Harvest Host

ph007 · 10-22-2023, 03:17 PM

I don't see much info on Harvest Host, Boodockers Welcome here. I would like to know what people have to say about them.

W9TR · 10-22-2023, 04:21 PM

We love Harvest Hosts. It’s perfect for one night stays when we are traveling from point A to point B, which we do quite often since we have homes in Colorado and Wisconsin. We tend to like wineries and breweries because they often have food as well as libations. Many are quite unique spots with beautiful views. Some are in walkable cities which is a welcome change of place for us. Many have music on the weekends. The hosts have always been nice and super helpful regarding things to do and places to go nearby. The Harvest Hosts app is good.

Are there downsides? Many hosts have limited hours or are not open every day, so you have to check availability and hours of operation. The HH rules don’t allow for outside cooking, so that may cramp your style a bit. We’ve never asked but hosts may accommodate you if you ask. Some hosts allow generators which we don’t like to hear running all night.

ph007 · 10-22-2023, 04:43 PM

W9TR, that sounds good, as we are mainly overnight campers. How long in advance does one have to book a site or can they be booked as you go? The reason I ask is because many times we just take off usually between our grand kids soccer games ect. Planning and reservations woulden't work out very well.

W9TR · 10-22-2023, 05:23 PM

A lot of hosts offer same day reservations. You can always call them as well.
We did same day earlier this year on our way back from Glacier and it worked out great.

CanuckRV · 10-22-2023, 05:26 PM

We are not members, but we have found that most Breweries and wineries will allow you to stay regardless.

phantomjock · 10-22-2023, 06:39 PM

W9TR-

"Outside Cooking..." Assume that means - outdoors BBQ/open pit? Or, are the expecting to have you dine in their facility? I'll have to scope out their locations in the SE. Thanks.

Cheers, Jim
de KF4JQB

Davydd · 10-22-2023, 11:21 PM

We love HH. I'm a big fan of craft breweries and my wife, wineries. Those are the two major ones along with museums and farms. Wineries are especially nice because they are more rural, surrounded by grape vines, usually have food and of course wine, sometimes music and you meet the owner's whom most have interesting stories of how they got into the business. Most often we are the only overnighters.

ph007 · 10-22-2023, 11:36 PM

This all sounds great. I am in Michigan and there are a lot of wineries. We are definitely going to look into this. We like to wine taste and staying the night would be great, wouldn't have to worry about driving. Anyone from Michigan belong to Harvest Host?

W9TR · 10-23-2023, 01:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phantomjock

W9TR-

"Outside Cooking..." Assume that means - outdoors BBQ/open pit? Or, are the expecting to have you dine in their facility? I'll have to scope out their locations in the SE. Thanks.

Cheers, Jim
de KF4JQB

KF44JQB de W9TR

Here is the code of conduct.

https://harvesthosts.com/code-of-conduct-2/

They don’t expect you to dine at their facilities but if we like what they have on offer we sure do! It’s nice to have food prepared for you after a long day of driving and sightseeing. None of this has ever been a problem for us.

Tom

peteco · 10-23-2023, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by W9TR

KF44JQB de W9TR
Here is the code of conduct.

https://harvesthosts.com/code-of-conduct-2/

They don’t expect you to dine at their facilities but if we like what they have on offer we sure do! It’s nice to have food prepared for you after a long day of driving and sightseeing. None of this has ever been a problem for us.
Tom

Tom, is it really true they don't expect you to purchase from them?

I am not a Harvest Hosts (HH) member (but I am a Boondockers Welcome member). I have thought about joining HH but what holds me back is, in fact, code of conduct item 6: "Please support your host.
As a thank you for your overnight stay, we recommend spending a minimum of $30 through a purchase, tip, or donation to support your Host – that way everyone wins!"

These HH hosts are not doing this just for fun or to meet nice people (maybe a few are). I'm sure many of them like meeting people, but they are primarily a business. Now there are also more churches becoming hosts, hence the donation support recommendation.

So these Hosts, maybe not all but certainly most, are expecting something from those that stay. They get no $ from HH.

If I was going on a long trip that would have me going to areas that have HH but not other places to stay then I might consider joining. I would be fine paying $30 (plus the HH annual fee) to stay at 5-8 or more nice safe places along the way.

So it's not a cheap place to stay, but they sound nice.

Just saying all this so you know what you are getting into. Again, I am not in HH, but have deduced what I am saying from thinking about it and from a few reviews where both hosts and members have laid this out.

Those of you in HH, please correct me if my thinking is off base here.

Davydd · 10-23-2023, 02:43 PM

Harvest Host suggest you support them by spending on their offerings. That way the hosts will have an incentive to be one and maybe more would be attracted to host. We generally have a glass of wine or beer and anticipate buying a bottle of wine or two to take with us to have at a campground or stock our home cabinet.

We stopped at a HH winery in Missouri that closed at 4 PM. The owner waited for us to arrive after closing and didn't bother to sell us anything.

W9TR · 10-23-2023, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peteco

Tom, is it really true they don't expect you to purchase from them?

I am not a Harvest Hosts (HH) member (but I am a Boondockers Welcome member). I have thought about joining HH but what holds me back is, in fact, code of conduct item 6: "Please support your host.
As a thank you for your overnight stay, we recommend spending a minimum of $30 through a purchase, tip, or donation to support your Host – that way everyone wins!"

These HH hosts are not doing this just for fun or to meet nice people (maybe a few are). I'm sure many of them like meeting people, but they are primarily a business. Now there are also more churches becoming hosts, hence the donation support recommendation.

So these Hosts, maybe not all but certainly most, are expecting something from those that stay. They get no $ from HH.

If I was going on a long trip that would have me going to areas that have HH but not other places to stay then I might consider joining. I would be fine paying $30 (plus the HH annual fee) to stay at 5-8 or more nice safe places along the way.

So it's not a cheap place to stay, but they sound nice.

Just saying all this so you know what you are getting into. Again, I am not in HH, but have deduced what I am saying from thinking about it and from a few reviews where both hosts and members have laid this out.

Those of you in HH, please correct me if my thinking is off base here.

Yes, they do expect you to purchase something. Not necessarily a meal, so my first comment may be misleading. Sorry about that.

We usually end up buying a bottle of wine or some beer. For us it works out great.

I have no further interest in staying at a Wal*Mart or Cabela’s or a truck stop. Just not my thing. So that leaves boondocking, which I like, or parks. I love some of the little city parks, and state and federal ones are fine too. The average cost is around $30 by the time you reserve a spot and get a vehicle pass. So it’s a wash compared to what we spend with HH.

The hosts we talked to like the program as it brings in business without a lot of overhead. Some of them say it helped keep them afloat during covid.

Sleeping Dog · 10-23-2023, 08:36 PM

We joined HH last spring and used it perhaps a dozen times this summer mostly in Canada, since that is where we traveled this year. It's great, but you need to check the host's calendar as they maybe closed on certain days or close at 5PM, when you don't plan to arrive till later. Typically I'd reserve a day or two ahead and hear back at the end of that day.

But it's not necessarily cheaper, we typically took the opportunity to eat in the restaurant, buy some wine of beer. One winery we stayed at the stay cost us over $300, meals and a case of wine will do that.

I did have an opportunity to interact with a HH staffer regarding a non-responsive potential host, and she was great. Got back to me promptly to clarify the issue and reached out to the host, and followed up with me.

Davydd · 10-23-2023, 11:04 PM

It seems we are all thinking purchasing something at a Havest Host stay is equivalent to paying for a campground. We forget we get something for our Harvest Host cost so a $30 bottle of wine is not equivalent to paying for a campsite. We get the stay and a bottle of wine.

Tim R. · 10-26-2023, 03:55 PM

We are a BW host in Maine. We have a small farm(non commercial) with plenty of space on a private road. We are open year round and accept same day requests. We limit the size of the rig under 30 ft and do not allow generators(boondocking, right???). We are not a campground. Some requests I refuse because folks do not read the rules before asking.

We do sometimes offer honey and eggs for sale but make it very clear there is no obligation. We also offer free water at a remote fill. We Usually have 20-30 guest per year and this entitles us to free membership to use other sites. We are quite popular so we also get some free merch from BW. We have met some wonderful people and made long term friendships. I think that is a huge difference between HH and BW. It is definitely more personal.

https://harvesthosts.com/boondocking...YyNi4wLjAuMA..

We are not members of HH as we usually prefer more privacy. So I cannot comment on them but a friend is a member and they say not a lot of sites in NE.

joelm · 10-26-2023, 04:12 PM

We use them heavily when we are moving between locations. As noted above, check the hours. Early closing is often a problem when we are driving a long way.

We look at the cost as us getting: A safe, predictable place to stay, a chance to support a local business, some goods (some examples we've had: wine, dinner, eggs, soap, honey, olive oil, peaches and one amazing dinner cooked and served for us by a professional chef in a lavender field. -- that one was extra cost!), AND a chance to meet people and learn a lot.

On our most recent trip we got a great tour of a dairy farm in Iowa and learned a ton about farms and the life there. As well as terrific ice cream and cheese.

It's not for everyone, it's not just a campsite where you park and leave, but if it fits into your trip, it can be a great experience.

Gfichman · 10-26-2023, 04:40 PM

We have the golf package and have enjoyed HH. Great option when traveling long distances. It will get you off the interstate, great for me since I avoid them.

engnrsrule · 10-26-2023, 04:45 PM

We are members of HH and also Boondockers Welcome. This network is a real value. We do try to support the Host with a purchase, usually something we need to buy anyway.

Cooking outside restrictions are common, as they really don't want visitors looking like they live there, or sometime it is an issue with the neighbors. But we have had places that were ok. Make sure you are courteous and ask in advance. There may also be open fire considerations. Other places we took out the grill and set up our picnic table. There was a statewide fire ban in Washington State, could not even use propane grill. Most HH are one night limit, and require advance reservation. Many BW allow same day reservations, and multiple nights. Someties water or electricity are offered free or for a nominal charge.

We did a 46 day cross country trip and used both extensively. Since my tanks are good for 3-4 days, I need a campground (or to find public dump station) every 4th night to pump stuff out. (Get the APP "RV Dumpsites"). Under that construct, HH accounted for at least 3/4 of my overnights being "free" and saving me easily $1000 for that trip.

I am a musician and sometimes I will offer to give a show at a winery or brewery host, which is also a way to support your host. Made enough tip money to cover next days fuel.

RossWilliams · 10-26-2023, 05:31 PM

I have only had one problem with the reservation process. Harvest host is great for finding interesting spots. It's not really free since you are expected to buy something. But you don't get wine or beer with your campsite at an RV park.

TravelingCOWs · 10-26-2023, 08:17 PM

Lot of comments about HH, but there is also BW. Similar issues with booking, but you are staying on a person's private property for no cost. We have found significant variety among hosts. Some say, "Park over there. Have a good night." Others offer to socialize. We spent a delightful evening around one person's backyard firepit watching the moon rise over the river and talking about favorite places we have been. BWs are located in towns and in the country.

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