Harvest Hosts 4+

I am new to Harvest Hosts. A friend told me about it. My wife and I were already planning a large driving trip using our cabover camper to visit family. We made a similar trip in 2017 and stayed at rest areas, Walmart parking lots, etc. The 2017 trip was OK because we were really just seeing people and not trying to see the sites. That trip had many 12 to 14 hour days of driving.

I wanted this trip to be more relaxing and only drive an average of eight hours a day. I just completed planning the trip. I wanted this trip to be more relaxing and only drive an average of eight hours a day. I just completed planning the trip. Thanks to Harvest Hosts member facilities we will be staying at 10 vineyards, Bristol Caverns, and Windrush Alpacas. All the people that I spoke with were friendly and enthusiastic!

On the downside, there are no Hosts in Nevada. Big Sky Brewing in Missoula MT never answered their phone (5 calls in 8 days and didn’t answer my Facebook Messenger message). These two minor inconveniences are Nevada and Big Sky Brewing’s loss since we typically spend $100 when we stop at a vineyard or brewery.

Harvest Host was advertised as a way to stay at unique and safe locations while maintaining a style of roaming freedom that is part of the appeal of RV Camping. However, it seems due to its growing popularity, it’s pretty much impossible to book same-day stays through Harvest Host anymore. Most sites were booked out for a month at least!

We paid the annual subscription and attempted to use the app along a drive, but after calling every host within a specific radius in California, no one has availability. Some hosts seemed apologetic about it while others seemed exasperated at the stress load of managing RV hosting. We ended up finding 1 host about 1 1/2 hrs out of the way, so we were able to experience at least 1 host site but for the price and promise, we were expecting a different travel experience buying into the Harvest Host subscription.

I’d like to think this is just growing pains for Harvest Host and that eventually we can go back to easily booking same night stays. But most likely, given the way campsites book out months in advance in California, Harvest Host will likely end up going the same route and be an exclusive book-in-advance-only system. Wish I could take back my annual subscription purchase. Not sure we’ll ever be able to use this again.

Thanks to our hosts Dave and Diane for a wonderful shaded spot to spend our evening. Upon arrival Diane greeted and invited us for a wine tour by Meg who was very knowledgable and explained much of the local history including Bacon’s Castle and Hog Island. Dave joined us and took us on an extended tour of the farm and wine making facility. The goats entertained us with their antics of climbing the goat tower getting ready to retire for the evening. After having a large lunch earlier that day we opted for a simple dinner of baggette, cheese, snacks and Hampton Roads Winery wine purchased from their shop. The next day we took Meg’s suggestion and visited Bacon’s Castle followed by lunch at Surry Seafood. We also took a few bottles of Bacon’s Castle Red and other wines home with us. Our first Host experience was very positive! Many thanks!