Boondockers Welcome, Explained
How a night on a fellow RVer's land works, and the rules that keep you invited back.
- Camping fee
- None for the night
- Purchase expected
- No, hosts are private people
- Longest stay
- 5 nights per host in any 90 days, per the Courtesy Contract
- Request window
- Same day to 2 months ahead
- Rig
- A fully self contained RV
Written from the network's own rules pages and Harvest Hosts plan pages, never from a stay of our own.
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Boondockers Welcome is sold on its own or inside two Harvest Hosts plans.
No nightly fee once you join, a purchase from the host is customary
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How Does a Boondockers Welcome Stay Work?
Unlike a campground, a person says yes rather than a booking system, and every host profile lists its house rules, parking and hookups.
Find a host and read the profile
Search the map for a host on your route and read its house rules, parking details, hookups and request window.
Send a stay request
Request your dates inside the window that host allows, which can be the same day or as far as two months ahead.
Wait for the host to reply
The host approves or declines, because a private property owner decides who parks on their land.
Arrive at the time you agreed
Tell the host roughly when you will arrive, and message them if you are running late.
Leave on your departure date
Leave on the date in your request, let the host know you have gone, and thank them.
Who Can Use Boondockers Welcome?
Guests must travel in a fully self contained rig, with an interior toilet and onboard waste tanks, because Harvest Hosts says cooking and dumping happen inside the RV.
That rules out tents and car camping, and many hosts have no hookups, so the basics of dry camping without hookups apply.
How Many Hosts Are There?
3,000+
That is how many host locations Boondockers Welcome lists across the United States and Canada, according to its guest page, read November 2026.
What Rules Do Guests Agree To?
The Boondockers Welcome rules sit in the Courtesy Contract, which every guest signs before contacting any host, and breaking it can end your membership with no refund.
Most of it is plain good manners, and four rules cover the bulk of it.
Keep to your dates. Leave on the date in your request, and do not ask for extra nights once you arrive.
Talk to your host. Give an arrival time, message if you are late, and cancel at least 24 hours ahead.
Leave nothing behind. No gray water and no garbage on the property, unless the host offers it on their profile.
Own any damage. Report damage straight away, however small, and offer to pay for the repair.
Overstaying is the easiest mistake to make, and one host report for it can end the membership with no refund.
The contract also bars inviting anyone outside your travel party, asks you to supervise children and pets, and ends with one line worth keeping: always thank the host.
Do Private Hosts Charge for Hookups?
The night itself is free, but power and water are not owed to you.
75%
That is the share of hosts that offer electric or water hookups, according to the network's guest page, and each one lists a suggested amount per night.
What You Owe for Power and Water
If you plug in or fill up, the stay rules require you to offer that amount before you leave.
The contract also asks you to go easy on the air conditioner on a host's power, and our host etiquette guide covers the thank you side of it.
What Does Boondockers Welcome Cost?
There are three ways to buy a Boondockers Welcome membership, and they differ by what else comes with the network, with prices checked October 2026.
- Business hosts
- Private hosts
- Golf courses
Boondockers Welcome on its own
$79 a year
Private property hosts only
Harvest Hosts plus Boondockers Welcome
$169 a year
Private hosts plus wineries, farms and breweries, 9,300+ locations
Harvest Hosts All Access
$179 a year
Everything above plus golf courses and Escapees membership, 9,600+ locations
Current offer: Boondockers Welcome on its own is $79 a year, and Harvest Hosts lists 15% off with the code SAVE, which brings your first year to $67.15 (checked 9 November 2026).
The combined plan adds the business hosts too, which suits a route with few private hosts on it, and our roundup of current Harvest Hosts codes tracks the offers.
How Is It Different From Harvest Hosts?
Harvest Hosts sends you to small businesses and recommends spending about $30 a night as thanks.
Boondockers Welcome sends you to private homes with no purchase expected, according to Harvest Hosts on location types.
Who the Private Network Suits
The main advantage of a private host is time, with stays of up to five nights against the single night that is typical at a business host.
That suits slow travelers, and our side by side of both host networks covers stay length, hookups and who each one suits.
Ready to Find a Host?
Joining through Harvest Hosts puts every host on one map, with private hosts on their own teal pins beside the business hosts.
Harvest Hosts offers a refund within 3 months if you are not happy, according to its plans page.
Rating read October 2026; locations and pricing checked October 2026. Check harvesthosts.com for current details.
No nightly fee once you join, a purchase from the host is customary
Start Your Harvest Hosts MembershipAffiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
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Where This Comes From
We have not stayed with a private host on this network, and nothing here reports a stay of our own.
Rules are from the network's stay rules page and Courtesy Contract 3.00, and plan details are from harvesthosts.com, all read 9 November 2026.
Prices were last verified October 2026, and Harvest Hosts changes plans and offers without notice.
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Meet the editorial team and our review standardsBoondockers Welcome Questions
What is Boondockers Welcome?
Boondockers Welcome is a membership that connects RVers who need a place to park with RVers who have open space on their private property, according to Harvest Hosts.
The hosts are homeowners and landowners, not businesses, so there is no camping fee for the night.
Is Boondockers Welcome free?
The stays carry no camping fee, but the membership is paid.
Boondockers Welcome on its own is $79 a year.
It also comes inside two Harvest Hosts plans, at $169 and $179 a year (source: harvesthosts.com/plans and boondockerswelcome.com, checked October 2026).
How long can you stay with one host?
Stays run from one to five nights depending on the host, according to Harvest Hosts.
The Courtesy Contract caps any guest at 5 nights in a 90 day window with the same host.
It also asks you not to request extra nights once you are there.
Do you have to buy anything from a private host?
No. Harvest Hosts says there is no expectation to make a purchase, because hosts are private people rather than businesses.
If you use a host's electric or water hookups, the stay rules require you to offer the suggested amount on their profile before you leave.
How far ahead can you request a stay?
Each host sets its own window, according to the network's stay rules.
Some accept same day requests, some want up to 7 days of notice, and the site maximum is 2 months ahead.
Which Harvest Hosts plan includes Boondockers Welcome?
The Harvest Hosts plus Boondockers Welcome plan and the All Access plan both include it, according to Harvest Hosts.
The Classic plan does not.
The plus Boondockers Welcome plan lists 9,300+ locations in total, and All Access lists 9,600+ (source: harvesthosts.com/plans, checked October 2026).
Is Boondockers Welcome part of Harvest Hosts?
Yes.
Harvest Hosts sells Boondockers Welcome on its own and inside two of its three plans, and answers its member questions on the Harvest Hosts help site.
The private hosts show on the same Harvest Hosts map as the business hosts, marked with teal pins.
Can I bring my dog to a driveway stay?
Each host sets house rules on its profile, and pets are one of the things a host can restrict.
Where pets are allowed, the Courtesy Contract asks you to supervise them closely and take all pet waste away with you.
Can I stay in a tent or a car?
No. Harvest Hosts requires a fully self contained rig with an interior toilet and onboard waste tanks, and private host guests are expected to travel in an RV.
The comparison, the business host network, and other ways to park for free.
The two networks side by side, and who each one suits.
The business host side of the same membership.
The club bundled into the All Access plan.
The current public offers, and how to check them.
Dry camping basics before your first night off grid.
Every other place an RV can legally spend the night.
Next Step
If you are weighing All Access for the extra stops, the club bundled inside it deserves a look first.
Our guide to the Escapees RV Club explains what that membership adds and who runs it now.
No nightly fee once you join, a purchase from the host is customary
Start Your Harvest Hosts MembershipAffiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.