Free RV Camping – Boondockers Welcome Explained – In Detail

Free RV Camping – Boondockers Welcome Explained – In Detail

Boondockers Welcome Review

The Title says “Boondockers Welcome Explained” and mentions Free RV Camping. It also says that we’re going to explain all this in Great Detail. In a nutshell Boondockers Welcome is a practical and affordable way to make your RV experience very special.

The photo above is from a ranch in Wyoming that you could spend the night at no charge. It was just a quick example I got from the 128 other photos of this Host location in my Boondockers Welcome App.

Consider Boondockers Welcome to be an online reservation platform much like AirBnB or Harvest Hosts where you can easily search for hosts willing to accommodate you and your RV overnight on their property absolutely free.

SIGN UP FOR BOONDOCKERS WELCOME

Here's a discount code BWFRIENDS15 to receive 15% off.

Define Boondockers Welcome?

Simply stated, Boondockers Welcome is an on-line platform that lets you quickly search to find private properties offering a free night’s stay for you and your RV. It let’s you refine your search by location, size of your equipment, if you travel with pets, and what type of overnight adventure you’d like to experience.

I’ve read elsewhere that some refer to Boondockers Welcome as a social platform that lets RV enthusiasts connect with private property owners who enjoy meeting and sharing their special properties with RV enthusiasts.

Maybe I should explain:

During your RV travels, you can park anywhere, a rest stop, along a side road, or everyone’s favorite, a Walmart parking lot. But if you’re anything like us, my wife loves to socialize, that’s why we campground host, Boondockers Welcome offers a sense of Community where each night can be special part of the trip. Best of all, you still get to spend the night for free.

Every person we talk with has had good experiences with Boondockers Welcome and agrees with our comment that it brings a sense of community. People in the Boondockers Welcome system follow a set of ethics created to make the experiences very friendly, helpful, and respectful for all involved.

If during your travels you're out to enjoy the scenery, and meet new interesting people, then you’ll absolutely love Boondockers Welcome.

Boondockers Welcome Experience

In the Boondockers Welcome Experience section of this article we’re going to share with you some of our experiences with the platform. We’ll also let you take an insiders view of the Boondockers Welcome Community, and we hope by the end, help you decide if their membership is worth your hard-earned money.

In general, Boondocking is considered dispersed camping. This refers to parking a self-contained RV or camper on public property to spend the night with no cost involved.

Before we found Boondockers Welcome, our overnight stops were typically trying to get a few hours sleep in a rest stop, truck stop, or Walmart parking lot. None of those options offered a good night’s sleep or the peace of mind that we were truly safe while traveling.

Our RV travel experience was instantly changed once we discovered Boondockers Welcome and we discovered some amazing places to spend the night along our route.

So now, instead of dreading the stops along the way in our trips from Iowa to places like Moab, Yellowstone, The Great Smoke Mountains and Florida, we’re able to search for adventurous overnight stops along the way. It’s as simple as 1-2-3

1. log into the Boondockers Welcome app or website
2. find a host along our route and complete the online registration process
3. enjoy our overnight adventure while saving big money

Thanks to the Boondockers Welcome platform, we’re now able to find locations not open to traditional campground life and have the added bonus of meeting great Hosts along the route.

We owe this to the kindness of the accommodating hosts of Boondockers Welcome who have opened their doors to RVers across North America. Side note: It’s also fun to learn the Hosts personal story and what encouraged them to open their property to guests. Kind of like the bed and breakfast spots for the RV community.

Spend a Free night at a Montana Cattle Ranch

Stay Free at a Montana Cattle Ranch

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Member Reviews of Boondockers Welcome

You don’t have to look far to find great Boondockers Welcome member reviews. The website and app are both filled with reviews of both the platform and thousands of happy Host reviews. Reviews are coming in from people of all walks of life and all age groups because of the ever-expanding opportunities these special host properties offer.

We grabbed four reviews from the Boondockers Welcome Testimonials page:

“Boondockers Welcome has been a blessing. It's not just a place to stay, you meet so many great people. We have had everything from levelling blocks made in our host's workshop, loan tools, fresh bread and garden produce, local sightseeing trips in hosts' cars, to fishing and boat trips, but always great company and conversation. Its added so many special memories to our trip. BW is a life experience you have to part of, sign up now, you will not regret it.” – kiwi333

“We LOVE it. Great people, very friendly and helpful. It is great to be able to pull into a driveway and feel at home, you don't have to worry over getting that knock on the door in the middle of the night.” – Travellers2

“Amazing Experience
We just returned from our very first weekend stay with a Boondockers Welcome host, and are quite pleased with the experience! We discovered the Boondockers website while looking for less expensive camping options in California. We’ve had our 17’ travel trailer for about 4 years, and our maiden trip was from California to Florida and back over 4 weeks – but most of our trips since then have been closer to home, for a few days or up to a week. We have typically stayed in RV parks, and most of the time we’ve felt it’s crazy to pay $35-75/night to stay in our own trailer, when all we needed was a safe place to spend the night. We tried boondocking a few times, but it wasn’t a very good experience.. it’s no fun being a rousted in the middle of the night and being asked to leave. When we read about the concept of staying on the property of other RV owners who are kind enough to be hosts – at no cost to us, we were really excited. After checking out the host locations in California and nearby states, we immediately decided to join — and within a week we were on our first Boondockers Welcome adventure. Our hosts were fantastic and the experience was everything we hoped for… we stayed on a beautiful property, explored the surrounding area, and made new friends – we can’t wait to go again. We feel extremely grateful that there are so many kind RV owners across the country who are eager to make new friends and are willing to share their property with fellow RVers. We are going to recommend Boondockers Welcome to all of our friends who own RVs.” -Tim And TiLiAnne

“Boondockers Welcome rocks! I decided to give my new Boondockers Welcome membership a shot. I picked a place, and all I can say is WOW. My host was so friendly, her land was to die for gorgeous, and she even gave me some fresh-laid eggs from her chickens. I went to sleep and woke up to a fantastic view of the Sierra foothills and horses happily playing in their corral but feet from my van. For both of us, this was our first Boondockers experience. We are off to a great start.” – Sssnoo

Another great social platform to checkout is their Boondockers Welcome Facebook group where you can find real, unfiltered reviews from actual members.

We must admit that we’re rather new to Boondockers Welcome since we’ve been spending the last 7 years campground hosting and staying off the social channels. But the fact is, Boondockers Welcome has  been around since 2012 and we’re glad we finally found them. Now we’re looking forward to the route as much as the destination.

About the Boondockers Welcome Community

Besides being affordable and easy to use, the Boondockers Welcome Community is the best part of our membership.

The best way to explain this is a peak behind the curtain at the thousands of photos and reviews members share with the community so others can find the best place for their next stay with no hidden surprises. How else could RVers find real photos and reviews of so many beautiful and scenic properties and share in the warmth of the locals that live there.

Even their Facebook business page is down to earth with regular human interaction with their members. Maybe that’s why they have over 50,000 likes on their page.

If you visit their Facebook page, you’re likely to find a number of “Thank you” posts written to their community showing gratitude for the community support in reaching the platforms many growth achievements.

You’ll also find where they like to share member experiences and offer helpful articles related to RVing. This is where members often contribute their nuggets of RV experience to share with the community.

I mentioned earlier about their active Boondockers Welcome Facebook group with almost 20,000 members. On the group, members freely give each other advice, discuss experiences, and offer each other help.

The Facebook group is also a good place to find heartwarming posts about Boondockers Welcome hosts reaching out to members.

In the big picture I guess you could say the Boondockers Welcome community is small but focused on delivering exceptional customer satisfaction. So, this community is bound to continue to grow exponentially just by word of mouth.

Today it is a safe place for RVers across the country, an intimate community of like-minded people sharing a love for RV travel and exploration of beautiful places.

How Much Does Boondockers Welcome Cost

Boondockers Welcome currently costs $79 per year. A small price to pay for the privileges that come with it.

Here’s what the subscription includes:

• Unlimited stays with any host, confirm stay options on the app
• Unlimited access to their app to research host options
• Special discounts offered to members from partner sponsors

So, $79 gets you access to a growing community of other RV travel enthusiasts and currently access to over 3325 Boondockers Welcome hosts.

SIGN UP FOR BOONDOCKERS WELCOME

We’re thankful that you stopped by today. So, we want to offer you this link and ask you to enter the discount code BWFRIENDS15 when you sign up, by doing so you’ll get a 15% discount on your subscription.

Any Hidden Expenses?

Basically, you’ll only be paying for your subscription which is billed annually from the date you join. The only additional expenses would be between the host and member.

Some hosts will charge a small fee to use their utilities, but never anything unreasonable. Most hosts are glad just to accommodate you. In the ranch example we explored the hosts offered a by reservation only steak dinner on Saturday night for an additional fee. This was a working cattle ranch in Montana, you’ll never get a steak like that anywhere else.

A Discount Code for Boondockers Welcome

As mentioned above, we’re glad you stopped by today. So, click the link above to sign up for Boondocker’s Welcome and enter the discount code BWFRIENDS15 at checkout to get 15% off your membership. When you apply the BWFRIENDS15 code, you’re only going to pay $67.15 rather than $79.

What are Boondockers Welcome Pros and Cons

Now that we’re using the Boondockers Welcome app, we’ve found both positive and negative points in the platform. Here are our takeaways so far:

Pros

– Benefits for members

Aside from the basic privileges that come with a Boondockers Welcome membership, all members receive added benefits. Once you’re in, check out their Special Discounts page where you’ll find an extended list of partners and services that will help you make the most of your RV travel experiences.

– 1000's of active host locations

Boondockers Welcome has hosts in much of North America, but in the US alone you’ll find access to thousands of hosts you can contact directly to arrange a free night’s stay.

– Community that welcomes all

Loyalty to the service is due largely to the fantastic community that welcomes each new member. Therefore, you’ll discover that many members have been with Boondockers Welcome since its inception in 2012.

– Amazing host properies

There are other services like sister platform Harvest Hosts who allow great overnight stay options, but you can’t expect to stay more than a couple days. With Boondockers Welcome, some hosts are generous enough to let guests stay for up to a week if space is available.

– User friendly app/website

We found both the website and app to be simple and straight forward to use. By keying in some basic information, it narrows down options to only locations that fit your needs. So, once you have a list, you also get piece of mind that every detail is spelled out right there before you decide where to stay.

In the app, you’ll even know right up-front important information like whether a host will allow things like pets, generators, or grills and if they offer extras like power. With this information you won’t be surprised once you arrive.

Cons

– Some limited location options

A drawback is that depending on the location where you’ll be traveling, your options might be limited. This can be due to the size of your rig or certain host requirements. Keep in mind you’ll be visiting someone’s personal property and they may be picky (understandably) about who they want on their property.

Because the platform is still constantly growing, you might not find a host available in your location at all. Currently in Canada as an example there are still only a small number of hosts, but that list is growing. That’s not a problem for locations in the US as there are already host locations in every corner of the country.

– It’s not really free

Boondockers Welcome sells you on the idea that you get to search for hosts that let you stay in your RV on their property for free. This part is true; however it can be confusing to some. In order to gain access to the Boondockers Welcome platform, you must pay an annual 1-year membership fee. Once you’re in, you’ll be able to use the service as many times during your year as you like.

Hosts are required to let you stay for free, however some may require you pay a fee for added services like available hook-ups. In our Montana cattle ranch example, they only offer Saturday night stays and encourage you to eat at their reservation only Cattleman’s Supper Club for a per person fee. No matter how you look at it, you’re going to end up spending less than an RV campground and probably enjoy an experience you could never find at a traditional campground.

– May not be Big Rig friendly

Many host properties are situated in residential locations, so getting a large RV in might be challenging. Some locations have issues with level ground while others are too tight with small driveways. Good to know though that you’ll be able to enter your rigs information and disqualify those locations before you ever read about them. This is one of the biggest values to a platform membership.

Boondockers Welcome Locations

Good to know that Boondockers Welcome has hosts spread across North America. You’ll find over 3000 in the US, but you’ll also find opportunities for hosts in both Mexico and Canada.

Is Boondockers Welcome In Canada?

Everyone has seen images of the breathtaking views found in the areas of British Columbia or the Alberta area of Canada. But can you actually visit these beautiful places and stay in your RV for free. The answer is yes, in fact you can find a few hundred host properties around Toronto and Montreal as well.

Fact is, there are hosts located in virtually every Canadian province. Of course, as the platform is still expanding, you’re going to find it harder to locate hosts the farther north you travel. Don’t expect to find hosts north of Yukon and you’ll find a few in central Alberta.

Explore the Boondockers Welcome Interface

Exploring the Boondockers Welcome Dashboard – You’ll find the interface is very well designed and easy to use. Once you’ve signed up, you’ll create a user’s account and then log in. From there you’ll be taken right to the dashboard.

This screenshot shows you a view of the website Main Dashboard. Here you’re going to see an overview of your membership, the number of locations you have to choose from, the option to print your membership card, search options, and more.

Get Your User Profile Updated

First things first, you’re going to want to update your profile with as much information as possible. Until you finish this, you’re going to be reminded to complete the profile and you’re not going to have access to research host locations.

You get rid of this reminder and gain access to your booking account by clicking the edit profile button. Once there you’re going to be asked to upload a photo of yourself, create a username, and write a description about yourself.

You’ll also be asked to add some important information about your rig, including type and size as well as a description and photos of your rig.

They will explain that the reason for needing this information, what your data will be used for, is to establish a trust level with other members. It’s important to understand that your information is always safe and private, the information will only be released once a stay request has been requested and accepted.

The Search for Your Host is On

OK, you’ve set up your account and filled in your profile, now you’re ready to find a host and request a stay. The first next step is searching for hosts along your route.

This is where the search widget opens doors to easily checking out hosts around any point in your route. You’ll be able to dial in your search to include filters like:

• Travel dates
• Location/Destination
• Distance to location
• RV length
• Pets allowed
• and more

With these filters you’re able to narrow down your search looking only at hosts who fit your needs.

The pop-up for a host lets you see:

• view host name and location
• confirm the max rig size and max nights
• view photos of the host/location
• check their availability in the next 7 days
• add the host to your trip or to your favorites

Decide to click on a host’s name or picture and you’ll instantly be taken to their exclusive host page. Here you’ll gain access to all their available pictures, reviews, additional information about their property and any limitations they may have, and a calendar showing their availability:

Requesting to stay with the host

You’ve decided that you’d like to request a stay with this host, simply click the section on the right side of the page where you choose Arrival/Departure dates. Once you’ve entered both your expected arrival and departure dates, look for the Request to Stay button to turn bright orange. Click that button to proceed.

The next screen is the formal Booking Request form with information that will autofill or you can fill out including:

• your phone number
• rig info including type, size, and length
• RV model and description
• whether you have pets or children
• any additional information you’d like to add
• confirm you’ve read all the house rules

Fill in all the info and click SUBMIT REQUEST at the bottom.

Waiting for the host to respond

You’re encouraged to submit your stay request between 24 hours to two weeks in advance because it typically takes an average of 24 hours for your host to respond. You might get lucky and get an instant response, but don’t expect this.

Once you’ve heard back from your host, you’ll be able to use the Boondockers Welcome messaging service, or you can communicate by email or text if your host gives you that contact information.

Note: It’s highly recommended that you include every possible bit of information when you make your original request including RV and vehicle information as well as kids and pets, so you and your host are on the same page about your visit. Providing this information can help avoid any surprises once you arrive.

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Hard not to fall in Love with Harvest Hosts Options Too!

Boondockers Welcome vs Harvest Hosts

You will find that Boondockers Welcome and Harvest Hosts are very similar platforms. In fact, a few years ago they integrated so you as a member could get a subscription for both if you want and then search both to find your perfect overnight stay.

The difference in the two is that as we have discussed, Boondockers Welcome is your place to find extended stay options with private property owners often in very spectacular locations.

Harvest Hosts has partnered with business owners to allow its members to enjoy one night stay overs in interesting locations like vineyards, distilleries, museums, and other locations where a business might offer the free night in exchange for the member visiting their business.

Is Boondockers Welcome worth it?

If $79 for an entire years access to some of the most breathtaking locations and heartwarming friendly hosts anywhere at no additional cost for the basic stay, isn’t worth the small upfront fee to you, then we honestly don’t know what would be.

Fact is that $79 is an unbelievably low amount to invest for all the privileges that come with your membership. In our case, our membership fee paid for itself during our first trip. So yes, 100% worth it!

However, we decided during this Boondockers Welcome Review that the real value doesn’t come from the RV stay savings – it really comes from all the time we saved not worrying about finding a place to stay along our travel route.

We RV to destress, and this is easier to accomplish when not worried about the little stuff. Before Boondockers Welcome we would often resort to Wallydocking or a truck stop with it’s questionable nighttime roamers.

I’m a planner so now before we leave, all I need to do is log in, find a host along our route, make a request to stay, and enjoy a stress-free stay at a peaceful, safe, and often beautiful location while meeting hospitable and generous host who have opened their property to us.

The number one best part is still all the wonderful people we’ve met through the service. We’re part of an enthusiastic community of likeminded RV-loving people. We’ve never felt more welcome during a stay than when we’re on a Boondockers Welcome stay.

SIGN UP FOR BOONDOCKERS WELCOME

Here’s a reminder that we want you to use this BWFRIENDS15 discount code when you sign up. Please take advantage of the 15% discount for a full 365-day membership once you enter the code. This means you won’t be paying $79 dollars, only about $67.