If you enjoy going RVing or camping, you might have heard of Harvest Hosts or Boondockers Welcome by now. They are both awesome memberships that allow you to park legally and safely overnight for free.
Whether you are strolling through the California vineyards or looking for a safe place to park in the city for a night, these two memberships offer an awesome experience to stay for the night. So you might be wondering, Harvest Hosts vs Boondockers Welcome, which membership is better for you?
Jake and I personally have both memberships. We’d love to tell you everything you need to know about each membership to decide if one is better for you. Or you might want to consider getting both memberships! In 2021, Harvests Hosts and Boondockers Welcome became partners. Making their sign-up bundle package a brilliant price.
Plus if you use our Two Roaming Souls Link, you can get 15% off (Use code: HHFRIENDS at checkout)! So let’s dive into the differences and similarities between Harvest Hosts and Boondockers Welcome.
This post may contain affiliate links. Disclosure policy.
Requirements To Apply For Harvest Hosts Vs Boondockers Welcome
Both memberships do require you to have a self-contained camper van or RV. Meaning, that your RV or camper van must provide a way to sleep, eat, cook, and sanitize all within the RV or camper van.
Additionally, your RV or camper van must have an interior toilet and built-in holding tanks or bladders for wastewater.
Boondockers Welcome is a bit more friendly to travelers who might need hook-ups, with 70%+ of their hosts offering hook-ups. Of course for an additional fee. Though sometimes it’s not a true 30/50amp outlet, but just the ability to run an extension cord to an outlet in or outside their home. But both memberships allow for generators to be run, you just need to pay attention to the hours they can be run on each host page.
Cost Of Harvest Hosts Vs Boondockers Welcome
The cost for just a base Harvest Hosts membership is $99/year, although if you use our Harvest Hosts Referral link, you can save 15% off (Use code: HHFRIENDS)! Therefore, the membership is $84/year.
If you want to upgrade to the Harvest Hosts + golf membership, the cost is $139/year. But again, if you use our link above, the total cost is $118/year.
The cost of a Boondockers Welcome membership is $79/year.
With the average cost of a campground around $25+, each membership pays itself off in just about 3 nights. Both offer a 3-month satisfaction guarantee or your money back.
Bundling Harvest Hosts & Boondockers Welcome Memberships
Both memberships offer unique accommodation experiences. So if both sound great to you, you can bundle the memberships together and save!
If you just want the base Harvest Hosts + Boondockers Welcome membership, the cost is $169/year. Adding the golf package to the bundle will cost, $179/year. If you often find yourself at campgrounds throughout the year, I feel this membership bundle is a no-brainer!
What is Harvest Hosts
Personally, Harvest Hosts is a bit more fun in our opinion because you get to stay at businesses. Such as wineries, breweries, distilleries, farms, museums, golf courses, etc.
The catch is, it is suggested to spend at least $20 at each business. Therefore, it’s not necessarily “free” after 2-3 night stays. But, if you already plan to visit some of these places then, it can be more of an investment in yourself rather than thinking about paying for the campsite.
For example, Jake and I love to visit local breweries. Therefore, we are most likely going to visit a local brewery and spend at least $20 nonetheless but have to find a place to sleep on our own. So if a brewery is offering a place to stay overnight, it’s a win-win. We don’t have to find a place to stay after having a beer, and well, we might be able to try a couple of different beers because we know we don’t have to drive later! 😉 And the same goes for all the different businesses, especially golf courses!
For more details, be sure to check out our In-Depth Harvest Hosts Review here.
What is Boondockers Welcome
If you love making personal connections with fellow travelers, Boondockers Welcome might be the perfect membership for you! One thing I like about Boondockers Welcome is you get to stay on someone’s property. Often the hosts will meet you outside, provide you with any parking details, and offer hook-ups or the wifi password (if it reaches).
Some hosts will sometimes offer for you to use their outdoor facilities. Such as their porch, BBQ, backyard, pool, etc. Upon meeting, you can get a good vibe of whether or not you have much in common and you can make some new friends! Sometimes they simply just offer a place to park and will leave you to enjoy your stay on their property.
Overall, Boondockers Welcome is a bit more personable and you don’t have to spend any money to make these new connections. But always be a respectful and kind visitor. Be sure to read the rules and guidelines set by each host to ensure a good relationship.
Also, be sure to check out our In-Depth Boondockers Welcome Review here.
Similarities between Harvest Hosts Vs Boondockers Welcome
- Both memberships can be “paid off” within 2-4 night stays
- Both memberships offer a free place to stay for the night (obviously after paying off the membership fee)
- Harvest Hosts and Boondockers Welcome memberships can be bundled together to save a few bucks
- If you choose to go with both memberships, you can see all the locations on one map in the app
- If you become a Boondockers Welcome Host or Harvest Host, you can get a complimentary membership after hosting a certain amount of guests
- Both memberships offer a 3-month satisfaction or 100% money-back guarantee.
Differences between Harvest Hosts Vs Boondockers Welcome
- Boondockers Welcome offers up to 5-night stays, whereas Harvest Hosts only offers 1-night stays
- Harvest Hosts recommends spending at least $20 per stay at the business, whereas Boondockers Welcome is free (after the annual membership fee)
- Boondockers Welcome has about 70% of their hosts offering hook-ups (at an additional cost) whereas, Harvest Hosts often doesn’t offer hook-ups
- It’s a bit easier to become a Boondockers Welcome “Host” vs a Harvest “Host” because you just need to own property where a camper van or RV can park for the night, whereas Harvest Hosts you would need to own a business and the city/town must be okay with camper vans or RV’s using your property
- Both memberships offer accommodation in the U.S. and Canada, but Harvest Hosts also has a few locations in Mexico as well!
Takeaway | Harvest Hosts vs Boondockers Welcome Review
Personally, I think both memberships are worth the price! But I could see if you don’t travel very often in your camper van or RV then you might only want to consider one membership over the other. Or maybe you go out in your camper van or RV to find complete solitude, so having these memberships kind of serves a different purpose.
Jake and I travel full-time in our camper van, so being able to stay at some of these properties allows us to make connections and provides a safe and legal place to stay for the night. And like mentioned above, the membership pays itself off in 2-4 night stays. So we especially think both of these memberships are worth it for people who travel full-time in their camper vans or RVs.
If I had to choose one membership over the other, I think I’d choose Harvest Hosts because you get to stay at businesses and enjoy what that business provides. We especially find it fun to stay at the wineries, distilleries, and breweries because we then don’t have to worry about driving after we indulge in their beverages.
But that is not to say Boondockers Welcome can’t be just as great of an experience. If you enjoy a more one-on-one connection, then Boondockers Welcome can provide just that. And honestly, sometimes the hosts are busy and don’t have time to hang out. I just don’t want to sway you from Boondockers Welcome thinking you have to hang out with the hosts every time. You honestly can just use it for a place to rest, thank them for the accommodation, and be on your way! It’s really what you make of the membership.
We really don’t think you can go wrong with either membership. We believe they are both very reasonably priced memberships and can be paid off within 2-4 night stays versus paying for a campground.