Good Sam or Passport America?

[GalacticSton]

Like everyone else, I love to save money. I have been looking at these discount clubs to save on campground fees. Which of these clubs is better overall, Good Sam or Passport America? (Or is there another one that I don't know about)?

We like campgrounds that are more "woodsy" or have a wilderness-like feel. We don't care for the shuffleboard, clubhouse, activities, pool, or most amenities other than hookups and Wi-Fi. Canoeing, hiking, bird-watching, and fossil-hunting are what we like to do. So if the participating campgrounds in a club are mostly those 55+ adult parks or expensive campgrounds with a bunch of amenities we won't use, then I would prefer to join a different club.

(Also, not sure if this means much, but the bulk of our camping will be in Florida and the southeast states)

[PTHutch]

Originally Posted by GalacticSton

Like everyone else, I love to save money. I have been looking at these discount clubs to save on campground fees. Which of these clubs is better overall, Good Sam or Passport America? (Or is there another one that I don't know about)?

We like campgrounds that are more "woodsy" or have a wilderness-like feel. We don't care for the shuffleboard, clubhouse, activities, pool, or most amenities other than hookups and Wi-Fi. Canoeing, hiking, bird-watching, and fossil-hunting are what we like to do. So if the participating campgrounds in a club are mostly those 55+ adult parks or expensive campgrounds with a bunch of amenities we won't use, then I would prefer to join a different club.

(Also, not sure if this means much, but the bulk of our camping will be in Florida and the southeast states)

Good Sam Campgrounds I believe are always private campgrounds, which many are not "woodsy" type campgrounds, though some may be.

Passport America Campgrounds are also private campgrounds. I'm not that familiar with Passport America. But the little I know of them and what you stated as your preferred type of camping, I don't think Passport America would be for you.

We're been Good Sam club members for years, Membership gives us discounts on both Camping (10% at GS parks) and at Camping World. We find that the savings we experience each season more then pays for the membership cost. So it's worth it for us, but it may not be worth it for you.

In this neck of the woods (i.e., Northeast) you would find the more "woodsy" type campground in State Parks, National Parks, etc., which do not provide Good Sam discounts. Though I'm not familiar with the campground in Florida, so it may be different in your area.

What I would suggest is spend this season camping at the campgrounds you like and see how many of them are Good Sam Parks. This will give you an idea for next year if it's worth joining Good Sam or not.

Hope this was of some help.

[Tweety]

From what I hear Passport America can be a great deal if you camp mid week, since their parks often give a 50% discount but a lot of times that's only valid mid week. That said it's easy to pay for the membership with just a few nights in one of their parks.
We've been Good Sam members for a long time because there are so many parks that give their discount, and now it gives you a discount at Camping World as well.
In our area if you want a really large woodsy campsite you'll want to look at the state parks.

[MOKID]

We are members of both. We enjoy the 50% off at PA but only stay at 4 star rating and above. The GS gives us another option when traveling. If you travel much, you can recoup your membership pretty easily.

We used to be members of Harvest Host. You can stay at participating wineries and orchards for free.

We use an app on our iPhone called Allstays which shows us campgrounds and ratings as we travel.