If you’re looking for an affordable place to stay in your RV, you can save big bucks at a Walmart or gas station. You can find some land in the middle of nowhere. But if you want an experience that is both affordable and extremely unique, I highly recommend a Harvest Hosts membership.

I invested in a Harvest Hosts membership for my husband and I last December, but it wasn’t until recently that we had occasion to use it. After spending several months in Deming, New Mexico, we made a reservation to drive just down the road to a local winery. Checking in was easy, and we were encouraged to park wherever we liked. We were treated to gorgeous views and found a bit of shade near a tree for the RV.

At around 5:30 pm, we headed inside, ready for a wine tasting. The wine was delicious, as was the platter of food I ordered – with two varieties of cheese, olives, grapes, salami and chocolate disks, it was extremely tasty and also gluten-free. It was fun pairing the food and wine, and when the tasting was complete, we indulged a bit further by purchasing a (cheap) bottle of wine for later.

Harvest Hosts locations are happy to give you a place to make in exchange for your business while you are there, and this was a fantastic first experience.

The next day, we had a long drive ahead of. We made it to the Santa Fe area for our stay at an alpaca farm! When our hosts said the shop would be closed the next morning for shearing, we changed our plans a bit, so that we could make our purchase that evening. We were warmly invited to mingle with the dogs and alpacas, and after an early dinner, we enjoyed a full tour of the farm followed by a chance to shop for alpaca products.

We purchased two hats (one would have been a fair trade, but we couldn’t resist!) and were happy to support a local business. The sunset was gorgeous, and the next day, I had a lovely walk around the neighborhood before we hit the road.

I love that with Harvest Hosts, you can purchase nice things or experiences instead of paying for a campsite often super close to your neighbors. I also love that Harvest Hosts makes travel days fun – something neat to look forward to at day’s end. And finally, my favorite part about a Harvest Hosts membership is that you can stay for up to twenty four hours. So if you’re late risers like we are, or you have a long day of travel and want to rest after or explore the town, you can! The only condition is that you arrive during their business hours.

To put that into perspective, we had to arrive by 5 pm at our alpaca farm stay. That means we could have gone out to eat and enjoyed the town almost all day the next day if we wanted to. Isn’t that awesome?

Though this two night stint was a blast, I am really excited to take advantage of our membership later this summer when we are touring the Pacific Northwest. As long as you’re self-contained, why not enjoy a farm or a museum rather than a truck stop? I think it will also make for much more memorable experiences than a gas station or another Walmart parking lot.

I’m a big fan of Harvest Hosts. If you haven’t tried it out yet, please consider a membership. My links here are affiliate links, so you’ll contribute a bit toward our travels when you purchase through our link.

Have you tried Harvest Hosts?

_______________________________

Supporting Our Blog

We are so thankful for your support of our blog and our careers! You can help by doing any or all of the following:

• Purchase one of Ross’ albums!
• Become a patron of our work!
• Make purchases via our Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
• Make other purchases using our affiliate links. Capital One 360 is one everyone can take advantage of to save money! Signing up with Dosh is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support us, and we also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money.
• Listen to, subscribe and review our theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
• Subscribe to our blog, as well as perhaps InSearchOfAScoop.com, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
• Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from us, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com.