for a discount if you do not want to lock in this space and get a discount if we move you. Then I would have the feeling I get the spot, but if I really do not care, checked, they can move me if they need to, and I get a discount.
I like your idea, I can get on board with that.
Extra person and guest fees are the most hideous. They are not likely to use any meaningful additional amount of electricity or water.
Very true.
Park owners are greedy, or desperate, or a bit of both. Flat rate, might be a bit higher, but simple is good.
I do like simple rates. It feels honest.
The fees that Reserve America charges to make a MANDATORY reservation at OUR State & National Parks!!!!! Why can't I pay cash at the time of check in?????? Frustrating!!!
That’s a tough one.
Number 1. The fee that makes me angry is the resort fee. That price should just be part of the price. Most of the time, we do not use any of the extra stuff they provide, so this really makes my blood boil. The only time I would stay at a place with resort fee's if there is no other option in the area where we are staying.
Number 2. Pet fee... I would rather see people who do NOT pick up after their dog, be kicked out and charged a fee say $100 for not picking up poo.
Number 3. Kid fee ... This is just stupid. Maybe, if you have more than 4 kids?
I’m with you. Is it part of the facility or not? If it is why have a fee to stay there and a fee to use the facility. Feels like a double charge.
I want to pay the pump price, I don’t want to join a club to get a discount.
Good news that is the easy and fast way to pay for fuel. I just wish the prices would come down.
Extra person fee above two people! That’s ridiculous, four people should be considered in total costs.
I agree.
At Indiana State Parks, you have to pay the park entrance fee on top of your reservation fee. They also add a transaction fee and different county taxes depending on which county you are staying in.
If you just buy the one day pass then once you have your camping tag hanging on your mirror they wave you through.
Double fee/tax!
Reservation fees, even though directly calling the park. Maybe they would prefer that people don't make reservations.
Good one. I’ve thought before how is an automation system more than calling. Seems strange.
Site lock fee is ridiculous
I agree.
Site lock fees are just wrong!
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One of the main reason we boondock unless we need water, or need to dump the tanks. Peace, quiet, and no elitist glampers looking down their nose at us.
Boondocking is great!
these fees do not exist here in canada at least not in our experience
Good to hear. We didn’t get too many places to stay since last time was 2020 and we were told to travel through with no contact
@@AllAboutRVs the summer of covid?
Site Lock Fee- I was chatting with a campground manager and this came up. He said it’s because they have lost reservations if they don’t have sites next to each other for groups. If the sites aren’t locked, where you’re guaranteed a type of site with certain amenities but not a certain site number, they can shuffle existing reservations to make room for groups. So those site lock fees help recover the revenue of lost group reservations.
I kinda gave him the side-eye and said I see their point but that seems like a stretch. When I asked what percentage of reservations lock their sites, he grinned and shrugged. I kinda took that to mean a lot of people lock their sites and it’s a money maker.
We pay the site lock fee pretty often to lock in sites next to my parents because we camp together a lot of the time. To me if you reserve multiple sites on one reservation that should put them next to each other, it shouldn’t cost an extra $30-$50 in lock fees for that.
Always good to kindly inquire like that I love it. Sometimes I ask about the Kid/extra person fee, at times and occasionally I’ve had them wave the fee surprisingly.
We LOVE the harvest host fee. You have to consider you gain an experience and or merchandise/products for the money you spend. You get to pick the experience and products, no one is forcing you to stay there. It is a great way to get off the beaten path and have an experience like you never would have gotten otherwise. If you want to stay somewhere completely for free BLM is they way to go not harvest hosts and that is very well explained before you join.
Yes so many find it fun, it’s like a perk to see what they offer.
That’s why I’ve heard people call KOA keep on adding. The vast majority of the time I am able to avoid all of those fees because I Boondock at least 90% of the time and I full-time in my motorhome.
Boondocking is great, I love it.
If you desire a specific site why wouldn't you pay to ensure that spot was yours. Most campgrounds have a limited amount of premium sites.
I get that they have that option but for me it is the pick your site and then oh wait, if you really want that site you have to pay extra. Some parks have switched to calling it what it is which is a site preference with an option to lock it in.
@AllAboutRVs you can still pick that spot and get it. If nobody else selects it, then locks it, it's yours.
@AllAboutRVs c'mon think it through. You would end up with 24' trailers in spots built for a bigger rig just because he wants to be close to the bathhouse. You gotta pay for that. If you dont, I will optimize my campground as to what best helps me utilize the space.
@@michaelschaefer5014I totally understand optimizing it and am all for it, it’s just the way it is put out there. You are told to pick it thinking it is your site but then they change it to if you really want it, pay to keep it. It is better to call it like it is which is a site preference selection with an option to pay to lock it. One way is an option that is available to you rather than what you thought you were signing up for will be taken unless you pay more.
be aware of this hidden fee... when booking a site... do u want to "lock it in?" ... usually this means reserve the site... well it now means reserve and a $50 dollar fee ... seriously!!! #sunoutdoors
Sunoutdoors loves that fee.
Some of these aren’t really “hidden” fees. As long as you know about them when you book, I don’t have a huge problem with them. If you don’t want to pay them, don’t go to that place. If enough people make that decision, the prices will drop. It’s called a free market.
Yes I like a free market but this is to give RVers an idea of what to look for to be informed.
I have not paid for a campsite in years< get out of the psid parks!!!
Some areas are easier to do that than others but I do like when you can find a quiet spot off grid.