Harvest Host Updated Review
I decided it was time to share an updated review of Harvest Hosts, having been members since August 2020. After four years of using the service, I can now provide an honest assessment. This membership has been invaluable for us during extended trips in our van. It's particularly helpful when you’re traveling over multiple days and want to avoid paying for hotel rooms or campgrounds each night.
If you’re like us—always on the move, living on the East Coast, and eager to explore as much as possible—Harvest Hosts could be a great fit. Unlike the vast, open spaces of the West, the East Coast has no public lands, and not everyone is keen on spending the night in a Wal-Mart parking lot. With Harvest Hosts, you’re still technically parking in a lot, but it’s at a local business rather than a generic rest stop.
From our experience traveling up and down the East Coast, most campgrounds here are seasonal, open only from April to November. Popular spots like the Maine coast often require a two-night minimum stay, and prices can rival those of a hotel. This wasn’t ideal for our budget or our schedule, especially since we both work full-time and use our vacation days for trips. Harvest Hosts allowed us to visit places like Acadia National Park in Maine and return home to New York within nine days—something that would have been difficult otherwise.
We try to travel in our van as often as possible with our dog, even while working. During a trip to Utah, where we worked remotely for a month, we noticed that Harvest Hosts’ options were much more limited in the West. We stayed at a few breweries along the way, and only had to book a night at an RV park for showers.
Since we’re still based on the East Coast, we chose to renew our Harvest Hosts membership. The annual fee is comparable to the cost of three nights at a state campground or one night at a nice RV park. Harvest Hosts encourages members to support the businesses where they stay by making a purchase, which we’re happy to do. The best part of this membership is meeting like-minded travelers or chatting with locals at each stop.
We highly recommend Harvest Hosts to those who enjoy travel but can’t commit to staying multiple nights at one destination. After all, what could be better than driving all day, stopping at a local business for a drink, and not having to worry about cooking dinner when you arrive?