A beautiful location to stay the night is often a subtle highlight to a long trip, especially when you’re living out of a vehicle or RV-ing. There are a number of tools for finding great places to park and camp overnight for free, but we recently made a trip around the United States in our homemade bus conversion “Onward” and found one resource that greatly enhanced our list of options. Harvest Host is a service that organizes wineries, vineyards, farms, breweries, golf courses, and other businesses that will allow free overnight parking but with MAJOR PERKS!

After living, mostly, in the woods for weeks on end, we would occasionally treat ourselves to a night in a paid campground to utilize their amenities. After spending quite a lot of money on such extravagant options, we were grateful to discover Harvest Host as an option. Not only were we able to enjoy a varying assortment of amenities, but many locations are situated in beautiful locations that made our stay even more enjoyable.

What is Harvest Host?

Harvest Host is a company that connects travelers with free places to park their RV by joining their membership one time fee of $79. That’s the cost of a night in a hotel, and with access to over 700 locations, this deal is pretty hard to beat! We found the majority of the “hosts” the be wineries, farms, and businesses that are linked. Some locations are located conveniently, while others are on the farm properties themselves and take a bit of a drive to reach. We’ve stayed at several wineries, vineyards, and farms, but have also stayed overnight in a field near an artisan cheese company- all of which were delightful and made us feel very welcome. RV hookups are not to be expected, but the wine, cheese, and ambiance are what make these locations unique.

Tasting rooms and tours are always on the menu when staying with Harvest Hosts. Rather than just parking our bus and staying the night, we were always excited to see what the Harvest Host offered to their guests. Having a built-in activity in a beautiful location was always a major draw when choosing a location to spend a night, and Harvest Host always came through. On a long drive, it’s exceedingly comforting to know that you’ve got a place to stay and things to do once you’ve arrived, and that helped pass the miles.

READ MORE:
The Ultimate Guide To Overnight Parking For Free

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Why We Like Harvest Hosts

We’re always looking to try new things and experience new places, and this makes Harvest Host a no-brainer. Free (or cheap) wine samplings, cheese plates, food, beer, bathrooms, and, last but least, a free place to stay for the night were all major draws for our use of Harvest Hosts. We were often encouraged to explore the farm or vineyard, as well as welcomed like family at each and every stay. We found ourselves looking for Harvest Hosts each time we were staying near a town when traveling or as a welcome break from the woods after long stints off the grid and needing to restock our faith in society’s finer things.

Each Harvest Host is different and offers a unique draw. Some are more of a showroom for their product, while others offer unique gifts, food, drinks, and more. All of them are exceedingly friendly and often encourage their guests to walk the grounds and explore the farm extensively. We were offered brewery and barrel tours of vineyards, free samples at many locations, and were always made to feel at home.

Harvest Host Rules

  • It should go without saying, but I’ll remind people that local and federal laws are still in effect and must be followed while staying with a Harvest Host.
  • Vehicles must be self contained, and they do not allow tent camping.
  • Additionally, most do not allow dumping of gray or black water while parked.
  • Fires weren’t allowed at any that we stayed at, nor was cooking outside of our vehicle. Always ask before you cook outside your vehicle.
  • Arrive only during business hours and be sure to register your vehicle.
  • We were encouraged to observe quiet hours like any campsite and to make sure we didn’t leave any trash behind.
  • Do not use jacks without jack pads on the asphalt.

All in all, their rules were never much different than a typical campground or RV Park, with the exception of cooking outside and having fires.  

Tips Before You Go

  • When reserving with a Harvest Host, try to call ahead as many offer a very limited number of spots, with some only allowing one guest per night.
  • Remember to be courteous of your host and observe their rules.
  • Make sure you’ve left room for wine and cheese plates, as staying overnight means that you can completely utilize their offerings, which is not required, but expected.
  • Though none of them required it, we recommend having a decently clean vehicle when you arrive, as many of the hosts have numerous visitors during business hours and wouldn’t much appreciate having some broken-down Clampett jalopy parked near their front gate.
  • The hosts will be kind and courteous, so please arrive with a grateful and appreciative heart, so as to not intrude upon their generosity.
  • TRY THE PROMO CODE SAVE10 TO GET 10% OFF YOUR SIGN UP ON MEMBERSHIP! (Check for other promo codes online if this code becomes expired)

What unique camping experiences have you tried? Would you try Harvest Hosts? We love hearing from you in the comment section below!

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