Best Ways to Take Full Advantage of your Harvest Hosts Membership
Harvest Hosts is a unique membership program that allows members to stay at various off-the-beaten path locations all over North America. These 4356+ locations include stops such as wineries, farms, breweries and distilleries, golf courses, museums, and many other types of attractions. These places provide the special experiences that many RVers set out to find when they buy an RV in the first place. With their new membership in hand, Harvest Hosts members are in for a world of special and exciting experiences that can only be found through this incredible program. However, even seasoned members may not be aware of all the ways they can use their membership to the best of their advantage.Ā
Here, weāll list out some of the best tips and tricks we know for making the most of your membership. After all, RVing is meant to be experienced, and what better way to experience RVing than by using your Harvest Hosts membership in the best possible ways.
1. Visit all the Harvest Hosts locations near your home for easy weekend trips
If you are new to the world of RVing, you may be planning your first ever epic āshakedown trip.ā This term refers to the āmaiden voyageā of RVing, or rather, the initial trip that one takes in their RV in an attempt to become accustomed to all the new processes. As many experts would recommend, most people prefer to plan their first shakedown trip to a location within an hour or two of their home. However, not everyone lives in close proximity to campgrounds, and some campgrounds may not make for the ideal first RVing adventure that you have in mind. To ensure an exciting shakedown trip, consider planning one to a Harvest Hosts nearby your home. This will ensure a fun and exciting first experience, while also guaranteeing a smooth trip.Ā
If you are not a brand new RVer, you are still able to take advantage of all the Harvest Hosts locations within close proximity to your home. Are you wanting to plan a weekend getaway without hours of round trip driving? Find a nearby Harvest Hosts location, and spend the weekend sipping wine, touring a museum, or picking berries. The options and possibilities are endless, and Harvest Hosts can guarantee a myriad of unique and individual experiences waiting for you around every corner.
2. Check for Harvest Hosts locations along your travel route
Once travelers join Harvest Hosts as members, they gain access to an entire online database that lists each individual host location on its own profile page. Through the use of the search feature, members can sort locations by type, place, and route, while also filtering to include their specific preferences.Ā
The route feature specifically is a handy tool that allows members to input a starting location and an ending location into their map search bar. With the start and end places set, this route feature will show you which Harvest Hosts locations are located along your specific route. For example, say you are beginning a trip in your hometown of Philadelphia and planning to travel to Acadia National Park in Maine. This trip totals eleven hours without any stops, so many people would suggest breaking it up over the course of two or three days, stopping for the night after a few hours of driving each day.
If you are unsure of where to break for the night, allow the route search tool to show you which Harvest Hosts locations are located along your intended travel route. You can even set the maximum number of miles you are willing to veer off-route. This way, you do not have to travel far off the path to find a safe, scenic, and affordable place to rest after driving. Plus, stopping at a Harvest Hosts location for the night is always nicer than stopping at a Walmart or a rest area.
3. Stay at locations that specifically interest you
While this may sound like a fairly simple idea, staying only at Harvest Hosts locations that specifically interest you (and the rest of your party!) will make for the best overall Harvest Hosts experiences. Perhaps you donāt drink alcohol. In this case, you would want to choose locations besides wineries and breweries if you want to be able to enjoy said location. Likewise, if you are not a museum person, it may be better for you to choose a farm or winery location if given the choice. After all, following your own specific interests will always lead to the most authentic and enjoyable times.
4. Purchase birthday/Christmas gifts at Harvest Hosts locations
Letās face it: RVing can be quite expensive! And while a Harvest Hosts membership can allow you to save on campground costs, members are still expected to patronize their hosts whenever spending the night. This is usually quite easy to do, as our hosts tend to offer incredible experiences and items for purchase. However, if you are traveling on a tight budget and donāt feel you have extra money to spend, consider purchasing food in the form of produce and other products, or even items to be given as future gifts to others. This will allow you to continue to enjoy Harvest Hosts locations and patronize each host, while also saving you money in the long run.Ā
We have seen members purchase beautiful wine selections, homemade jams and dips, and many other unique and incredible products to be given as gifts on holidays or just because. This holiday season, consider skipping the classic gift cards and offering hand-selected gifts from small businesses around the country instead – we know your loved ones will thank you (and us!).
5. Choose Harvest Hosts locations with food on long travel days
While RVing is a fun and exciting way to travel the country, some travel days can end up being rather long and tedious. However, even at the end of a long travel day, a Harvest Hosts location can be the best kind of place to relax and unwind. For planning purposes, consider choosing a Host location with food, especially on days where you will be on the road for quite awhile. Many RVers are too tired to cook after a long day of travel, but may not want to eat frozen meals or fast food. A Host location with delicious food offerings sounds like the perfect place to eat dinner at the end of a long day!
6. Check for Harvest Hosts locations in areas you want to visit
Are you planning a vacation to Yellowstone National Park? Or perhaps you are planning to visit Seattle, Chicago, or Great Smoky Mountains National Park. You may be surprised to learn that there are Harvest Hosts locations nearby each of these destinations, as well as locations nearby many other incredible places across the country. If you are only planning to visit these places for a day or two, you may be able to stay at a Harvest Hosts location as your basecamp.
If you want more time in these places (most Harvest Hosts locations do not allow members to stay more than a day), you can always stay at a Harvest Hosts on the way to or from these destinations. After all, patronizing a local business may be just the thing to give you the inside scoop on what local life is like in these areas. Keep this in mind when you are planning all your future trips.
7. Utilize the request a stay feature whenever possible
Did you know that we have a contactless method for booking future Harvest Hosts stays? Our ānew-ishā feature, called āRequest a Stay,ā allows members to request to stay with a specific Host in just a couple of clicks. We understand how busy life on the road can be and hope that our new feature can make it that much easier for you to enjoy your travels. Not all of our Hosts are utilizing this feature, but, when possible, this can be a great way to plan your future stays with ease and organization. Be sure to use this feature whenever possible to make your booking as seamless as you can!
Harvest Hosts allows RVers to travel in unique and exciting ways they may have never before thought possible! Newbies and even seasoned members may not be taking full advantage of all the ways they can use their membership, and we hope this article helps to put an end to that. After all, Harvest Hosts is here to make your RVing experience even better, and we intend to do just that! Consider any of these possibilities and tips when planning your future trips for wonderful memories that the whole family can share!
How do you make the most of your Harvest Hosts membership? Do you have any tips or tricks that we may not have mentioned here? Where are your favorite locations to visit? Feel free to share in the comments below!
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I am already a harvest Hosts member if I choose to upgrade with Boondockers welcome what would this cost me yearly
We travel in a 32,000 pound 40′ Class A with Jeep toad. It would be useful if HH hosts could comment if location is easily accessible to larger rigs, no low trees, no high RR tracks, ability to turn around, suitable parking surface, etc.
Hey Linda, I travel in an almost identical set-up. The locations that list the total length or that there is no length restriction will have ample places for you to pull in and turn around. I have visited dozens of locations with no issues, so long as they were accessible to rigs of any and all sizes. Hope this helps!
Purchase a cpap portable battery for use when no electric. That’s what we use. You charge it up when yoi do have electric and then you are good for a night at a HH.
Tracy, I read about your CPAP portable battery, where did you find it? I asked my distributor about batteries, and she said all they had was the CPAP for 750+ and my insurance wouldnāt pay for it.
Thanks for the info.
Hiā¦ We use a Jackery portable power bank. Works super and we cam get three nights out of one charge. It will also charge cell phones and lap tops. We love this gizmo. The three nights is when we use the Jackery only for the cpap.
We have 2 Jackery solar generators that can be charged with cigarette lighter, solar panels as well as plugging into an outlet.
We use them on the road and at home to run appliances, lights, charging phones, laptops and the larger model will power our home refrigerator. Super portable as well as effective and efficient. Highly recommend!
Iāve been a member 3 years and vastly prefer to call a host vs email request. I can call the day before or the day of and find if they have a spot available. The email request requires about 3 days to find out and frequently I donāt hear back until the day/afternoon of that they can/canāt accommodate us. Please donāt encourage the online request usage.
I agree. A phone call is best. Chatting can give the traveler more info than on HH. Like special events, specific directions and special parking instructions.
I am at Notso Grande Ranch in Hanford, CA today. My call let me know that the host would be away until this evening. He gave me specific instructions of where to pull in and park. Also that I could go inside the beautiful shaded pool area to wait and that he would give me a tour upon his return.
I would have been at a total loss with just an online contact.
Hey Dan! We are encouraging the use of our new “request a stay” feature for all hosts who prefer to use it. For many of our hosts, they prefer the organization and the fielding of questions and calls to a more digital method. Since our hosts are what make the program possible, we do everything we can to make things as simple as we can for them. š That being said, some hosts still prefer phone calls, and we sincerely hope that you are able to continue using your preferred method of booking overnight stays with the hosts that also prefer this method.
We joined for a trip this past summer that was canceled do to covid, we we have been staying at local hosts and what a great time. Wineries, breweries and local farms. Who know there was so much in our own area. Thank you Harvest Host for saving our summer. We are even booked into 4 different location in late Oct now.
We are so happy to hear that Harvest Hosts helped you to have an enjoyable summer, even in these weird and unpredictable times. We sincerely hope you continue to be able to enjoy all that your local area has to offer. Happy trails to you!
Hi,
We have been members for 4 years now and have loved our experiences. This past year my husband was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea and we need electric. Is there a way to search for electric hook up?
We use a marine grade portable and rechargable battery for my husband’s c-pap.
We have similar needs. While a portable power pack is an option for some things, we would gladly pay a little extra each stay if I could get shore power. We were not able to enjoy many HH locations this summer because of the heat. Running the generator all night is too noisy for others (and it only lasts 7 hours between fill-ups). A 20-amp outlet would solve the CPAP issue (and you could run a space heater in cold months or fan is warm months). For A/C, you’d need a 30- or 50-amp outlet which might not be practical for HH to add, but it sure would be nice! HH – can you help us?
Purchase a cpap portable battery for use when no electric. That’s what we use. You charge it up when yoi do have electric and then you are good for a night at a HH.
This is such a great suggestion. Thanks, Tracy!
Buy a Jackery to run his CPAP!!
The Christmas gift one is a great tip. Hosts usually have really, really nice, non-mass produced things to sell. You can always purchase and stash away something for a future birthday or other occasion that will be sure to please, and when the receiver finds out you bought it while travelling, they will appreciate that you were thinking of them even more.