In an e-mail to Boondockers Welcome members, Harvest Hosts CEO Joel Holland addressed questions over the company’s recent purchase of the popular driveway surfing community. Members can rest easy – few changes are planned for the near future.
“I fully understand and appreciate that Boondockers Welcome is a community of RVers helping other RVers, and that this community is unique and different from what Harvest Hosts offers,” Holland said. “Please know that I am just as committed as [Boondockers Welcome Founders] Marianne and Anna to preserving and protecting that sense of community that makes Boondockers Welcome so special.”
- Harvest Hosts will continue to operate as separate programs, with separate membership fees.
- Prices will remain the same. A current standalone Boondockers Welcome membership will continue to be $50/year USD, and grandfathered rates and lifetime memberships will be honored.
- Holland is looking for ways to offer members of both programs in bundled offers, but details are yet to be ironed out.
- Boondockers Welcome’s volunteer hosts will continue to receive discounts and/or free site access. The company is working to find even more ways to show appreciation for those who open up their property to fellow travelers.
- For Boondockers Welcome hosts, the Boondockers Welcome Protection Plan will remain in place.
In the coming months, Holland plans to combine the Boondockers Welcome and Harvest Hosts backend technology. Both organizations have been in various stages of app and reservation technology development. The email seems to indicate that the user experience on the web or apps will eventually be very similar.
“I want to reiterate how excited and honored myself and the Harvest Hosts team are to be affiliated with the Boondockers Welcome community,” Holland added. “We know that it really is a community, and a special one at that. We’re looking forward to continuing to support that community and build on the foundation that Marianne, Anna, and all of the Boondockers Welcome members and hosts have created over the years.”