We have been on the road for a little more than 4 months now and we are learning really quickly that we don’t always like to stay in campgrounds. We’ve found a lot of great free camping options and today I’m bringing you the best free RV camping app… at least according to us.
RV campgrounds are great for longer stays and catching up on laundry but occasionally we enjoy getting away from the noise and busyness of campground life.
Nothing makes me happier than stepping out of my RV and not seeing another RV in sight.
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Recently we stayed at a few wineries and the last one we stayed at we stepped right out of our front door and into their vineyard.
Grapes as far as the eye could see!
Not to mention Michigan weather in August is beautiful.
So how do we find these free camping spots? Well it’s the best free RV camping app I have been using lately… Harvest Hosts.
Many of our readers may have heard of Harvest Hosts but some of you may be hearing of it for the first time.
WHAT IS HARVEST HOSTS?
Harvest Hosts is a program you can join for a set yearly membership fee and stay at over 827+ locations across the United States, Canada, Baja California & Alaska.
We have only been able to stay at wineries so far but locations include so many more places.
Some of the hosts you will find are:
- Breweries
- Wineries
- Farms
- Cider Mills
- Creameries
- Museums
- Golf Courses
- Resorts
- Hotels
HOW DOES THE PROGRAM WORK?
It’s really simple… you join by signing up and paying for your membership. As soon as you join you have access to all of the hosts within
your plan.
Right from the app you can see locations based on area or you can search for a host.
You will see their icons and be able to tell right away what they are. You can even narrow your search down to a specific type of host as well.
Once you have nailed down your potential host you can look at their profile page to see their location, contact information, photos, reviews and more.
The app even links out to their websites and will open their location up in your map app on your phone.
Did I mentioned this is the best free RV camping app?
They really did think of everything.
When you have chosen your host all you have to do is give them a call and see if they have availability. There has only been 1 time a host said they didn’t have space for us. I called back again later the same day and they allowed us to stay anyways.
When you stay with a host they generally just ask that you spend some money with them which for us is easy because we love wine and fresh produce. Although it’s not required.
AN HONEST REVIEW
Is it worth the $79 or $119 per year price tag?
Yes, 100 percent yes it is. When we joined we didn’t use it for 5 months and still made our money back in 2 host stays. We joined at their original pricing of $49 per year and are locked into that rate but I would still pay the new pricing now if I had to do it.
If you join with this link you get 15% off your membership fee.
Our first 2 host stays more than paid for the investment for the year. Now we are looking for more places to stay along our routes to see us out of public parking lots, truck stops and rest stops.
We’d rather be in a more private place where a handful of people know we are there than a public place where we are passed by thousands.
I’m upgrading our package to include the Golf plan to open us up to more locations across the nation. When you choose the golf plan you get hundreds of more options added to your app.
The hosts we have stayed with have been so friendly and accommodating. Our favorite place so far has been a winery in Michigan. They had sheep on the property that the girls loved to go visit as well.
All you could see from our spot in the vineyard were grapes and wildlife. It was so serene out there.
If we are going to stay off the grid and not have any hookups then we’d much rather do it with a view!
What’s the best free RV camping app you’ve found? We are always on the lookout for more options.
