Guest Author - Dennise Ziaja

Camping clubs, campground memberships, RV clubs...what are they, and what is the difference between them? Read on...

What should you look for when you are looking to join an RV club or organization? First, determine what it is that you want to get from your affiliation. Do you want to socialize with all types of RVer’s with all types of rigs? Do you prefer to stick to groups that only allow members to have your type of rig or rig manufacturer? Do you want to caravan and take long leisurely trips either in your geographical area or would you like to roam to say, Mexico or Alaska? There are as many types of RV clubs as there are types of rigs…lots and lots of ‘em. Most RV clubs are social groups, and meet periodically to "rally". A rally is simply a gathering of RVer's in a campground, fairgrounds camping area, or boondocking area.

If you are a brand new RVer, does the dealership where you purchased your RV have a RV club? That’s a good place to start to explore the RV clubs available to today's RVers. Another good choice for new RVer's is the manufacturer’s type clubs, sponsored and run by the RV manufacturing company. We know quite a few folks who own Winniebagos and belong to the Winnebago Club; the variety of activates, rallies and tours they offer are amazing. Tour prices are generally lower due to the size of the group, there are rallies with lots of free food and fun activities and seminars at the Winnegabo plants which have their own rally parks (campgrounds) and there are an abundance of Winnie sponsored trips to choose from, any time of year to anywhere in North America and sometimes beyond!

Membership clubs, not to be confused with discount membership clubs,(see Discount Camping), are abundant and quite varied. Some of the larger clubs are Good Sam, Escapees, and The Family Motor Coach Association. These national organizations have a myriad of local, state and interest centered chapters. For example, the Escapee’s Club has BOF’s…standing for Birds of a Feather. These BOFs are sanctioned and endorsed by the Escapee’s, along with the state chapters. For example, we belong to Chapter 46, The Illinois Chapter of the SKPs. Chapter 46 holds two yearly rallies and members also attend the Escapades, the national rally that the club puts on yearly. Just recently, due to the economic slowdown, the Escapees changed from having an eastern rally and a western rally to one major national rally.

A new group of clubs have arisen from the popularity of the internet. Several new clubs have sprung up from an individual’s web page that has evolved into a “club” by virtue of friendships made via message boards and chat rooms on the site. The RV Dreams website is a good example of such a “club”, which has no memberships per se or rules, but the members, actually, "regulars" meet at mini-rallies and get-togethers and socialize. Life long friendships are created from these types of groups. The major organizations such as the FMCA, Good Sam and Escapee’s offer benefits and freebies like trip planning, and message boards, plus offer road assistance services, mail forwarding services and other benefits RVer’s need. Some of these benefits are included in the membership dues and some are offered for low costs to the members.

Next: Benefits of RV clubs.

Check out the clubs noted below...