Life on the road is a fantastic way to see the country but finding a safe and secure location to park can sometimes be a struggle. One of the resources that I use while traveling is Harvest Hosts. There is an annual fee to be a member of Harvest Hosts, but the real question is: “Is Harvest Hosts Worth the Cost?” Let’s dive into the pros and cons of a membership with Harvest Hosts and see if it is worth it.
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Pro: Variety of Locations
One of the biggest pros of Harvest Hosts is the variety of locations that are available. I personally have stayed at breweries, vineyards, alpaca ranches, and distilleries. If you enjoy partaking in adult beverages, Harvest Hosts is a great way to be able to buy a couple of drinks and get a safe place to park for the night. With over 3000 locations nationwide, there is no shortage of interesting locations to park for the night while traveling. Plus, the hosts are usually very welcoming and interested in learning more about your travels.
Pro: Easy to Use App
Most people nowadays have a smartphone. Harvest Hosts makes it very easy to find locations, check availability, and request a stay all from their mobile app. Email notifications let you know when you are approved and you can even message the host right inside the app. The built-in map lets you filter by location type, size restrictions, and region. This makes it very easy to find locations near or far and plan out an epic road trip. The app allows you to leave a review of a host to share with other members what you liked about the location. It even keeps track of your past stays if you want to return in the future, it is easy to do so.
Pro: Reservable or Last Minute
Whether you are a planner or a winger Harvest Hosts caters to both travel styles. I will admit I tend to wing things a bit more but like to plan maybe 2-3 days in the future. Requests to stay at a location can happen weeks or months in advance or in as little as an hour before you are in an area. While not every host allows same-day requests, I have had multiple hosts welcome me last minute if plans changed for some reason. Knowing where you are going and when can sometimes be tough when going with the flow, but Harvest Hosts makes it easy to stay organized and plan when you want to.
Con: Size Limits
While this won’t be a con for everyone, if you have a larger rig as I do, size limits can be a problem at times. The app has a filter option to filter by rig size. Ranging from less than 25fy up to 45ft+. Since most hosts are businesses in some capacity there might be limited parking on site. For those cases, certain hosts may have a size limit. I travel in a 40ft school bus and it isn’t always easy to maneuver in small spaces. While I haven’t had too many issues with size limits, there have been multiple times that I wanted to stay at a host to then realize my rig was too big. But that is part of choosing a large vehicle. Smaller vehicles won’t have any issues with size limits.
Con: “Cost” of Stay
For someone who is looking for “free” options to spend the night, Harvest Hosts may not be the best choice for them. As a member of Harvest Hosts, you are asked to spend ~$20 when staying at a host. While this is not a lot of money, people who are watching their budget might not want to be spending that nightly. The way I look at it, if I can pay for a drink or meal and get free safe parking for the night, I consider that a win. I also look for gifts for people at Harvest Hosts locations so that they come from a unique location and help support a small business. While $20 might not be a lot to some people, those looking to save a few bucks on the road may want to reconsider if Harvest Hosts is right for them.
Con: Limited Number of Units
For a solo traveler, this one doesn’t really apply, but depending on the size of the host they may only have 1 or 2 sites available each night. If you like to travel with other vehicles in a caravan style, it can be harder to find a host with enough sites for your entire group. I have seen hosts with only single sites and I have also been at hosts where we fit 3 buses and 2 vans with my group, plus they also had other people staying. So again, this isn’t really an issue if you solo travel mainly, but can make things more complicated when traveling in groups with multiple vehicles looking to spend the night.
Is Harvest Hosts Worth the Cost?
So is Harvest Hosts worth the cost? In my opinion, yes! For just $99/year, Harvest Hosts is one of my favorite resources I use regularly while traveling to find safe and unique places to park. The annual fee more than pays for itself compared to campground fees and the nightly “cost” to stay at a host location can be offset by purchasing gifts or food. Overall, this isn’t the cheapest way to travel, but I have met some great hosts and other travelers while staying in Harvest Hosts and recommend it to anyone looking to road trip in a self-contained vehicle. If you want to become a Harvest Hosts member, I have a referral for 15% off your membership here!
Are you already a Harvest Hosts member? Do you have other travel tips or tricks? Drop a comment below and let us know what you think. To stay up to date on all bus life adventures be sure to follow along @SeekingDiscovery on all major social media sites. And as always get out and Explore Every Day!
Sounds like a great way to meet good people and support small businesses. Thanks for the insight!
Another “Con” is that sometimes you have to “arrive” within a certain window. That being said, a phonecall to the establishment indicating you will be late is an easy remedy.
I completely agree, at times if a host says you have to be there before 5pm, it makes it difficult on travel days!