I’m not going to be an RV person , it was a dream years ago when I was married. We said we were gonna try when the kids are grown. Now 30 years later I do however enjoy watching the different people live this life. I am in hospice now which says it all but I would bet I’m not the only one living through you and others as we face our last days. It’s so nice to be able to distract from the current situation. You help in ways you probably didn’t even know . Thanks 👩🏼🦱
GOD Bless you Lora, Sure sorry you never got to live your Dream. It's so True, Life is Way too Short. The Main thing is, We are All Going into Eternity, One Way or the Other as too One direction or the other. That is what we Must contend with. If you are in Hospice then How Blessed You are that GOD has given you that Opportunity to Grow closer to HIM, before you Pass. The Bible says that is for Once a Man to Die and then Come the Judgement! I pray you are not Affraid to Die, for if you are, That is a tell tale sign your Not Ready to Die. I don't know if you've Heard the Ole adage, Once Born, Die Twice , Born Twice Die Once! I Choose to Believe every Word of the Bible in All of its Supernatural wisdom and being the Only Book in Recorded History that contains PROPHESY, infact 2/3 thirds of the New testament is 100%factual PROPHESY. But the Main Issue is that you are Right with GOD and his Son JESUS, if that's the Case HE is Going to Welcome you Into HIS Unbelievable Celestial Palace where your Eternity Will Be so much More than you Could've ever Dreamsd of... As I said, I don't Know your Standing with Our LORD and Savior, But if your Not sure Lira please Please fore your eternal souls sake, Invite him into your Heart NOW, For tomorrow will be too late!.JESUS Said in John 14:6 I AM THE WAY, THE Truth and the Life! No One Enters the kingdom of Heaven but Through ME! He Also said in The Gospel of John, 3:3 Factually Saying that You MUST be Born Again toEnter the kingdom of Heaven. Lora, Cry out to GOD, for your Salvation! Just admit you are a Sinner, as we All are, Ask for HIS Forgiveness, Repent, Meaning Turn from Sinful thoughts and Ways but Most of All Humble Yourself As a Child ask him into your Heart Once and Forever. It's Never too Late. Look at the thief on the Cross that asked for JESUS to Forgive him! Right then and there JESUS Told Him " TODAY YOY WILL BE WITH ME IN PARIDISE!!! YOU CANT EARN IT YOU CAN BUY IT! """":SALVATION IS"""" A FREE GIFT FROM GOD! Sure Hope to See you in Heaven Lora!!! From what I know , Your Traveling Journey will Never End with the Celestial Body's GOD HAS FOR US. GOD BLESS YOU AND PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU EVER GOT THIS.. BYE 4 NOW.
Cost of 1000 trails membership $$$$, Cost of RVing $$$$, Cost of John & Mercedes integrity --- 100% PRICELESS!!! Thanks for the intel you guys. Respect, Peace and Love
I'm near retirement and saving for a modest motorhome. My husband dumped me a couple of years ago and I've realized that rv life is my way to have a home. I'm looking forward to it and plan on living my best life with whatever ups and downs may come. Love your videos!
My husband and I have been members since they began We have had so much fun with this membership through the years and have not regretted our purchase one bit. So far we have traveled from one end of the U.S to another, including B.C.
I know you guys dig Thousands Trails, but to put out that much cash, I want good amenities. Good TV, pool full hookups. Forget WiFi it’s never any good anywhere. We normally stay at State Parks, BLM land and Corp of Engineers or Bureau Of Land Management they have decent parks. I have a Senior Pass so mostly everything is half price or free. Or we just boondock. Which I like. Take care.
I just became a "senior citizen" and would never have thought about getting a discount. I am still working on my vintage camper, hope to have it road ready this spring, I plan to stay out in the wild. I want to get away from the city not "camp" in a community.
Thank you for your "sometimes brutal" honesty. I won't be in an RV till 2022 (long story), but I have had fun and learned so much from you watching all of your videos. Hope to meet you someday!!!
We just upgraded our Thousand Trails membership from the “basic” 14/7 and we now have the elette 21/7 membership as we live full time. We did a week with no membership and after a week the rep onsite explained the value in having a membership. The one thing I don’t like is that you can’t book specific sites. This is important to me and my husband are disabled and tend to want sites near showers and toilet access even with onboard facilities. Also in severely visually impaired and some things aren’t easily traversed by me without a sighted guide.
This is a challenge with first come first serve. It's unfortunate that you didn't talk to Jim & Brandy about your upgrade. Most sales people will tell you what they need to get a sale. Jim & Brandy tell you the truth
Hi John and Mercedes. We signed the papers this morning for our first RV, and will be hitting the road in a few weeks. Thank you for all your great tips about RV safety! You have kind hearts, cool heads, are perfect together, and keep us laughing. We feel like we know you personally. Be safe out there and keep sharing your stories! God bless you.
We just love the way you both are so honest and very respectful to others. Not like another channel or two that we tried watching that were let's say, less than nice and very critical to others. Thank you for your choice of great topics and entertaining content. That's why you have grown so fast and some other channels have not. All the best with your new rig. It's beautiful. We can hardly wait for your new videos to come out.
Thanks for the fair and balanced comments. I love that you always make a point of stressing the good and the bad. To many people always want to help you to decide by what they believe. Just the facts both pro an con and we can make up our own mind. Love you guys.
I really like your honesty and advice! I'm thinking about buying my first Class A within the next year. I'll be trying to watch as many of your videos as possible before I buy. You're a great source of valuable information. Thank you for the hard work you're doing!
Read the contract !! When I am handed a pen to sign with, I pick up the contract, sit back in my chair and start reading. The sales person almost always starts telling me what is in the contract. I hold up my hand and say, could you please be quiet, I cannot concentrate on my reading while you are talking. Sometimes I ask, do you mind if I sit in the lounge to read. Many times the sales person tells me I am the first person they had seen read the contract. I have not yet purchased an RV, but I believe I would run a purchase that large by an attorney. Also, thanks for all the insight. The knowledge I am gaining from your channel will help me greatly when I take the trip (pun intended) down the RV rabbit hole. For me it will be 2022 or 23. Thanks again.
Full timer here...last year I literally spent a few weeks reading every clause in the Thousand Trails contract...after careful analysis I realized that it wasn't going to save me any money because there are so many fees in so many different situations that when I plugged in all the fees I would pay in the way I travel and camp...I wasn't going to save that much and if I did want to save the most I would have had to stay only at Thousand Trails sites and not so much the affiliates or partners. In the end I did buy it, it wasn't going to work for me.
I be first to admit the TT system is not perfect and not for some. I have a 2d hand membership with 120 day advance reservations and we add Encore. My dues are around $900 a year and that all the fees I have. If you are full timing any cheaper than that let us in on it. Oh and availability I've been in Florida since Nov2021 and booked to end of March2022 and won't use a whole tank of diesel moving all season.
I just bought my first camper van. It has been a plan for a few years. My mom passed and that was the catalyst to make the move. I will be solo with my 3 dogs. I am watching your videos with obsession. I have been learning so much! The safety video is worth its weight!
I DEEPLY RESPECT honesty, and appreciate how you approached this: sharing positive & negative. John & Mercedes, Thanks so much! Blessings and safe travels. LUCRETIA
Thank you guys for being so honest. You remind me me of Scotty Kilmer, who loves to, “TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT CARS & their manufacturers “. He is awesome, you should look him up on TH-cam and take a listen 👍🙏🙏❤️💪
My husband and I have just started watching y’all’s videos.... we love your videos! My husband is retiring in 2 months and we are trying to prepare for RVing around the US for the next several months.
We are more like weekend warriors when it comes to RVing. We are looking forward to full timing with a possible upgrade to our camping pass. We kinda know some of the stuff you are talking about in this video and even though we go camping during vacations and on weekends we find the camping pass combined with trails collection is still worth the money. Thank you for sharing, safe travels and happy camping.😎
We are full time on the west coast. We like TT because we couldn't possibly rent a space for what we pay on our contract and once that's paid off, all we'll have is the yearly dues. If you (meaning the person reading this) have a membership, or are considering getting a membership, check the contract for the clause that lets you freeze the yearly dues when you turn 62. Not all of them have that. Ours is frozen. During the summer we bounce between 2 parks that are close together every 21 days. We head south during the winter and go from park to park along the way.
You are lucky that at 62 your dues where frozen. When I went to the Elite plan an I ask them when I turn 62 that my member ship dues would freeze.an they said yes.not true.I called the office an they told me until my contact.is up then it would freeze.
I really like your channel and your honesty. My wife and I plan to transition to full time RV living in the next 2 years and I am gathering all of the information that I can until then. We hope to see you on the trail...
@@RVOddCouple I already have my rig: 2015 Ram 2500 HD and Cougar XLite 29RLI 5th wheel. It is gonna take me 2 years to get rid of all my stuff and debt and move lol
Hi! Dave in Raleigh. Have been watching but haven't been commenting lately but this has been an interesting video. I appreciate your honesty and I hope you're not penalized for it, but I've been curious about these memberships and you're videos have been the only ones on You Tube that have laid it all out in detail to my satisfaction. Thank you. I like your new fifth wheel! I hope it gives you many years of great service. By the way, I lost my boon docking spot of four and a half years at the AMC theater here in the North end of Raleigh due to a change in management and the incredibly bad behavior of another full time RVer. This was a person in his first motor home who just couldn't take the advice of someone who has been successfully boon docking for years without any problems. He put his slides out and ran his generator non stop around the clock, put his awnings out and parked his towed vehicle right beside his front door and even left his outside lights on all night, every night. I'm surprised he didn't put out some pink flamingos as well. This guy was a boon docking night mare. Two people lost that spot besides me and we were all there for quite a while only because we all understood that laying a low profile was the only way that lot could work for us. We all knew that it would end at some point, but it was a real kick in the arse that it was because of a jerk like that. Now all of us are rolling around looking for a place to stay. I'd go to an RV park, but being on dissability, my budget won't permit. Such is life! Part of my purpose in telling you about our experience with this guy is to see if perhaps you can produce a video on the do's and dont's of dry camping in parking lots and other places RVers go to find places to pull in for the night or for an extended stay. Incidentally, this numskull clipped my motor home on the way out and tore my driver's side mirror off and never even stopped, but instead made it a case of hit and run (go figure) and this morning appon stopping at Lowe's to pick up some small lag bolts to reattach my mirror the manager actually offered me a place for the night in his lot after I explained why I was carrying a side view mirror with me. I would never have guessed that a big box store would be so RV friendly. Thought you'd think that was pretty cool. Anyway, happy motoring and thanks for all you do for all of us out here. God bless!
You guys are awesome! And yes, there are people out here that suck in a major way. But thanks for the response. I'm waiting for your next installment with baited breath. Don't stop what you're doing. Ya'll are my favorites!
My husband & I stayed at Happy Trails in Cottonwood, Az clear back in the early 1980's. I still have the sleeping bags they gave us. No more motorhome, husband 😢 deceased & I'm 80. But loved our camping days. Happy Days
Thanks for your honesty and explaining both sides of issues and why and how you have made certain decisions. Please continue your concern and support for other RVers.
Love your honesty, yes it seems you cant trust a sales line you MUST read the fine print again and again till it sinks in, just buying an rv we found different sales outlets were selling the same lie ,it was only until we contacted the actual manufacturer did we get the bottom line! Thanks again guys
In one of my other posts I stated that we my wife and me purchased a used membership in 1987. Our membership offered a lot of free non pay benefits. Free no pay for electricity is one. Since the new companies purchased we are told that we will have to pay for 50 amp electric. We contacted corporate and was basically told to sue . And that they would fight forever. But you are right about park management will work with most campers. We also purchased the platinum which allows use to 4weeks in a park and then move to another park , guess they will not honor the contract on it either. Good luck 😊
Buying a resale can be a good deal if you are very careful about knowing exactly what is in that membership. A lot of older memberships include different parks. That can be a good thing if you are maybe camping only in those areas. But you do need to be careful. One thing to remember about buying directly from Thousand Trails: do it in person at a park, and wait until it's about the last week of the season there. You will get a good discount as the sales people will be anxious to get any kind of commission when it's slow. I used to only go and buy cars at dealers on a rainy Sunday night when nobody was there, towards the end of the month. They are desperate to move inventory at the end of the month.
Consider a SPOT emergency locator. You can send and receive text anywhere in the world even non emergency. With it and they offer a towing option and air ambulance option. If you get hurt and you are remote anywhere in the world they will find you. They will recover your vehicle as well. It's not perfect but it works. It's about $280 a year. Sportsman's Warehouse sells the radio for $199 without membership fees.
Wow. That’s quite an eye-opener! I have always known that Thousand Trails was expensive, but I guess, like anything else, there is deception in the RV business too. Even though we aren’t planning on buying a TT membership, just knowing this information is so very helpful to those who are considering one. Thank you so much for your continuing information, ideas and opinions you two! I can’t tell you how much I look forward to “my favorite couple” in the RV world! Again, you have learned SO MUCH in this not quite year and a half on the road, and I (and so many others) love ❤️ and appreciate you! Love Ya, Virginia
Hard to find Integrity nowadays Virginia. Especially with big Corps. We are so grateful for the RV Odd Squad and would never mislead our Friends fo money. We Love You too💚💚💚
For me the problem is. A lack of minimum standards. Why would I buy a membership? If there is no telling, what I will find. I mostly boondock. I come into a park once a month for two or three days. To catch up on laundry, and resupply. As truck stops warm up to Rv users more. Some of us may give up on RV parks all together. As more truckers have mini fridges in their sleepers. The truck stops are stocking more food choices. They already had coin-op laundries.
You bring up really good points. We rely on hookups a lot, but for experienced boondockers, this membership wouldn't really be necessary. If you love hookups like we do, and you're full time, it's a good option.
Hey you guys, I've been following your post for a few months now thank you for being so honest about the ups and downs of camping And your faith. So glad to be apart of your Odd squad. We bought our 5th wheel Raptor in 2018 and we love it.
@@RVOddCouple Awe, the haters are just jealous. Your on an adventure of a lifetime. We'll be praying for your family, be safe, enjoy and God bless you guys.
Medina Lake In Texas has gone downhill. They have tons of red sites (electrical is busted), a burned up kitchen, and the roof caved in at the rec center. If you want a fire ring, you have to rent it. Most lake view sites are either full of full timers or red. We used to love it so much when the kitchen and rec center were working and when there were no red spots. Luckily I only have a regional pass and it’s 43 bucks a month. It’s still worth it though because it’s cheap (and close to home). It’s just sad to see it go downhill and everything has been broken forever.
I really enjoyed all the info you put out in this video! A lot of this can apply to *any* park system, not just Thousand Trails. When I’m out there, I plan to stay mostly in military recreational campgrounds, and I still have a lot of research to do on those. Happy trails to you... 💗
I am not an RV'er but I am a big outdoors enthusiast and I really enjoy your videos. You guys seem to have a great connection with each other and it appears to start with your genuine honesty and a true desire and enjoyment of helping other people. (btw Mercedes looks better in the older glasses... but the new ones aren't terrible 😃)
I love your honesty and that's very important. Thanks for all the information you share. If funds ever free up enough I would very much like to do some RV travel. Due to being a disabled vet I need an RV to travel . Being able to hear your tips and tricks and things you need and don't really helps. God bless you all and safe travels. 😉👍👌
Thank you for always keeping it honest. No Rver wants any company to mislead them. Nothing worse to be told one thing by a Campground and get there and it's a whole other story.
Good info. I had a similar experience with KOA as for as consistency of the quality of the parks. Some are great, well maintained and some are pretty awful. My more recent experience with TT was we sat down with a sales rep at a park. During his presentation he looked at me and said "you don't look too enthused about this presentation", I said I wasn't and I was actually kind of tired at the moment. He got up and said "well this presentation is over, you can remain at the park tonight but you must vacate in the morning" (we had a free three night stay). Well we left the next morning.
When we signed up with Thousand Trails it was private. Once they opened up to the public, we found we rarely used their parks any more. By that time the kids were older and wanted to go to other destinations to stay. We surrendered our membership this past year with nothing to show for that Platinum Lifetime membership but memories.
Thank you for this info. I am researching this TT subject right now. Im retiring in 2021 and would love to live the lifestyle you living. Thats why I subscribed. Thank you again
Well thank you for joining the RV Odd Squad :-) . You're in the right place! We learned everything the hard way. So just don't do what we did and you'll do great. lol
Thank you for your feedback Louise 🤗 Hope you are enjoying your time on the road! Reach out anytime if there are any questions that I can help you with! Happy Camping 🏕 Kimberly
Finally, a video that truly explains membership!! Not a full timer, so thank you for mentioning that this is beneficial mostly for those who do. That being said, which park did you stay in when you were in my old “hood?” (Verde Valley, AZ) Again, that you both for always providing these insightful, honest videos... you are amazing!! Blessings...
I've heard that Odyssey was going away... for a LONG time now. I'm pretty sure it's just something all salespeople are told to say to create urgency when pitching Odyssey memberships. I have Ultimate Odyssey and love it. Also, as far as Thousand Trails allowing spots to "the public" -- like most parks, they have a few sites set aside for "the public." This can be people that get a free 3-day stay (in return for listening to a sales pitch) to someone just renting those spots out. Those spots are LIMITED and I think it's important to know that they can't simply rent the whole park out to people in the public. If a park has 10 spots for "public" use... when those 10 spots are filled, there are no more -- even if the rest of the park is empty. The same goes for "emergency" spots -- many of the parks have sites set aside for "emergency" uses (we were assigned one during an emergency once at an otherwise "full" park). They also have a set number of spots for reciprocal programs... such as RPI or other membership programs. This is no different than Passport America or any other discount program -- there are usually limited sites within a park designated for that program, and when those are gone they're gone... even if the rest of the park is empty. Just wanted to state that, as many people might hear that Thousand Trails is open to the public and not understand what that means. Oh... and have you seen the prices for the limited "public" sites at Thousand Trails or Encore parks? Very high pricing (that alone would keep most people away).
We full time and have a TT memembership and love it. We have not had any issues with getting into a park and found that they will work with you when you call them. We also are Trails Collection members and by the way, it has gone up from $214 to $299 for the year. Yes, some parks do charge for 50 amp service and when it's hot, I pay and gladly. We have saved so much money with our membership, i recommend it to everyone we meet. Haven't gotten a dime, but know it is a great deal. I also do blogs on TT/ good/bad! The Odessy is going away, but at that price, ugh! We also don't want to stay more than 21 days in a park, as we have pretty much seen it all in that area. Just our opinion!
We bought the basic plan a year ago with 2 regions covering us from California to Florida. We paid $430 and have used it for approximately 40 days including 12 days just outside of San Diego. For us it has been well worth it. Even if we just used the one close to our house during the year, with full hookups, it would only ram 10 - 20 days to cover the cost. I would agree however that sometimes the cell service and wifi is poor and sometimes the park is a bit shabby, but hey, they usually have a pool and I've been to several parks that are beautiful.
We belong to an kindof Coast to Coast outfit, we enjoy the camping whenever we want, 3 month registration and 3 week stay. Kinda expensive at the start. These times now it makes it nice to know at least we have places we can camp at anytime.
You guys are awesome! Glad to see people who are honest & I really appreciate that in this corrupt world! God bless y’all & continue to keep y’all safe & in His loving care 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
OMG thank you very, very much for this update! I/we so appreciate your helpful advice and opinions. Hoping Sage is doing well, as is Skippy. 😘 #GoChiefs!
The Thousand Trails park members leads to camping in traditional campgrounds where everybody is stacked together like chicken. Yes, the campgrounds have lots amenities, but rarely do we use these amenities. So, we are staying in National Forest or State Park or City Parks instead and are also often boondocking for free or very low rates.
Looking forward to the next video. This is our dream but we are several years away from being able to do it, and I am getting concerned that we won't be able to do it because there will be too many people doing it and/or we won't be able to afford it with the costs going up and up! UGH!
It will be interesting to see what happens with more and more RVers hitting the road. But we hope that doesn't dissuade you from continuing to consider RVing. :-) We'll see what happens.
Joined Outdoor World in 1986 at Sea Pines and over the years upgraded our membership and when Equity Lifestyles bought OW and it became part of Thousand Trails, we bought an upgrade through an intermediary company to what is called Choice Membership. The last upgrade froze our maintenance fees to the level we had last paid. I would estimate our total investment to be over $10K. What is important is that members read their contracts. Each membership upgrade is an addendum to the original contract. So if TT says something which is not correct, you have to go back to your contracts to ensure that you get everything promised. One negative is that we sold our RV late last year (15 yrs old). However, we have been making use of the Getaway weeks we were awarded with each upgrade. We also banked those weeks if we were not able in one year to use the Getaway week. We have been thinking about passing our membership on to one of our adult children or cancelling it outright. We have had good experiences and bad experiences but more of the former over the 33 years of membership.
Love your videos! First time we heard of Thousand Trails was when we bought our new Solitude last spring (2020). "4 weeks free camping" was included in the sale. Yes, it was Thousand Trails. We called them to redeem the free camping but we had to go see the campground first. They made a boiler-room very high pressure sales pitch to sell us a $23K national time share. Yes, $23,000 time share + $600 annual fee. We said NO but they kept their relentless high pressure pitch. Their sales manager came in and offered me a discount rate of "only" $17,000 but limited to only 1 zone. We said NO again and the pressure continued. We had enough and left. Before leaving they said we can still have our 4 weeks free camping but their parks are not something we are interested in. I got a series of emails a few days later first offering the same package for $14,000 which I did not answer. I got another series of emails over the next week pushing the most basic plan for $7,000 plus annual membership. I ended up blocking their emails and calling them to stop harassing us. Worst experience ever.
I'm extremely new to boondocking. Will probably be starting this summer. I have a question if you don't mind answering. How do you know when going to someplace new if it's okay to Boondock? Thank you in advance.
We bought a used membership from Kim and did well with that. 120 days out reservation. 3 weeks stay at Orlando and one other TT Park, which we did last winter. - paid $3200 (I think). Can resell our membership. Only 80 parks but that is more than enough. -- the only thing I would change is I would have looked for the EXTRA WEEK contract clause which is $30 for one extra week. In some older contracts. --- as far as being able to get into a park, just book 120 days out and you are fine. Even in Florida. And consider getting a smaller RV. The big rigs have issues. Our small RV trailer fits anywhere.
You bring up good points! Especially the smaller RV. In Oregon and Washington there were a few hairy spots. But for the most part, being so long isn't an issue.
Thank you for your feedback and taking the time to comment Kevin! Truly hope you guys are doing great out there and enjoying your travels! Happy Camping 🏕 Kimberly
We have been in the TT system as FTers for nearly 3 years and upgraded this year to Odyssey. Sure it can be frustrating at times but we try to book the entire 6 months in advance and stay on that curve. We also try to arrive at the moment check ins are allowed because sites vanish quickly. We are also members of RPI, PA, Escapees, Good Sam and Harvest Hosts. With all of these options it works for us! i must add that TT secured us in place for the duration of the lockdown and treated us very well!
I love to watch your videos and I have learned so much. I think just taking your chances on the open road is better. Florida in winter sounds more like an ant hill with sugar on top. Thank you for your honesty.
@@RVOddCouple Your timing could not be more perfect 👍. We where considering trying out Thousand Trails because we had been hearing about it for years and we just watched you video from a year ago last week. I was getting ready to pull the trigger but something made me stop. Now with this I think we will try it after our first work camping gig in the busy months through the people you are talking about. You guys are awesome thank you
Member since 05. Kids were young and it was a great way to do quick weekend trips. Tent ⛺️, cabin or rig. I retired in 15 and went full time. My membership (platinum) was long paid off. I upgraded to the odyssey, RPI and encore packages. I financed it all including the dues. Costs is around 240.00 a month. I also bought the lifetime passport america contract, disabled america the beautiful pass. With the money I saved im able to winter in a 5 star resort.That absolutely caters to snowbirds.
Always like seeing informative content. Although we aren't in need of a membership since we usually boondock everywhere , a membership is still something to consider. We would be certain to add you as the referral.
Thank you so much! We appreciate that. We really like our hook ups. There's such a spectrum of RVers. Some like concrete pads, some are happy with water and electric. It all depends on personal preference. :-)
Kudos for being honest. We had a bad experience years ago with this type of membership Campground. It was terrible. We were lied to as well. It was very difficult to sell once we tried to leave. It was very expensive and disappointing. You guys have a huge platform for referrals that most people don’t have (this channel). Thanks for sharing. (Jane, from SC)
We have been members for years but it is getting harder and harder to find a spot. We love the membership but they need to start making new rules. As you know coming in with a camper over 40ft it very hard to find sites anymore. Good luck guys!!
@@RVOddCouple most managers keep telling us that the campgrounds have been here before the "big" campers. Well time is changing. It is time to lose 1 or 2 sites per row to accommodate the bigger rigs. They arent going to get any smaller!! It was nice seeing you guys too. Maybe we can meet you guys at a 1000s trails park. We are headed to Florida end of February
WOW! Sorry You guys had to have these hiccups during your journeys. Thanks for sharing these important tips for others to learn from. I don’t think you’ve done anything negative towards “1,000 Trails” . I think if anything you’ve given helpful criticism for everyone including “1,000 Trails”. If someone from “1,000 Trails” was watching this, I think this offers a chance for them to improve upon their memberships. Again, Thanks for Sharing 😊👋
I'm taking my longest RV trip since I bought my travel trailer. Most I drove so far is 200 miles one way. Now I'm relocating to to Norman, Oklahoma from Redding CA. Drive is 1800 miles. What is a realistic amount to drive per day. What should I watch out for, or beware of? Thank you! Your advice is much appreciated..
We go by the rule of 3!!! No more than 300 miles or no driving past 3pm. The reason we do this is setting up in the dark is dangerous and more than 300 miles can be very exhausting and cause accidents. Hope this helps.
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. It's really fatiguing to drive connected. I would plan and compare dividing the trip into 200mi/day, 300/mi/day, 400/mi/day, no more than 500/mi per day. Remember you want to set up with daylight. So how early would you realistically be ready to start traveling? Also, remember you want to try to avoid major cities in high traffic times. So have a plan and be flexible. By doing the research early, you'll have a lot of places and options. You may find one day you do a lot and the next day you don't. We can't tell you what to do because only you know what's best for you. Oh, and on travel days we stop at All rest stops. Always do a walk around and a potty break. Not sure why I shared that, but safe travels and let us know how it goes. :-)
RV Odd Couple My first trip with my Class A (last year) I treated it like my van. I pushed it and drove 10 hours. I can do that in my van no problem. I had done about 6 hours and stopped for dinner. I was so shaky I could hardly walk. I ate, took an hours rest and made the last 4 hours okay. Took two days to get over it. I swore I would never do that again. I agree with 300 miles or 3PM (or) close. Switching it up sounds like a good idea too. Have to see.
Guys, I've been following you for quite some time now.. The term the "ODD COUPLE" shouldn't apply to your meeting, marrying, etc it should apply to the fact that you're one of the few people who flat out tell it like it is!! Something that used to exist in America, but has been INCREDIBLY slaughtered over time! This new PC world, and Self-Interest excuses that we live with today, is just off the chain! I'm GLAD to meet people like you, who take the time, and in some cases, fall on a sword, to make sure that other people, like me, who are just at the precipice of entering into this world, won't scrape our knees on the same trip rope you discovered! If I could give any advice at all, it would be to NEVER compromise that energy you posses. Keep it REAL, keep it STRAIGHT and by all means, if those who don't like it, get angry, let THEM be the ones who do their own soul searching, because according to God's word, if you're being forthright, then the inequity is on them.. ;) God bless you guys, keep pumping out the videos, because we "ARE" watching.. ;) And "LEARNING"!!! LOL In fact, your video about your gun, and the individual state laws, made me take special notice! How many people actually THINK of all these caveats when they're RV'ing?? And again here, with the Bird Nesting!! Who in their right mind would think they would be confined to an RV park because some birds built a nest?? Keep up the good work!!
Thank you for the helpful information. Always love your honesty. We'll be pulling the trigger on buying a TT membership in the next several months so this video is great timing for us! Love you guys!
If you need a power point presentation to understand a camping membership, it seems too complicating of a subject. Thank you for sharing your experience. I'm curious why people would start their rv adventure by signing up and paying for a membership with alot of restrictions. We recently purchased our RV.... There's no way im interested in keeping track of the complexities of anything like this. We've gone camping 8 times so far. I simply call the location, make my reservation, and go there... I'm not limited on locations. There are 100's of RV spots in California for us not having membership. Sounds like a timeshare concept
We purchased our Elite Connections membership after your First Thousand trails video last year because we are going full-time in about 18 months and wanted to have it totally paid off before we do so that is one less expense that we have when I retire. I do not regret the purchase but like you I called the 1-800 number and was mislead on a few things. Thank you for doing these videos and letting people know that! I wish the parks were more consistant and I wish that we knew the issues we would have finding places during the busy season but have still managed to find great spots and had good camping experiences. It is definately more complicated and more work than I thought it would be but I am also greatful to be learning this and figuring it out before we hit the road full-time!
Great video and thank you again for being candid. I travel a lot and we are preparing to go full time. I have been an huge supporter of TT and believe there is not better membership system for full time living. I bought a Zone Pass a year ago and used it heavily. Then a few months ago I bought a new 5th wheel in preparation for going full time. The dealer automatically threw in a one year TT Camping Pass membership. I though great!! That will save us some money. Called TT and went through several different people asking if this would be credited to my membership and extended for another year. Ended up that since I had a current membership, they wouldn't accept the free year from the dealer and wouldn't credit it to my account. The last person I spoke to was actually a little rude ended up hanging up on me after giving me the number to RV Dealer Activation. I can't imagine doing this lifestyle without a TT and Trails Collection membership, but I was forced to cancel my TT membership if I wanted to use the free year. And now I can't get anyone to honor the free year from the RV dealer. It was a very frustrating situation. I may look at buying a used membership in the future, but not sure at this point. I love the service the membership provides. Just have been left with a bad taste over this transaction. Thank you again John and Mercedes. Keep at it!!
You guys are a godsend even for occasional RVers. I'm so glad you are straight up with your mistakes. I'll NEVER sardine it at a Thousand Trails park. But I would have if I didn't find this channel, so cheers 🍻
We are 2 years on the road. We got TT Elite for 2 years-bougth it new. WE pay extra for Trails Collection(TC- Encore) and RPI and it supporting most of our travel plans very well. Many times we use also KOA a specially if we like to be close to points of interest {Nashville, Rapid City, exe..). Yes you are right.Thousand Trail NEEDS to improve Parks. If we have a pick RV Park -choice will start: RPI, TC-Encore and third ;Thousand Trails. That is our experience.We are not pay per anybody! :-)
When you say that your money is at risk, you must be talking about future referrals correct? You have already received the $8,000 and they can’t take that back right? Great info as usual! Love the new rig and the new video style!
Would y’all say the life style has calmed down? I figure with covid a lot of people jumped ship but now may be ready to get back to their “normal lives” 😆 we are looking into doing this full time in the next two years. We have some planning to do to do it on one income but it’ll be worth it!
I have TT - here's what I discovered after doing the math for my situation: Buying used = less expensive now, with no resale. Buying new = more expensive now, but less expensive by a VERY small margin overall - assuming resale values don't tank. I went the cheaper route now. It did take a while to finally get my contract. Here's the thing: don't take my word for any of this: do your own research! The situation might be different today vs when I bought my used membership via Membership Outlet.
Absolutely Mike! We call balls and strikes and share our experiences openly and honestly. We are not for sale😀👍 Thank you for sharing your experience. Everyone needs to do their homework
Very good honest feedback Mike! Thank you for sharing! If you ever have any questions along the way, i am an email or call away, reach out anytime kimberly@membershipoutlet.com Happy Camping 🏕 Kimberly
Great video and thank you for the info. Retiring in 2022 so we are trying to soak up all the info we can before going full time. Your videos really help.
Thank you so much Alan! And congratulations. 2022 will be here in not time! You have the advantage of time for planning and research. Glad our videos are helpful. That's why we're doing this! :-)
I’m not going to be an RV person , it was a dream years ago when I was married. We said we were gonna try when the kids are grown. Now 30 years later I do however enjoy watching the different people live this life. I am in hospice now which says it all but I would bet I’m not the only one living through you and others as we face our last days. It’s so nice to be able to distract from the current situation. You help in ways you probably didn’t even know . Thanks 👩🏼🦱
Hi Lora💚💚💚 Thank you for this message😊. You’ll be in our Prayers.
Cheers Lora, may you continue to enjoy your You Tube adventures! Lots of good folks out there sharing their expeditions.
💝💞💗💖💓🙏 Sending you a hug.
GOD Bless you Lora, Sure sorry you never got to live your Dream. It's so True, Life is Way too Short. The Main thing is, We are All Going into Eternity, One Way or the Other as too One direction or the other.
That is what we Must contend with. If you are in Hospice then How Blessed You are that GOD has given you that Opportunity to Grow closer to HIM, before you Pass. The Bible says that is for Once a Man to Die and then Come the Judgement! I pray you are not Affraid to Die, for if you are, That is a tell tale sign your Not Ready to Die. I don't know if you've Heard the Ole adage, Once Born, Die Twice , Born Twice Die Once! I Choose to Believe every Word of the Bible in All of its Supernatural wisdom and being the Only Book in Recorded History that contains PROPHESY, infact 2/3 thirds of the New testament is 100%factual PROPHESY. But the Main Issue is that you are Right with GOD and his Son JESUS, if that's the Case HE is Going to Welcome you Into HIS Unbelievable Celestial Palace where your Eternity Will Be so much More than you Could've ever Dreamsd of... As I said, I don't Know your Standing with Our LORD and Savior, But if your Not sure Lira please Please fore your eternal souls sake, Invite him into your Heart NOW, For tomorrow will be too late!.JESUS Said in John 14:6 I AM THE WAY, THE Truth and the Life! No One Enters the kingdom of Heaven but Through ME! He Also said in The Gospel of John, 3:3 Factually Saying that You MUST be Born Again toEnter the kingdom of Heaven. Lora, Cry out to GOD, for your Salvation! Just admit you are a Sinner, as we All are, Ask for HIS Forgiveness, Repent, Meaning Turn from Sinful thoughts and Ways but Most of All Humble Yourself As a Child ask him into your Heart Once and Forever. It's Never too Late. Look at the thief on the Cross that asked for JESUS to Forgive him! Right then and there JESUS Told Him " TODAY YOY WILL BE WITH ME IN PARIDISE!!! YOU CANT EARN IT YOU CAN BUY IT! """":SALVATION IS""""
A FREE GIFT FROM GOD! Sure Hope to See you in Heaven Lora!!! From what I know , Your Traveling Journey will Never End with the Celestial Body's GOD HAS FOR US. GOD BLESS YOU AND PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU EVER GOT THIS..
BYE 4 NOW.
@@stevetaylor1305 Well said Steve! Heaven with our Lord, will be so much better than anything in this life!
I LOVE people who stand up for themselves... thank you! :-)
Thank you Grant! It's a balance but we have firm boundaries.
@John Merchant : I'm impressed that you know the difference! Most people don't. 👍😀
Cost of 1000 trails membership $$$$, Cost of RVing $$$$, Cost of John & Mercedes integrity --- 100% PRICELESS!!! Thanks for the intel you guys. Respect, Peace and Love
Love ya Herman💚 Respect, Peace and Love back
COULD NOT HAVE SAID IT BETTER!!!!!!
I'm near retirement and saving for a modest motorhome. My husband dumped me a couple of years ago and I've realized that rv life is my way to have a home. I'm looking forward to it and plan on living my best life with whatever ups and downs may come. Love your videos!
Yes!!!! Thank you for not being controlled by a big organization and putting the truth and consumers first.
Always!
My husband and I have been members since they began We have had so much fun with this membership through the years and have not regretted our purchase one bit. So far we have traveled from one end of the U.S to another, including B.C.
I have nothing but respect for these two !! Thank you for sharing your experiences and opinions 🤟🏽🤟🏽
I know you guys dig Thousands Trails, but to put out that much cash, I want good amenities. Good TV, pool full hookups. Forget WiFi it’s never any good anywhere. We normally stay at State Parks, BLM land and Corp of Engineers or Bureau Of Land Management they have decent parks. I have a Senior Pass so mostly everything is half price or free. Or we just boondock. Which I like. Take care.
Hey Dan! Thank you for taking the time to share this. Posts like this let people know that there is many options. Thank you😀👍
I just became a "senior citizen" and would never have thought about getting a discount. I am still working on my vintage camper, hope to have it road ready this spring, I plan to stay out in the wild. I want to get away from the city not "camp" in a community.
Michelle Staley: The Senior Pass used to be a real bargain $ 10 bucks. Life time. Now it’s $85. Still a good deal.
Thank you for your "sometimes brutal" honesty. I won't be in an RV till 2022 (long story), but I have had fun and learned so much from you watching all of your videos. Hope to meet you someday!!!
Hi Paula💚 You are very welcome😀 Hopefully we cross paths! Thank you
Takes guts to be honest with your feedback and sharing your experiences. God bless you on the road and thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much! Appreciate the kind words. God bless you too!
We just upgraded our Thousand Trails membership from the “basic” 14/7 and we now have the elette 21/7 membership as we live full time.
We did a week with no membership and after a week the rep onsite explained the value in having a membership.
The one thing I don’t like is that you can’t book specific sites. This is important to me and my husband are disabled and tend to want sites near showers and toilet access even with onboard facilities. Also in severely visually impaired and some things aren’t easily traversed by me without a sighted guide.
This is a challenge with first come first serve. It's unfortunate that you didn't talk to Jim & Brandy about your upgrade. Most sales people will tell you what they need to get a sale. Jim & Brandy tell you the truth
Hi John and Mercedes. We signed the papers this morning for our first RV, and will be hitting the road in a few weeks. Thank you for all your great tips about RV safety! You have kind hearts, cool heads, are perfect together, and keep us laughing. We feel like we know you personally. Be safe out there and keep sharing your stories! God bless you.
We just love the way you both are so honest and very respectful to others. Not like another channel or two that we tried watching that were let's say, less than nice and very critical to others. Thank you for your choice of great topics and entertaining content. That's why you have grown so fast and some other channels have not. All the best with your new rig. It's beautiful. We can hardly wait for your new videos to come out.
Thank you Dennis💚 We love the RV Odd Squad and will never mislead our Friends.
Thanks for the fair and balanced comments. I love that you always make a point of stressing the good and the bad. To many people always want to help you to decide by what they believe. Just the facts both pro an con and we can make up our own mind. Love you guys.
We love the RV Odd Squad💚
I really like your honesty and advice! I'm thinking about buying my first Class A within the next year. I'll be trying to watch as many of your videos as possible before I buy. You're a great source of valuable information. Thank you for the hard work you're doing!
Happy to help Greg 👍😊 Welcome to the RV Odd Squad
Read the contract !! When I am handed a pen to sign with, I pick up the contract, sit back in my chair and start reading. The sales person almost always starts telling me what is in the contract. I hold up my hand and say, could you please be quiet, I cannot concentrate on my reading while you are talking. Sometimes I ask, do you mind if I sit in the lounge to read. Many times the sales person tells me I am the first person they had seen read the contract. I have not yet purchased an RV, but I believe I would run a purchase that large by an attorney.
Also, thanks for all the insight. The knowledge I am gaining from your channel will help me greatly when I take the trip (pun intended) down the RV rabbit hole. For me it will be 2022 or 23. Thanks again.
Full timer here...last year I literally spent a few weeks reading every clause in the Thousand Trails contract...after careful analysis I realized that it wasn't going to save me any money because there are so many fees in so many different situations that when I plugged in all the fees I would pay in the way I travel and camp...I wasn't going to save that much and if I did want to save the most I would have had to stay only at Thousand Trails sites and not so much the affiliates or partners. In the end I did buy it, it wasn't going to work for me.
Cheapest way to RV with full hook ups! There is no competition.
I be first to admit the TT system is not perfect and not for some. I have a 2d hand membership with 120 day advance reservations and we add Encore. My dues are around $900 a year and that all the fees I have. If you are full timing any cheaper than that let us in on it. Oh and availability I've been in Florida since Nov2021 and booked to end of March2022 and won't use a whole tank of diesel moving all season.
I just bought my first camper van. It has been a plan for a few years. My mom passed and that was the catalyst to make the move. I will be solo with my 3 dogs. I am watching your videos with obsession. I have been learning so much! The safety video is worth its weight!
Congratulations :) Happy to have you in the RV Odd Squad :) Thank you for your support
Thx for the informative video content RVOC, your honesty and candid commentary is the reason I watch. Looking forward to part 2.
I DEEPLY RESPECT honesty, and appreciate how you approached this: sharing positive & negative. John & Mercedes, Thanks so much! Blessings and safe travels. LUCRETIA
I appreciate that LUCRETIA
@@RVOddCouple Is it possible to send you an email? Mine: cretiakay@gmail.com
Thank you guys for being so honest. You remind me me of Scotty Kilmer, who loves to, “TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT CARS & their manufacturers “. He is awesome, you should look him up on TH-cam and take a listen 👍🙏🙏❤️💪
My husband and I have just started watching y’all’s videos.... we love your videos! My husband is retiring in 2 months and we are trying to prepare for RVing around the US for the next several months.
We are more like weekend warriors when it comes to RVing. We are looking forward to full timing with a possible upgrade to our camping pass. We kinda know some of the stuff you are talking about in this video and even though we go camping during vacations and on weekends we find the camping pass combined with trails collection is still worth the money. Thank you for sharing, safe travels and happy camping.😎
Sounds like you did your homework and found a Membership thats best for you & yours. Thank you Angel
We are full time on the west coast. We like TT because we couldn't possibly rent a space for what we pay on our contract and once that's paid off, all we'll have is the yearly dues. If you (meaning the person reading this) have a membership, or are considering getting a membership, check the contract for the clause that lets you freeze the yearly dues when you turn 62. Not all of them have that. Ours is frozen. During the summer we bounce between 2 parks that are close together every 21 days. We head south during the winter and go from park to park along the way.
Great information! This is why we love the RV Odd Squad! Thank you for taking the time to share your experience her! It help Others👍😀
You are lucky that at 62 your dues where frozen. When I went to the Elite plan an I ask them when I turn 62 that my member ship dues would freeze.an they said yes.not true.I called the office an they told me until my contact.is up then it would freeze.
As always from the heart honest content. I appreciate your channel.
Wow, thank you so much! We appreciate the kudos from fellow creators! :-)
I really like your channel and your honesty. My wife and I plan to transition to full time RV living in the next 2 years and I am gathering all of the information that I can until then. We hope to see you on the trail...
Excellent! Do as much research as possible and look at as many Rigs as you can. Hope to see you
@@RVOddCouple I already have my rig: 2015 Ram 2500 HD and Cougar XLite 29RLI 5th wheel. It is gonna take me 2 years to get rid of all my stuff and debt and move lol
So glad we have 5 years until we go full time. Thank you for being honest.
Our pleasure!
Hi! Dave in Raleigh. Have been watching but haven't been commenting lately but this has been an interesting video. I appreciate your honesty and I hope you're not penalized for it, but I've been curious about these memberships and you're videos have been the only ones on You Tube that have laid it all out in detail to my satisfaction. Thank you.
I like your new fifth wheel! I hope it gives you many years of great service.
By the way, I lost my boon docking spot of four and a half years at the AMC theater here in the North end of Raleigh due to a change in management and the incredibly bad behavior of another full time RVer. This was a person in his first motor home who just couldn't take the advice of someone who has been successfully boon docking for years without any problems. He put his slides out and ran his generator non stop around the clock, put his awnings out and parked his towed vehicle right beside his front door and even left his outside lights on all night, every night. I'm surprised he didn't put out some pink flamingos as well. This guy was a boon docking night mare. Two people lost that spot besides me and we were all there for quite a while only because we all understood that laying a low profile was the only way that lot could work for us. We all knew that it would end at some point, but it was a real kick in the arse that it was because of a jerk like that. Now all of us are rolling around looking for a place to stay. I'd go to an RV park, but being on dissability, my budget won't permit. Such is life!
Part of my purpose in telling you about our experience with this guy is to see if perhaps you can produce a video on the do's and dont's of dry camping in parking lots and other places RVers go to find places to pull in for the night or for an extended stay.
Incidentally, this numskull clipped my motor home on the way out and tore my driver's side mirror off and never even stopped, but instead made it a case of hit and run (go figure) and this morning appon stopping at Lowe's to pick up some small lag bolts to reattach my mirror the manager actually offered me a place for the night in his lot after I explained why I was carrying a side view mirror with me. I would never have guessed that a big box store would be so RV friendly. Thought you'd think that was pretty cool.
Anyway, happy motoring and thanks for all you do for all of us out here. God bless!
Hi Dave! Thank you for taking the time to comment and share your experience. Some people just suck! God Bless you as well
You guys are awesome! And yes, there are people out here that suck in a major way. But thanks for the response. I'm waiting for your next installment with baited breath. Don't stop what you're doing. Ya'll are my favorites!
You guys are the real deal, that’s why we love you so much
Thank you Gonz💚💚💚 Our new nick name for you. 😀
My husband & I stayed at Happy Trails in Cottonwood, Az clear back in the early 1980's. I still have the sleeping bags they gave us. No more motorhome, husband 😢 deceased & I'm 80.
But loved our camping days.
Happy Days
Thanks for your honesty and explaining both sides of issues and why and how you have made certain decisions. Please continue your concern and support for other RVers.
Our park is so full in the summer now. It was so easy to find a space years ago. We are 40 year members.
Wow Paul! 40 years...We bet you have seen some changes. It will be interesting to see how they work this out. Thank you😀👍
Would like to hear y'all's story on this nowadays
Love your honesty, yes it seems you cant trust a sales line you MUST read the fine print again and again till it sinks in, just buying an rv we found different sales outlets were selling the same lie ,it was only until we contacted the actual manufacturer did we get the bottom line! Thanks again guys
In one of my other posts I stated that we my wife and me purchased a used membership in 1987. Our membership offered a lot of free non pay benefits. Free no pay for electricity is one. Since the new companies purchased we are told that we will have to pay for 50 amp electric. We contacted corporate and was basically told to sue . And that they would fight forever. But you are right about park management will work with most campers. We also purchased the platinum which allows use to 4weeks in a park and then move to another park , guess they will not honor the contract on it either. Good luck 😊
Sorry to hear about this James but thank you for taking the time to share it! 😀
Buying a resale can be a good deal if you are very careful about knowing exactly what is in that membership. A lot of older memberships include different parks. That can be a good thing if you are maybe camping only in those areas. But you do need to be careful. One thing to remember about buying directly from Thousand Trails: do it in person at a park, and wait until it's about the last week of the season there. You will get a good discount as the sales people will be anxious to get any kind of commission when it's slow. I used to only go and buy cars at dealers on a rainy Sunday night when nobody was there, towards the end of the month. They are desperate to move inventory at the end of the month.
Consider a SPOT emergency locator. You can send and receive text anywhere in the world even non emergency. With it and they offer a towing option and air ambulance option. If you get hurt and you are remote anywhere in the world they will find you. They will recover your vehicle as well. It's not perfect but it works. It's about $280 a year. Sportsman's Warehouse sells the radio for $199 without membership fees.
Thank you for taking the time to share this info.
Garmin is much better than Spot, IMO.
Stephen Otto yes but spot is over half the price and it works without having to use a cell phone
dirtcurt1 you don’t need a cell phone to operate the entire garmin line. There are versions that are self contained with screen, keyboard etc
Wow. That’s quite an eye-opener! I have always known that Thousand Trails was expensive, but I guess, like anything else, there is deception in the RV business too. Even though we aren’t planning on buying a TT membership, just knowing this information is so very helpful to those who are considering one. Thank you so much for your continuing information, ideas and opinions you two! I can’t tell you how much I look forward to “my favorite couple” in the RV world! Again, you have learned SO MUCH in this not quite year and a half on the road, and I (and so many others) love ❤️ and appreciate you! Love Ya, Virginia
Hard to find Integrity nowadays Virginia. Especially with big Corps. We are so grateful for the RV Odd Squad and would never mislead our Friends fo money. We Love You too💚💚💚
For me the problem is. A lack of minimum standards. Why would I buy a membership? If there is no telling, what I will find. I mostly boondock. I come into a park once a month for two or three days. To catch up on laundry, and resupply. As truck stops warm up to Rv users more. Some of us may give up on RV parks all together. As more truckers have mini fridges in their sleepers. The truck stops are stocking more food choices. They already had coin-op laundries.
You bring up really good points. We rely on hookups a lot, but for experienced boondockers, this membership wouldn't really be necessary. If you love hookups like we do, and you're full time, it's a good option.
Hey you guys, I've been following your post for a few months now thank you for being so honest about the ups and downs of camping And your faith. So glad to be apart of your Odd squad. We bought our 5th wheel Raptor in 2018 and we love it.
Thank you for the words of encouragement. And welcome to the RV Odd Squad! :-) . We appreciate the support! You help drown out the haters!
@@RVOddCouple Awe, the haters are just jealous. Your on an adventure of a lifetime. We'll be praying for your family, be safe, enjoy and God bless you guys.
You guys are awesome!!! Thank you so much for always being so honest, that’s exactly what we all need.
Hi Lisa💚 Thank you as always👍😀
Medina Lake In Texas has gone downhill. They have tons of red sites (electrical is busted), a burned up kitchen, and the roof caved in at the rec center. If you want a fire ring, you have to rent it. Most lake view sites are either full of full timers or red. We used to love it so much when the kitchen and rec center were working and when there were no red spots. Luckily I only have a regional pass and it’s 43 bucks a month. It’s still worth it though because it’s cheap (and close to home). It’s just sad to see it go downhill and everything has been broken forever.
Oh and the full timers are allowed to build unsightly porches and storage areas on site. It is starting to look like crap.
Thank you for sharing this info Christine :)
I really enjoyed all the info you put out in this video! A lot of this can apply to *any* park system, not just Thousand Trails. When I’m out there, I plan to stay mostly in military recreational campgrounds, and I still have a lot of research to do on those. Happy trails to you... 💗
Let us know what you find out about the Military Campgrounds😀👍 Thank you Therese💚
I am not an RV'er but I am a big outdoors enthusiast and I really enjoy your videos. You guys seem to have a great connection with each other and it appears to start with your genuine honesty and a true desire and enjoyment of helping other people. (btw Mercedes looks better in the older glasses... but the new ones aren't terrible 😃)
I ran into a slide chasing Sage and broke the old pair. Thank you
I love your honesty and that's very important. Thanks for all the information you share. If funds ever free up enough I would very much like to do some RV travel. Due to being a disabled vet I need an RV to travel . Being able to hear your tips and tricks and things you need and don't really helps. God bless you all and safe travels. 😉👍👌
Thank you for your Service & your sacrifice Darth💚 God Bless You
Thank you for always keeping it honest. No Rver wants any company to mislead them. Nothing worse to be told one thing by a Campground and get there and it's a whole other story.
It's a horrible feeling to feel "taken" by someone you liked and trusted. We need to stick together and share what's really going on. Thank you💚
@@RVOddCouple AMEN to that
Good info. I had a similar experience with KOA as for as consistency of the quality of the parks. Some are great, well maintained and some are pretty awful. My more recent experience with TT was we sat down with a sales rep at a park. During his presentation he looked at me and said "you don't look too enthused about this presentation", I said I wasn't and I was actually kind of tired at the moment. He got up and said "well this presentation is over, you can remain at the park tonight but you must vacate in the morning" (we had a free three night stay). Well we left the next morning.
Really is hit or miss but the Membership is worth it if you use it. Sucks that some have no integrity! Thank you for sharing this Aaron😀👍
When we signed up with Thousand Trails it was private. Once they opened up to the public, we found we rarely used their parks any more. By that time the kids were older and wanted to go to other destinations to stay. We surrendered our membership this past year with nothing to show for that Platinum Lifetime membership but memories.
yeah.. we understand why they went public given the recession... but now it sure would be nice if they would become private again.
Thank you for this info. I am researching this TT subject right now. Im retiring in 2021 and would love to live the lifestyle you living. Thats why I subscribed. Thank you again
Well thank you for joining the RV Odd Squad :-) . You're in the right place! We learned everything the hard way. So just don't do what we did and you'll do great. lol
We sincerely appreciate your honesty. We bought from Kim and now we are even happier that we did. Thanks for the information your channel provides.
We love Kim Louise! Kim is honest💚 Thank you
Thank you for your feedback Louise 🤗
Hope you are enjoying your time on the road!
Reach out anytime if there are any questions that I can help you with!
Happy Camping 🏕
Kimberly
Good on you guys for being straight shooters. Well explained and I still need to watch and listen another time. Why can’t things be simple?!?
Thank you👍😀 The world is just strange lately
Finally, a video that truly explains membership!! Not a full timer, so thank you for mentioning that this is beneficial mostly for those who do. That being said, which park did you stay in when you were in my old “hood?” (Verde Valley, AZ) Again, that you both for always providing these insightful, honest videos... you are amazing!! Blessings...
Hi JR. We loved Verde Valley. The 2 parks we visited in AZ are Verde Valley and Fiesta Grande. Would totally recommend them again!
I've heard that Odyssey was going away... for a LONG time now. I'm pretty sure it's just something all salespeople are told to say to create urgency when pitching Odyssey memberships. I have Ultimate Odyssey and love it. Also, as far as Thousand Trails allowing spots to "the public" -- like most parks, they have a few sites set aside for "the public." This can be people that get a free 3-day stay (in return for listening to a sales pitch) to someone just renting those spots out. Those spots are LIMITED and I think it's important to know that they can't simply rent the whole park out to people in the public. If a park has 10 spots for "public" use... when those 10 spots are filled, there are no more -- even if the rest of the park is empty. The same goes for "emergency" spots -- many of the parks have sites set aside for "emergency" uses (we were assigned one during an emergency once at an otherwise "full" park). They also have a set number of spots for reciprocal programs... such as RPI or other membership programs. This is no different than Passport America or any other discount program -- there are usually limited sites within a park designated for that program, and when those are gone they're gone... even if the rest of the park is empty. Just wanted to state that, as many people might hear that Thousand Trails is open to the public and not understand what that means. Oh... and have you seen the prices for the limited "public" sites at Thousand Trails or Encore parks? Very high pricing (that alone would keep most people away).
Interesting but not sure David. Thank you
We full time and have a TT memembership and love it. We have not had any issues with getting into a park and found that they will work with you when you call them. We also are Trails Collection members and by the way, it has gone up from $214 to $299 for the year. Yes, some parks do charge for 50 amp service and when it's hot, I pay and gladly. We have saved so much money with our membership, i recommend it to everyone we meet. Haven't gotten a dime, but know it is a great deal. I also do blogs on TT/ good/bad! The Odessy is going away, but at that price, ugh! We also don't want to stay more than 21 days in a park, as we have pretty much seen it all in that area. Just our opinion!
Thank you for sharing your honest experience :) We like ours as well. Thank you Joe :)
I miss seeing the bag of donuts in the background in your old RV. I think that it was your trademark for a long time. Bring it back! :)
Lol...We have a Team working on this!
We bought the basic plan a year ago with 2 regions covering us from California to Florida. We paid $430 and have used it for approximately 40 days including 12 days just outside of San Diego. For us it has been well worth it. Even if we just used the one close to our house during the year, with full hookups, it would only ram 10 - 20 days to cover the cost. I would agree however that sometimes the cell service and wifi is poor and sometimes the park is a bit shabby, but hey, they usually have a pool and I've been to several parks that are beautiful.
Thank you for sharing your experience here with us.
You should make a video on the best Thousand Trails RV site in each state you've visited. Or top 15.
Good idea
We belong to an kindof Coast to Coast outfit, we enjoy the camping whenever we want, 3 month registration and 3 week stay. Kinda expensive at the start. These times now it makes it nice to know at least we have places we can camp at anytime.
You BOTH sounded like undercover reporters in the opening:) Made it more interesting!
LOL...Thank you Michael
You guys are awesome! Glad to see people who are honest & I really appreciate that in this corrupt world! God bless y’all & continue to keep y’all safe & in His loving care 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Hi Bunn Rabb💚💚💚 Good people need each-other! We love the Prayers and thank you for them. God Bless you as well
OMG thank you very, very much for this update! I/we so appreciate your helpful advice and opinions. Hoping Sage is doing well, as is Skippy. 😘 #GoChiefs!
You are very welcome! Happy to help. Sage and Skip are great. Thank you 💚
The Thousand Trails park members leads to camping in traditional campgrounds where everybody is stacked together like chicken. Yes, the campgrounds have lots amenities, but rarely do we use these amenities. So, we are staying in National Forest or State Park or City Parks instead and are also often boondocking for free or very low rates.
Looking forward to the next video. This is our dream but we are several years away from being able to do it, and I am getting concerned that we won't be able to do it because there will be too many people doing it and/or we won't be able to afford it with the costs going up and up! UGH!
It will be interesting to see what happens with more and more RVers hitting the road. But we hope that doesn't dissuade you from continuing to consider RVing. :-) We'll see what happens.
Joined Outdoor World in 1986 at Sea Pines and over the years upgraded our membership and when Equity Lifestyles bought OW and it became part of Thousand Trails, we bought an upgrade through an intermediary company to what is called Choice Membership. The last upgrade froze our maintenance fees to the level we had last paid. I would estimate our total investment to be over $10K. What is important is that members read their contracts. Each membership upgrade is an addendum to the original contract. So if TT says something which is not correct, you have to go back to your contracts to ensure that you get everything promised. One negative is that we sold our RV late last year (15 yrs old). However, we have been making use of the Getaway weeks we were awarded with each upgrade. We also banked those weeks if we were not able in one year to use the Getaway week. We have been thinking about passing our membership on to one of our adult children or cancelling it outright. We have had good experiences and bad experiences but more of the former over the 33 years of membership.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience Paul
Love your videos!
First time we heard of Thousand Trails was when we bought our new Solitude last spring (2020).
"4 weeks free camping" was included in the sale. Yes, it was Thousand Trails.
We called them to redeem the free camping but we had to go see the campground first.
They made a boiler-room very high pressure sales pitch to sell us a $23K national time share. Yes, $23,000 time share + $600 annual fee.
We said NO but they kept their relentless high pressure pitch.
Their sales manager came in and offered me a discount rate of "only" $17,000 but limited to only 1 zone.
We said NO again and the pressure continued.
We had enough and left.
Before leaving they said we can still have our 4 weeks free camping but their parks are not something we are interested in.
I got a series of emails a few days later first offering the same package for $14,000 which I did not answer.
I got another series of emails over the next week pushing the most basic plan for $7,000 plus annual membership.
I ended up blocking their emails and calling them to stop harassing us.
Worst experience ever.
Very honest and to the point. you really need to listen to this video before you buy a TT membership!
We only boondock and it's a great way to see the country!
Awesome! This Country is beautiful!
I'm extremely new to boondocking. Will probably be starting this summer. I have a question if you don't mind answering. How do you know when going to someplace new if it's okay to Boondock? Thank you in advance.
Merry Gwolf m
We bought a used membership from Kim and did well with that. 120 days out reservation. 3 weeks stay at Orlando and one other TT Park, which we did last winter. - paid $3200 (I think). Can resell our membership. Only 80 parks but that is more than enough. -- the only thing I would change is I would have looked for the EXTRA WEEK contract clause which is $30 for one extra week. In some older contracts. --- as far as being able to get into a park, just book 120 days out and you are fine. Even in Florida. And consider getting a smaller RV. The big rigs have issues. Our small RV trailer fits anywhere.
You bring up good points! Especially the smaller RV. In Oregon and Washington there were a few hairy spots. But for the most part, being so long isn't an issue.
Thank you for your feedback and taking the time to comment Kevin!
Truly hope you guys are doing great out there and enjoying your travels!
Happy Camping 🏕
Kimberly
From SURPRISE, AZ - Love you guys! Keeping it REAL! And Mercedes, you deserve that mug!😀
Hi Gilbert💚 I want that darn Mug! LOL...Thank you
We have been in the TT system as FTers for nearly 3 years and upgraded this year to Odyssey. Sure it can be frustrating at times but we try to book the entire 6 months in advance and stay on that curve. We also try to arrive at the moment check ins are allowed because sites vanish quickly. We are also members of RPI, PA, Escapees, Good Sam and Harvest Hosts. With all of these options it works for us! i must add that TT secured us in place for the duration of the lockdown and treated us very well!
I love to watch your videos and I have learned so much. I think just taking your chances on the open road is better. Florida in winter sounds more like an ant hill with sugar on top. Thank you for your honesty.
Always Luwana💚 LOL on the "ant hill with sugar on top" We are loving FL. Thank you as always our Friend
Nice info! Keeping it real and honest. Your integrity is valued!
Thank you Tim💚😀👍
This is exactly what we needed, thank you!
That's fantastic. And that's exactly why we made this video!
@@RVOddCouple Your timing could not be more perfect 👍. We where considering trying out Thousand Trails because we had been hearing about it for years and we just watched you video from a year ago last week. I was getting ready to pull the trigger but something made me stop. Now with this I think we will try it after our first work camping gig in the busy months through the people you are talking about. You guys are awesome thank you
Not an RV person.......but........I've listened to many of your videos just to be informed. GREAT job. Thank you.
"We should have read the contract." Yep, and maybe have an attorney look over it.
Member since 05. Kids were young and it was a great way to do quick weekend trips. Tent ⛺️, cabin or rig. I retired in 15 and went full time. My membership (platinum) was long paid off. I upgraded to the odyssey, RPI and encore packages. I financed it all including the dues. Costs is around 240.00 a month. I also bought the lifetime passport america contract, disabled america the beautiful pass. With the money I saved im able to winter in a 5 star resort.That absolutely caters to snowbirds.
Excellent! We would love to know where you winter😀👍 Thank you
RV Odd Couple Golden village palm rv resort in Hemet California.
Always like seeing informative content. Although we aren't in need of a membership since we usually boondock everywhere , a membership is still something to consider. We would be certain to add you as the referral.
Thank you so much! We appreciate that. We really like our hook ups. There's such a spectrum of RVers. Some like concrete pads, some are happy with water and electric. It all depends on personal preference. :-)
Kudos for being honest. We had a bad experience years ago with this type of membership Campground. It was terrible. We were lied to as well. It was very difficult to sell once we tried to leave. It was very expensive and disappointing. You guys have a huge platform for referrals that most people don’t have (this channel). Thanks for sharing. (Jane, from SC)
*Your information is so interesting, your experience is invaluable to others
Hey you two!! They are great huh!! I enjoy hearing so many of their experiences and information.
Wow, thank you so much! Appreciate that. Our experiences are certainly unique. lol . :-)
@@RVOddCouple Unique in a good way
We have been members for years but it is getting harder and harder to find a spot. We love the membership but they need to start making new rules. As you know coming in with a camper over 40ft it very hard to find sites anymore. Good luck guys!!
You are absolutely right! The whole space has to change to keep up with the new demand. Nice meeting you two👍😀
@@RVOddCouple most managers keep telling us that the campgrounds have been here before the "big" campers. Well time is changing. It is time to lose 1 or 2 sites per row to accommodate the bigger rigs. They arent going to get any smaller!! It was nice seeing you guys too. Maybe we can meet you guys at a 1000s trails park. We are headed to Florida end of February
WOW!
Sorry You guys had to have these hiccups during your journeys. Thanks for sharing these important tips for others to learn from. I don’t think you’ve done anything negative towards “1,000 Trails” . I think if anything you’ve given helpful criticism for everyone including “1,000 Trails”. If someone from “1,000 Trails” was watching this, I think this offers a chance for them to improve upon their memberships.
Again, Thanks for Sharing 😊👋
You are very welcome Corey. We like helping where we can😀👍 Thank you
I like you guys! I been watching and listening. Thanks for all the great tips and opinions. Happy Trails!
I'm taking my longest RV trip since I bought my travel trailer.
Most I drove so far is 200 miles one way.
Now I'm relocating to to Norman, Oklahoma from Redding CA. Drive is 1800 miles.
What is a realistic amount to drive per day. What should I watch out for, or beware of?
Thank you! Your advice is much appreciated..
We go by the rule of 3!!! No more than 300 miles or no driving past 3pm. The reason we do this is setting up in the dark is dangerous and more than 300 miles can be very exhausting and cause accidents. Hope this helps.
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. It's really fatiguing to drive connected. I would plan and compare dividing the trip into 200mi/day, 300/mi/day, 400/mi/day, no more than 500/mi per day. Remember you want to set up with daylight. So how early would you realistically be ready to start traveling? Also, remember you want to try to avoid major cities in high traffic times. So have a plan and be flexible. By doing the research early, you'll have a lot of places and options. You may find one day you do a lot and the next day you don't. We can't tell you what to do because only you know what's best for you. Oh, and on travel days we stop at All rest stops. Always do a walk around and a potty break. Not sure why I shared that, but safe travels and let us know how it goes. :-)
RV Odd Couple My first trip with my Class A (last year) I treated it like my van. I pushed it and drove 10 hours. I can do that in my van no problem. I had done about 6 hours and stopped for dinner. I was so shaky I could hardly walk. I ate, took an hours rest and made the last 4 hours okay. Took two days to get over it. I swore I would never do that again. I agree with 300 miles or 3PM (or) close. Switching it up sounds like a good idea too. Have to see.
@@RVOddCouple Thank you so much! I've never been that far from home RVing and now going halfway across the country.
I love ya guys because u keep it real and honest . No bs no selling out👍🏻🙏🏻
💚👍😀
Guys, I've been following you for quite some time now.. The term the "ODD COUPLE" shouldn't apply to your meeting, marrying, etc it should apply to the fact that you're one of the few people who flat out tell it like it is!! Something that used to exist in America, but has been INCREDIBLY slaughtered over time! This new PC world, and Self-Interest excuses that we live with today, is just off the chain!
I'm GLAD to meet people like you, who take the time, and in some cases, fall on a sword, to make sure that other people, like me, who are just at the precipice of entering into this world, won't scrape our knees on the same trip rope you discovered!
If I could give any advice at all, it would be to NEVER compromise that energy you posses. Keep it REAL, keep it STRAIGHT and by all means, if those who don't like it, get angry, let THEM be the ones who do their own soul searching, because according to God's word, if you're being forthright, then the inequity is on them.. ;)
God bless you guys, keep pumping out the videos, because we "ARE" watching.. ;) And "LEARNING"!!! LOL
In fact, your video about your gun, and the individual state laws, made me take special notice! How many people actually THINK of all these caveats when they're RV'ing?? And again here, with the Bird Nesting!! Who in their right mind would think they would be confined to an RV park because some birds built a nest??
Keep up the good work!!
What a great message!
Thank you for the helpful information. Always love your honesty. We'll be pulling the trigger on buying a TT membership in the next several months so this video is great timing for us! Love you guys!
Happy to help! We love you too Michelle💚 Thank you as always
Great video friends! We have been on the TT fence a while now. Safe travels.
Thank you so much! Well, let us know if you have questions. If you use it, it's fantastic. But it's a big investment.
If you need a power point presentation to understand a camping membership, it seems too complicating of a subject.
Thank you for sharing your experience.
I'm curious why people would start their rv adventure by signing up and paying for a membership with alot of restrictions.
We recently purchased our RV....
There's no way im interested in keeping track of the complexities of anything like this.
We've gone camping 8 times so far.
I simply call the location, make my reservation, and go there...
I'm not limited on locations.
There are 100's of RV spots in California for us not having membership.
Sounds like a timeshare concept
We purchased our Elite Connections membership after your First Thousand trails video last year because we are going full-time in about 18 months and wanted to have it totally paid off before we do so that is one less expense that we have when I retire. I do not regret the purchase but like you I called the 1-800 number and was mislead on a few things. Thank you for doing these videos and letting people know that! I wish the parks were more consistant and I wish that we knew the issues we would have finding places during the busy season but have still managed to find great spots and had good camping experiences. It is definately more complicated and more work than I thought it would be but I am also greatful to be learning this and figuring it out before we hit the road full-time!
Interesting. Would you be willing to put this in an email to us? They said that if we have emails they'll make it right. rvoddcouple at gmail com
I am very glad to follow you guys because I can always trust your honesty and content. Thanks.
Thank you Courtney💚
Great info to have! I have heard of several folks out there not being happy.
Like everything, there are pros and cons. It depends on the day.
Great video and thank you again for being candid. I travel a lot and we are preparing to go full time. I have been an huge supporter of TT and believe there is not better membership system for full time living. I bought a Zone Pass a year ago and used it heavily. Then a few months ago I bought a new 5th wheel in preparation for going full time. The dealer automatically threw in a one year TT Camping Pass membership. I though great!! That will save us some money. Called TT and went through several different people asking if this would be credited to my membership and extended for another year. Ended up that since I had a current membership, they wouldn't accept the free year from the dealer and wouldn't credit it to my account. The last person I spoke to was actually a little rude ended up hanging up on me after giving me the number to RV Dealer Activation. I can't imagine doing this lifestyle without a TT and Trails Collection membership, but I was forced to cancel my TT membership if I wanted to use the free year. And now I can't get anyone to honor the free year from the RV dealer. It was a very frustrating situation. I may look at buying a used membership in the future, but not sure at this point. I love the service the membership provides. Just have been left with a bad taste over this transaction. Thank you again John and Mercedes. Keep at it!!
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience Dale. You are very welcome💚👍😀
You guys are a godsend even for occasional RVers. I'm so glad you are straight up with your mistakes. I'll NEVER sardine it at a Thousand Trails park. But I would have if I didn't find this channel, so cheers 🍻
We are 2 years on the road. We got TT Elite for 2 years-bougth it new. WE pay extra for Trails Collection(TC- Encore) and RPI and it supporting most of our travel plans very well. Many times we use also KOA a specially if we like to be close to points of interest {Nashville, Rapid City, exe..). Yes you are right.Thousand Trail NEEDS to improve Parks. If we have a pick RV Park -choice will start: RPI, TC-Encore and third ;Thousand Trails. That is our experience.We are not pay per anybody! :-)
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience Wes😀👍
When you say that your money is at risk, you must be talking about future referrals correct? You have already received the $8,000 and they can’t take that back right? Great info as usual! Love the new rig and the new video style!
Yes & No Marsha... Future & past referrals. There are some past issues that we are working to fix with TT. Thank you Marsha💚
Would y’all say the life style has calmed down? I figure with covid a lot of people jumped ship but now may be ready to get back to their “normal lives” 😆 we are looking into doing this full time in the next two years. We have some planning to do to do it on one income but it’ll be worth it!
Sounds like a timeshare, no, no, no.
Yes, but it's not. Thanks for watching
I have TT - here's what I discovered after doing the math for my situation: Buying used = less expensive now, with no resale. Buying new = more expensive now, but less expensive by a VERY small margin overall - assuming resale values don't tank. I went the cheaper route now. It did take a while to finally get my contract. Here's the thing: don't take my word for any of this: do your own research! The situation might be different today vs when I bought my used membership via Membership Outlet.
Absolutely Mike! We call balls and strikes and share our experiences openly and honestly. We are not for sale😀👍 Thank you for sharing your experience. Everyone needs to do their homework
Very good honest feedback Mike!
Thank you for sharing!
If you ever have any questions along the way, i am an email or call away, reach out anytime
kimberly@membershipoutlet.com
Happy Camping 🏕
Kimberly
I've never been a fan of TT and I'm still not interested in a TT membership. Thanks for sharing with us.
To each Her own😀👍 The Memberships are not for everyone. Thank you Susan
Great video and thank you for the info. Retiring in 2022 so we are trying to soak up all the info we can before going full time. Your videos really help.
Thank you so much Alan! And congratulations. 2022 will be here in not time! You have the advantage of time for planning and research. Glad our videos are helpful. That's why we're doing this! :-)
California Scrub Jay is not a migratory bird. That was kind of you to stay until the chicks left the nest.
You are correct! but it is protected under this Act. Only finches are excluded.
Yep, didn't even try to go to Florida this year. Heard it was CRAZY trying to get spots. Thanks for the update and be safe out there!
We bit the bullet and paid for 4 months.