What is Boondockers Welcome?

If you've ever wondered what is Boondockers Welcome, in this episode of the RV Podcast (395), we explain how this awesome new addition to the Harvest Hosts system can literally save your camping trip when you can't find room in a campground.

Ever since Harvest Hosts acquired the Boondockers Welcome service a year ago, CEO Joel Holland and his team have been building it out, adding new sites, and integrating it into the total Harvest Host ecosystem, which includes wineries, farms, distilleries, tourist attractions and golf courses where members can overnight for free.

Now, with Boondockers Welcome the system adds thousands more new sites, these privately owned, often with electric hookups and a more liberal policy on the length of a stay.

To watch the video version of the Podcast, which also includes RV Lifestyle News and audience questions, click the player below.

To hear an audio-only version, listen on your favorite Podcast App - from Apple, Google, Spotify, Sticher, etc. - or click the player below.

Here's a transcript of the interview, with links:

What is Boondockers Welcome - The Interview

Joel Holland, CEO of Harvest Hosts

Mike Wendland:

Well, we're excited to welcome to the program, again - I think this is about the fourth or fifth time over the past 10 years or so - Joel Holland, CEO of Harvest Hosts on the program. And Joel, it's always a pleasure to see you. Where do we find you today?

Joel Holland:

Yeah, thanks for having me, Mike and Jennifer. So my wife and I just finished our first extended RV trip as a family of three, took our one-and-a-half-year-old daughter on a six-week trip all over the country from Colorado to Georgia. We went to the masters for a week in Augusta, which is a blast. Then we went to Virginia, did some wineries, and visited some of our hosts.

And then finally last week we were in Omaha for the Berkshire Hathaway meeting. And that was a very special event. Seeing Warren Buffet in person was pretty phenomenal. And now we're back in Vail. So we made it back safely. I'm now back in my office and already missing life on the open road.

Mike Wendland:

Isn't it funny how that just gets into your blood?

Jen Wendland:

I've got to tell you how much Mike and I appreciate this business that you started. And I know people all across the country say, Thank you for your initiative and starting Harvest Hosts. Because we have just had so much fun and stayed in places that we never dreamed of staying in. So thank you.

Joel Holland:

Well thank you for being members and for being such loyal supporters. We love this business because it's such a community business and we are RVers so we very much agree and understand that having exciting adventures on the roads, it just enhances the lifestyle. And so, as a perfect example, we took Waverly, our daughter, to our first alpaca farm a couple weeks ago.

Mike Wendland:

We've been there. We've been to one of your alpaca farms. Yep.

Joel Holland:

And it was amazing, right? She loved it. Her eyes just were wide. She's like, "What are these magical creatures?" And we parked right there on the farm, right by a pond. All night long we heard the noises of nature and it was a really special experience. So we're excited to be part of this. We do it because it's fun. It's also a great business that brings a lot of money back to the...