Table of Contents Show
If you’ve been thinking about joining the Escapees RV Club but aren’t exactly sure what type of benefits you could receive, look no further. This was one of the first RV clubs we joined when we became full-time RVers and think it should be on the top of any RVers list of memberships as well. Let dive into why the Escapees RV Club could be right for you.
Escapees RV Club Membership Review
History
Joe and Kay Peterson founded Escapees RV Club in 1978 by distributing their first official hand-cranked newsletter to their 164 members. Later that year, Escapees RV Club members gathered for the first Escapade in Bakersfield, CA.
Forty years later the Escapees RV Club has over 60,000 members! It’s safe to say this club knows RVing and is a great community to be a part of.
Organization
Escapees RV Club has 57 chapters all over the United States. Within chapters, you will find additional rallies, events, and get-togethers. We’ll discuss those more later.
They don’t have any rig restrictions either, which means you’ll find members ranging from small camper vans to decked out toy haulers to luxurious motorhomes.
Demographics
The Escapees RV Club welcomes all types of RVers. While most of their members are full-time RVers they also have plenty of part-timers, weekenders, and seasonal RVers as well.
Escapees is a multi-generational club. They have members ranging from Millenials all the way to the Greatest Generation. Because of this wide range of age and the club currently having over 60,000 members, you’re bound to find people you click with.
Benefits and Discounts
Community
The Escapees RV Club is big on community. They note that “for most members, the strong sense of inclusion in a community of like-minded people is the most valuable and long-lasting benefit of Escapees membership.”
Most newbie RVers will tell you that the hardest part of your first year is making friends and being able to ensure your paths cross again. Believe it or not, RV life can be lonely, especially if you’re a solo traveler.
Escapade
The Annual Escapade National Rally put on by Escapees RV Club is the largest and most extensive gathering of the Escapees community. It contains a wide range of seminars, social gatherings, nightly entertainment, and so much more.
Other Escapees Events
While the Escapade National Rally is definitely an event you don’t want to miss, the Escapees RV Club hosts a number of additional events each year! Based directly off their events page online, those additional events include:
- Virtual Events
- Virtual events include happy hours, games, and live entertainment.
- Head Out Program
- Also known as HOPs, include excursions with fellow RVers targeting unique locations, special events, and theme-related activities to create fun-filled and memorable adventures. The Club does all the work, you just show up!
- Escapees Hangouts
- Hangouts include a lightly structured schedule with organized activities throughout the day as well as plenty of opportunities for socializing and spontaneous events.
- Escapees RV Club Chapters
- Member-led chapters offer local events and social opportunities for you to enjoy close to home. Join them at local luncheons, and travel to a planned chapter RV outing that is within hours from home for RV fun and adventure.
- Birds of a Feather
- Escapees Birds of a Feather (BOF) groups share lifestyle interests. Some of the groups already formed include boondocking, biking, hiking, working from the road, pet lovers, solo travelers, and so much more!
RV Parks, Campgrounds, and RV Parking Spots
The Escapees RV Club Membership comes with the perks of discount RV parking, member-only campgrounds, and access to low-cost overnight parking. Below is a summary of each benefit related to RV parking based off the Escapees website:
- RV Parking Discounts
- This includes discounts between 15% – 20% to over 800 private campgrounds. Escapees partnered with these parks to get their members cheaper rates, and we sure do appreciate it!
- SKP Co-Op Parks
- Escapees RV Club created 11 co-ops parks across the United States. These parks are exclusively for Escapees Members and are run by individual members of the co-op.
- Rainbow Parks
- Located from Arizona to Tennessee, these parks offer a campground section, deeded lots, lease lots, and a unique five-year-lease ERPU program you won’t find anywhere else.
- Days End Directory
- Through the Day’s End Directory, Boondocker’s Welcome, Harvest Hosts, and overnight parking with SKPs, your options for low-cost, overnight parking are plenty.
Escapees RV Club Advocacy
One of the unique reasons we love Escapees RV Club is their advocacy for RVers whose travels are temporarily interrupted or permanently ended due to health, and preserving the privilege for overnight parking for RVers.
Good Neighbor Policy
Escapees RV Club has a Good Neighbor Policy. This policy was originally created in the early nineties and has since become the industry standard for how RVers should conduct themselves when overnight parking.
This policy is a great PDF to familiarize yourself with whether you’re a newbie RVer or experienced. We firmly believe in it and conduct ourselves by the same standards on the road.
Escapees C.A.R.E. Center
The Escapees C.A.R.E (Continuing Assitance for Retired Escapees) Center is a nonprofit corporation that was formed to “provide a safe haven with professional assistance at affordable prices for members whose travels are permanently ended because of age or temporarily interrupted because of health problems.”
The C.A.R.E. Center was formed in 1992 and is under the guidance of a volunteer board of directors. It is located in Livingston, TX and while it might sound like a nursing home, it is not.
Their goal is to provide daily meals, schedule medical appointments, provide transportation to those appointments, and provide on-duty nurses in the hopes of delaying or eliminating the need for a nursing home altogether.
Escapees RV Club Partner Discounts
While we consider the community the biggest perk of the Escapees RV Club, the discounts have to be a close second. Who doesn’t love saving money?!
When you join the Escapees RV Club, you get instant access to a large selection of discounts. You can easily cover the cost of the memberships by taking advantage of the savings offered. Here are a few of our favorite discounts you can get through Escapees RV Club:
- Pet Insurance
- Escapees will receive a 10% discount off complete coverage plans through ASPCA Pet Insurance.
- Goodyear Tires
- Escapees will receive a 15% discount on all auto and trailer tires purchased through Goodyear.com.
- Fulltime Families Memership
- Fulltime Families provides advice, support, guidance, opportunities to socialize with other families. Escapees members get one year free (a $65 value).
- Mobile Internet Resource Center
- We definitely took advantage of this discount! The Mobile Internet Resource Center was vital to getting us up and running properly from the road. Escapees save $10.00 on a Mobile Internet Aficionados membership.
- Costco Membership
- If you join Costco as a new member, Escapees receive coupons valued at more than $50 including three free items. While we were already Costco Members, we’re happy to see this discount offered to others.
RVer Job Exchange
We know a lot of families and working-age people are wanting to hit the road, but finding a remote job holds them back. This is exactly why we love the opportunities provided by Escapees RVer Job Exchange.
Whether you’re looking for work on the road or looking for workers to grow your business, this is the place for you.
We consider this a huge value add to this membership. The RVer Job Exchange matches job opportunities with traveling workers. They have both full-time or part positions and contract or employment opportunities.
Xscapers
What is Xscapers?
Xscapers is a subsection of Escapees RV Club that contains mostly working-age RVers. Don’t worry about any additional fees though, access to Xscapers events and community is included in your Escapees RV Club membership. Personally, we joined the Escapees RV Club to take advantage of this specific subsection.
Xscapers Convergences
Like Escapees, Xscapers also puts on many events each year. The largest event is the Xscapers Annual Bash, put on every January.
The Annual Bash welcomes the new year with tons of athletic activities, educational seminars, and some excursions. After working hours are over, most night activities include music, dancing, and drinks. We attended in 2019 and had an absolute blast! Check out our video below:
Other Offerings
The Escapees RV Club offers so much more than what we’ve already mentioned above. If you’re not convinced yet that is is the right RV club membership for you, I’m sure the below additional benefits will seal the deal.
Escapees Roadside Assistance
Having an issue on the road was one of our biggest fears when we were first considering the RV lifestyle. Once we started doing research on all of the different coverage types out there, we quickly realized that it was important to read the fine print. Some roadside assistance programs didn’t even offer towing for your RV!
The Escapees Roadside Assistance Program is designed with RVers in mind, so there’s no need to worry about getting the old switcheroo. Just a few of the services offered are towing, mobile mechanic, tire change, fuel delivery, winching assistance, lockout services, and more!
Mail Forwarding Service
Yes, Escapees RV Club even offers a mail forwarding service. This mail service allows you to receive your mail no matter where you are in North America.
When you sign up you will receive a unique address in either Texas, Florida, or South Dakota (depending on how you chose to legally domicile). Escapees will hold your mail and packages for you until you are ready to have them forwarded to you.
In addition to mail forwarding, Escapees RV Club also offers a mail scanning service. They will scan your mail so you can log in to your account and view the front of each letter. You can let them know which mail you would like forwarded and which they can destroy for you.
SmartWeigh Program
Escapees RV Club created the SmartWeigh Program to enhance safety and overall success in your RV journey. When you participate in the SmartWeigh Program, your rig will be weighed by a trained professional using high-quality scales.
Additionally, the scales are used on individual wheels, which provides you with extremely accurate results. We believe in the phrase “knowledge is power” and knowing your weight ensures you are traveling safely and efficiently on the road.
Cost
The annual membership fee is $39.95 for U.S. residents and $49.95 for Canada and Mexico residents. This cost includes a subscription to the Escapees Magazine. If you’re ready to become a member, signup here.
They do offer special discounts for Active Duty Military and Veterans.
If you are Active Duty Military you will receive a free membership and 5% off their mail forward services, 5% off on most items in the Escapees Store, and 5% off on Escapade registration.
If you are a Veteran you will receive 5% off the annual membership fee and 5% off their mail forward services, 5% off on most items in the Escapees Store, and 5% off on Escapade registration.
Summary
In summary, the Escapees RV Club is one of the memberships we recommend to any RVer. It’s great for finding community on the road, provides access to many educational resources, and gives you great discounts on a variety of products and services.
Because Escapees RV Club has been around for so long, they’ve really honed in on what RVers want and need. They’ve branched out to cover so many topics in the RV space, it’s a great resource to have in your back pocket.
FAQ
What is Escapees RV Club?
The Escapees RV Club is one of the oldest and largest RV membership organizations in the world. Members have access to a large number of discounts, support services, educational opportunities, events, and are connected to one of the best RV communities.
How do you join Escapees RV Club?
You can join by clicking here.
How Much Does it cost to join Escapees RV Club?
The annual membership fee is $39.95 for U.S. residents and $49.95 for Canada and Mexico residents. They do offer special discounts for Active Duty Military and Veterans.
What is an Escapees co-op RV park?
Escapees RV Club created 11 co-ops parks across the United States. These parks are exclusively for Escapees Members and are run by individual members of the co-op.
Other Memberships
While we love our Escapees membership, it may not be the right campground membership for you based on your travel style. Here are some other RV clubs for you to consider.
Thousand Trails is a great option for full-time travelers looking to reduce their nightly campground cost to under $10.
Another option to consider for a great discount is Passport America. They offer up to 50% off nightly stays.
FMCA and Good Sam club offer only 10% nightly rates but they do have other discounts on tires, fuel, and more.
Those of you interested in unique camping experiences away from a campground may want to check out Boondockers Welcome or Harvest Hosts.
Want to plan your route around campgrounds that will give you a discount? Check out our secret weapon for using our memberships: RV Trip Wizard!
Stop Wasting Money on Unnecessary Memberships!
While every RV club offers something great, it’s not always applicable to every RVer. Find out which clubs and memberships will save you money and which ones will be useless for your travel style.
Sign up for our completely FREE RV club e-mail course today!
Great article Rae!!