Thousand Trails/Leisure Time

[Larryheadhunter]

wow guys look at this before you buy anything. 1000 trails is in rough times as resellers/and previous owners are selling it dirt cheap plus a $750 transfer fee.

Read highway magazines campground memberships for sale as I did and got a great deal for just under a $1000 total first year, for RPI preferred and coast to coast deluxe (Camper World 4 parks SBR 2 parks
Colorado River 7 parks Sunbelt 2 parks
Leisure Time 7 parks Halo Resorts 2 parks
Naco 17 parks Quality Resorts 1 resort
Travel America 10 parks Resort Campgrounds
Sunrise 12 parks International 2 parks
K/M Resorts of America 6 parks Elite Resorts 1 park
American Campground 1 park
Great American Resorts 1 park ARA 1 park
SRV-Conestoga Campground 1 park Pride Resorts 1 park
Advanced Resorts of America 2 parks Holiday Trails 1 park

Go online to www.resortparks.com click on the visitor’s section then on the resort guide and then the state you want to see. That will show you all the resorts)

RPI Preferred includes: RPI
RPI Preferred
Enjoy America
50% discount on resort rental when staying 7 nights or more
90 day reservation
14 days in 7 out 2 times a year in peak season, unlimited in off season
no 125 mile rule
4 Family passes each year, good for up to 7 nights each
The Coast to Coast Classic is 7 days in 30 days out of the same resort 2 times a year. You may go from one resort to another
The Coast to Coast Deluxe is 14 in 7 out 2 times during the peak season at each resort and unlimited in the off season and no 125 mile rule.

The $328 membership is Coast to Coast Classic and RPI regular and Happy Camper. After you are a member she can upgrade you for $495 + tax for one of them or $650 + tax for both of them. Or you can get CC Deluxe & RPI Preferred only for $1098 + tax now. If you join rpi and coast to coast the way I told you it is just under a $1000


Call Angie at Shiloh Resorts in Monroe, Louisiana and the yearly dues for shiloh if u do it this way is $99, plus Coast to Coast Deluxe is about $128 and RPI preferred is $106. Happy Camper is $40, and Enjoy America is part of eithere RPI or CC. She has these resells all the time and u never have to go to the membership campground.

SHILOH/SHILOH’S LAKE BRUIN RESORTS ​

7300 FRONTAGE ROAD​

​

MONROE, LA 71202​

​

318-343-8672​

​

THE FOLLOWING IS A BREAKDOWN OF YOUR CHARGES:
Membership Fee $ 198.00
S&H $ 10.00
Shiloh Dues $ included then $99.00 frozen + tax due 07-01-09
Coast to Coast included
RPI 120.00 may upgrade to RPI Preferred for $495 + tax
Happy Camper included
Tax 24.26
Total $328 plus the upgrade of $650 for RPI preferred and Coast to Coast Deluxe instead of buying RPI preferred and CC separately. You have to tell her you want the Highway magazine promotion.

What is really sweet is that they pay for all the first year dues. ​

Please tell Angie that Larry Kuhn referred you so I can get some credit.​

​

When you call Shiloh ask for Angie Blair's cell number.​

​

If you have any questions pm me with your phone number and I will explain in more detail. You can't get a better deal than this. I know as I spoke with several resellers and they couldnt match this deal. It's 10 bucks a night for most of all these campgrounds. I am now in Wyoming and over the last 8 days have saved over $300 ​

​

 

[ziggy]

Thanks Larry.

We were supposed to be going to check out a 1000 Trails park next weekend, but by my doctor has other plans for me (well my spine anyway, the rest of me just has to go along for the ride) so we had to cancel. I was looking forward to letting them pay for 4 days in the park and $75 worth of fuel!!!

We'll just have to keep researching and decide what we want to do a little later than we expected.

Kristy

 

[jmgratz]

Though I would join in this discussion. We just joined TT national with OW, NACO, RPI, EA. When putting a pencil to it the cost of this will pay for itself in about 2 years. Someone asked the question about whether you pay for your RV site at TT parks. My program allows me to camp for free in TT, NACO, OW parks. I pay $10 for RPI parks and EA is 50% off. We plan on using TT NACO and OW alot. Our contract allows for 14 days consective and then out 7. Also the 14 days only apply if you stay more than 4 days. So you could go from park to park as long as you don't stay more than 4 consecutive nights. Hope this helps. Also they have alot of different pricing programs and levels of entry so you can play "let's make a deal" with the salesman.

 

[Larryheadhunter]

bet u paid more than the thousand bucks i paid for RPI preferred, Coast to Coast Deluxe, Happy Camper, Enjoy America, Naco, leisure time etc. Fyi, most of the 1000 trails are in these campgrounds. check my earlier post. the most important point is that the home park means nothing, its the access u get to the multitude of campgrounds in the system. Our one month trip saved us almost a thousand dollars which happened to pay for the whole first year. the yearly dues on thousand trails is usually around $400 which covers all my yearly dues for all the various memberships. Our Shiloh is only 99 bucks a yr.

 

[jmgratz]

Yes I probably did but like I tell the kids I am spending their inheritance (haha). It just that when I was born I had this mark on my forhead that says sucker and all of the salesmen take advantage of it.

 

[Larryheadhunter]

hey jim i didnt mean to come accros disrespectful, rather informative so others will examine all possibilities before buying. none of them are perfect, but the transfer fee of $750 put 1000 trails out of my pay grade.

 

[jmgratz]

Well I guess we are just joiners. We are members of Escapees, Camp Club USA, KOA, Passport America, Western Horizons, AOR, Thousand Trails, Coast to Coast, RPI, ROD, TACO, Good Sam, and probably something I have forgotton. The whole idea behind all of this is to save money on camping. With campground fees approaching $50 a night it is almost to a point of staying at Motel 6 is cheaper. And some of the RV parks I have seen are not worth 50 cents. Sometimes I think the boondockers have the right idea except now the price of gasoline makes running the generator cost as much as staying in a campground. Maybe I can install a wind-turbin on top of the RV and power it that way. Can't wait for the day when technology can beam us to the next campground.

 

[morganm12]

This thread interests me because Ruth and I have been long time members of 1000 Trails. In reading the various post I'm intrigued at the different concepts about what TT is. We joined in the spring of 1981 and have not regretted it for one minute. Our membership in TT is how we can afford to fulltime. Our membership dues this year was $423. We can go park to park for up to a 14 day stay at each park. We just left the preserve that I think Cooper was speaking of and found it to be fairly well maintained. Yes, the roads and RV sites needed attention (a road crew had patched several holes since our last visit). The facilities, bath houses, family center, adult lodge etc. are clean. The $18,000 price for a membership made me curious so I checked. The salesman, Sam Cherry, told me that the initial quote was actually $18,995, but with a little dickering it could drop to about $12,000 for a full membership. Sam was very forth coming with the information we asked for. The "full membership" includes several things we would never use i.e. cabin rentals. If you take a tour and don't buy that day the $12,000 offer is off the table and TT will not allow you to buy a used TT membership of any kind for 2 Yrs. Thousand Trails has never sold themselves as a resort, they are preserves. By definition they have attempted to keep their properties as close as possible to their natural state and still provide an enjoyable camping experience. If one is looking for cement slabs to park on and manicured grass between sites then TT probably isn't for you. If your looking for a secure friendly place to spend time in your RV then the welcome mat is out. Just like Heartland RVs you get value for your money with Thousand Trails.

 

[mrcomer]

Well put morganm12.

Linda and I have been members for about 5 years now. We use our membership almost every weekend during the spring-summer and fall. Even with (2) kids we make sure to get down to the campground every chance we get. I bring this up because even though we are not fulltiming we have more than gotten our monies worth out of our membership. I actually keep track of my membership costs and dues and track that against what it would normally have cost per night to camp there and as of late last year we are money ahead. With our membership paid off and my spreadsheet showing me that they are paying me to camp, it turned out to be a very good investment for us and when we are able to travel more extensively then we will be better off.

Mark

 

[morganm12]

Hello Mark,
Thanks for the kudos. We met once in the summer of 06 at TTs Wilmington preserve. Glad to see you've upgraded to a Landmark. We talked in front of the activities center and you had friends there on a tour. It took me a senior moment to remember who you are. I see you didn't upgrade the tow truck yet.

 

[Draco Dog]

We purchased one of the original 1,000 trail memberships, when they only had one location in Chehalis, WA. We have 1,000 trails, Leisure Time and Naco. We are so very fortunate because our yearly dues are only $60 per year. I hope to retire by the end of this year (if we sell our house), so we can become full-timers and take advantage of our memberships. We also purchased ROD (Resorts of Distinction). I am having a heck of a time getting information from them. It took over 6 months to get a membership card and their book. I asked for a copy of the contract with them, and they said I had to get it from our home park. Our home park is Pacific City. We plan on being there in about 3 weeks. Hopefully we will get some satisfaction at Pacific City. We were told that our membership information was included in the book that they sent. And there is info there, but I know that they offer different memberships. When we purchased ours, a month later we sent in another small amount of money to up-grade. I just want a copy of our contract so I know exactly what our rights and obligations are. This seems to be such a hard thing to get. I don't understand the problem. It makes me wonder about renewing again next year. Has anyone else had this problem with ROD? and if you have, what did you do?

 

[Larryheadhunter]

Hate to disillusion u guys, but right now google Thousand Trails resells and u can buy one for $1,000 bucks and a $750 tranfer fee. Also there are many 1000 trails campgrounds in Coast to Coast and RPI preferred that has NACO, Leisure Time, and just added a bunch of Western Horizon resorts, as well as Enjoy America, and Happy Camper, Colorado Adventures and many others. I am not saying u made a mistake and i hope u enjoy all your campgrounds, I am just offering u a different, less expensive membership alternative. Check my earlier email on this thread to see how u can buy RPI preferred, Coast to Coast Deluxe, several others for less than a grand.

 

[jmgratz]

Just wanted to share the neat experience we just had at Medina Lake Preserve (TT). There are deer wandering around everywhere there and at one time had 19 in our campsight. They will even eat right out of your hand. I have attached a photo of my DW feeding them. Medina Lake is about 35 miles west of San Antonio, Texas.

 

[meandg]

Just wanted to share the neat experience we just had at Medina Lake Preserve (TT). There are deer wandering around everywhere there and at one time had 19 in our campsight. They will even eat right out of your hand. I have attached a photo of my DW feeding them. Medina Lake is about 35 miles west of San Antonio, Texas.

Medina Lake has been our favorite. One day we will make it to some of the other parks that everyone raves about.

 

[robnmo]

This thread interests me because Ruth and I have been long time members of 1000 Trails. In reading the various post I'm intrigued at the different concepts about what TT is. We joined in the spring of 1981 and have not regretted it for one minute. Our membership in TT is how we can afford to fulltime. Our membership dues this year was $423. We can go park to park for up to a 14 day stay at each park. We just left the preserve that I think Cooper was speaking of and found it to be fairly well maintained. Yes, the roads and RV sites needed attention (a road crew had patched several holes since our last visit). The facilities, bath houses, family center, adult lodge etc. are clean. The $18,000 price for a membership made me curious so I checked. The salesman, Sam Cherry, told me that the initial quote was actually $18,995, but with a little dickering it could drop to about $12,000 for a full membership. Sam was very forth coming with the information we asked for. The "full membership" includes several things we would never use i.e. cabin rentals. If you take a tour and don't buy that day the $12,000 offer is off the table and TT will not allow you to buy a used TT membership of any kind for 2 Yrs. Thousand Trails has never sold themselves as a resort, they are preserves. By definition they have attempted to keep their properties as close as possible to their natural state and still provide an enjoyable camping experience. If one is looking for cement slabs to park on and manicured grass between sites then TT probably isn't for you. If your looking for a secure friendly place to spend time in your RV then the welcome mat is out. Just like Heartland RVs you get value for your money with Thousand Trails.

Agree completely, we just attended a meeting with TT, (we've been members for a few years) they've been taken over and completely revamped their program. What was once offered is no longer available, it's more of a time share w/ camping at TT preserves tossed in, pretty much a $14,999.00 price tag. It was also a pitch to "upgrade" to include condos..........we don't want condos that's why we bought into TT preserves.......camp not condo it, when we declined the offer he met us at the door as we left and the comment was "you bought in at the right time, because what you have is GONE......congrats to you both". Also something to keep in mind is in this current economy wonder what State campground, etc pricing is going to do? (bet I know) In alot of states a AAA or AA site you can expect to pay $40.00 per night (more on holidays). Then there's the people using the facilities in general, TT and many of the private campgrounds is nothing like Public campgrounds, completely different people. Kids don't pay a few thousand to "join" to go camping on a weekend, I've spent over 30 yrs dealing with public campgrounds and "first come first serve" and reservation systems. That membership we paid (or bought into) is more than worth it in just the different atmosphere and mindset of the people using them. TT isn't for everyone, but can be a perfect fit for some. Just a personal preference to each individual.

 

[Draco Dog]

We have never regretted purchasing our Thousand Trails membership. We have one of the original memberships. Bought it from my parents. We can sell it one more time, then it goes back to the company. We were never able to use it much until we were both retired this past March. Now we are living full-time in our 2010 Big Horn and loving it. We sold our home and are "on the road again". And for us also, we would never be able to afford this style of living if it weren't for TT.

We have only camped in the areas of Washington and Oregon and have always found them clean and well-kept.

The Thousand Trails are preserves, in that they have more of a woodsy feel to them. More trees, bigger sites available, etc. Where as Leisure time, etc., are resorts. These feel more like camping out in the open and close to the next site.

We love the campgrounds in the pacific northwest. Particularly, Pacific City, Chehalis, Bend and ofcourse can't forget Seaside. The campground is just ordinary, although it's kept up nice, but the big draw to Seaside camping, is the town of Seaside, OR; lots of touristy shops. (and can't forget the ocean). We also love Leavenworth, WA. If you haven't been there, you should some day. This town is a shopper's delight. Go to www.leavenworth.com, it will show you what the town is like and will also give you ideas of what time of the year to go. They have many activities thru-out the year. I have never been there @ Christmas time, but I understand that it is magical.

There have been times when we have had to give up and camp in a regular park. State Park, Good Sam, etc. I hate paying between $30 and $40 for one night.

And hubby won't stay overnight @ Wally World. Has anyone else??? What experience have you had?

We purchased an addition to our membership a couple of years ago. We are now able to go from camp to camp to camp. With no out-time. We can stay up to 3 weeks and then go to another membership campground. We don't have to be "out of the system" for 7 days before going back to one of the membership campgrounds. We love this feature.

The only problem I have with moving every 3 weeks, is having to pack up things inside the trailer so they will be safe. It is becoming a hassle. I keep thinking there must be a better way. We are new to being a full-timer, so maybe there is something obvious in getting the trailer ready for traveling that I am missing. ANY HELPFUL HINTS ???????

We have been at the coast for a couple of months now and plan on heading south in a couple of days. Heading for Arizona Either Tucson or Yuma. Any suggestions on where to stay or where not to stay????

I understand that in Yuma there is a bus that will drive us over the border into Mexico and then pick us up later that day. Looking for eye doctors, dentists, otc and rx medications. Any comments on this????

Also, any experience with doctors/dentists in Mexico.

Thanks in advance for any information. cheri

 

[Larryheadhunter]

wow Ziggy and others, please look at this before you buy anything. 1000 trails is in rough times as resellers/and previous owners are selling it dirt cheap plus a $750 transfer fee. Most of the TT parks, which many are like preserves, are in the RPI and C to C book and for $10 a nite, we are camping at the Seaside Resort, next to 1000 Trails Owners, who paid $18,000 and when they heard about the deal we got, they were kinda upset at 1000 Trails. Now we can't get into every TT campground, but we can get into most of them thru these less expensive alternatives. Thru these other memberships, we are able to get the best of both worlds, and we also got NACO, Leisure Time, Coloroda River Adventures etc. Unless you are full timing for a month at a time, then I would think 1000 Trails may be worth it.


Read highway magazines campground memberships for sale as I did and got a great deal for just under a $1000 total first year, for RPI preferred and Coast to Coast deluxe (Camper World 4 parks SBR 2 parks
Colorado River all parks Sunbelt 2 parks
Leisure Time all parks Halo Resorts 2 parks
Naco 17 parks Quality Resorts 1 resort
Travel America 10 parks Resort Campgrounds
Sunrise 12 parks International 2 parks
K/M Resorts of America 6 parks Elite Resorts 1 park
American Campground 1 park
Great American Resorts 1 park ARA 1 park
SRV-Conestoga Campground 1 park Pride Resorts 1 park
Advanced Resorts of America 2 parks Holiday Trails 1 park

Go online to www.resortparks.com click on the visitor’s section then on the resort guide and then the state you want to see. That will show you all the resorts)

RPI Preferred includes: RPI
RPI Preferred
Enjoy America
50% discount on resort rental when staying 7 nights or more
90 day reservation
14 days in 7 out 2 times a year in peak season, unlimited in off season
no 125 mile rule
4 Family passes each year, good for up to 7 nights each
The Coast to Coast Classic is 7 days in 30 days out of the same resort 2 times a year. You may go from one resort to another
The Coast to Coast Deluxe is 14 in 7 out 2 times during the peak season at each resort and unlimited in the off season and no 125 mile rule.

The $328 membership is Coast to Coast Classic and RPI regular and Happy Camper. After you are a member she can upgrade you for $495 + tax for one of them or $650 + tax for both of them. Or you can get CC Deluxe & RPI Preferred only for $1098 + tax now. If you join rpi and coast to coast the way I told you it is just under a $1000


Call Angie at Shiloh Resorts in Monroe, Louisiana and the yearly dues for shiloh if u do it this way is $99, plus Coast to Coast Deluxe is about $128 and RPI preferred is $106. Happy Camper is $40, and Enjoy America is part of eithere RPI or CC. She has these resells all the time and u never have to go to the membership campground.

SHILOH/SHILOH’S LAKE BRUIN RESORTS ​

7300 FRONTAGE ROAD​

MONROE, LA 71202​

318-343-8672​

THE FOLLOWING IS A BREAKDOWN OF YOUR CHARGES:
Membership Fee $ 198.00
S&H $ 10.00
Shiloh Dues $ included then $99.00 frozen + tax due 07-01-09
Coast to Coast included
RPI 120.00 may upgrade to RPI Preferred for $495 + tax
Happy Camper included
Tax 24.26
Total $328 plus the upgrade of $650 for RPI preferred and Coast to Coast Deluxe instead of buying RPI preferred and CC separately. You have to tell her you want the Highway magazine promotion.

What is really sweet is that they pay for all the first year dues. ​

Please tell Angie that Larry Kuhn referred you so I can get some credit.​

When you call Shiloh ask for Angie Blair's cell number.​

If you have any questions pm me with your phone number and I will explain in more detail. You can't get a better deal than this. I know as I spoke with several resellers and they couldnt match this deal. It's 10 bucks a night for most of all these campgrounds. I am now in Wyoming and over the last 8 days have saved over $300 ​

 

[robnmo]

It's definitely an individual choice as to if TT fits or not, everyone is different. I don't know where the $18000 price tag comes in, we bought in for $4700 (through their park sales) with unlimited range, 14 in 7 out, RPI, ROD, etc. Again, for some it's a great fit but like any other program out there, if you don't research it, figure it up, crunch the numbers, and it's not a good fit for that individual then it's definitely not a good buy. We won't/don't stay specifically in the TT network because sometimes there isn't a preserve where we're going, then we turn to RPI, etc at a reduced rate, but grab a TT when possible.
As for having financial issues? The world has financial issues right now.

 

[jmgratz]

We joined TT in Aug of 2008 and then upgraded to the Platinum Plus which allows us 21 days in and then move to another TT resort with no out time. Since we bought our membership TT was sold. The new owner (although the CEO is the same) has come up with alot of different programs such as "selling" individual sites, long term "rentals", etc. I don't even believe you can buy a membership like you used to. Our membership was not even close to $18000 and there were so many different 'levels' of membership. We even got 'frozen' dues with our membership. We have used TT Preserves in many different locations and found them to be nice. They are not like the high dollar private resorts but they have met our needs and have all of the facilities we enjoy.

 

[robnmo]

We joined TT in Aug of 2008 and then upgraded to the Platinum Plus which allows us 21 days in and then move to another TT resort with no out time. Since we bought our membership TT was sold. The new owner (although the CEO is the same) has come up with alot of different programs such as "selling" individual sites, long term "rentals", etc. I don't even believe you can buy a membership like you used to. Our membership was not even close to $18000 and there were so many different 'levels' of membership. We even got 'frozen' dues with our membership. We have used TT Preserves in many different locations and found them to be nice. They are not like the high dollar private resorts but they have met our needs and have all of the facilities we enjoy.

We're with you 100% Jim, TT preserves have all we need as well, plus the ones we've seen are more than spacious and roomy, not packed like sardines, and your right the packages they used to sell are no more they're completely redoing the entire purchase programs where every so many yrs it's a renewal of about 5K, not the one time buy like we all bought into. I agree they're not like a high end resort thats another reason we like them, the mrs and I are more of the low dollar and even lower maintience people. We still roast hotdogs with a stick from a tree and convert blue jeans w/ holes into shorts.