RV hosting website Harvest Host offers thousands of locations; some in Ashland area

With the solar eclipse date quickly approaching, RV'ers may be wondering where they can see the natural phenomenon without the stress of where to park.

There is a service that can offer overnight RV camping without the hassle. Harvest Host offers RV'ers a chance to stay at more than 5,000 farms, wineries, breweries attractions and more without camping fees or much worries.

Joel Holland, a technology entrepreneur, purchased the Harvest Host website alongside his wife, Mary Ashland, in 2018 from Don and Kim Greene.

Holland said the Greenes built an amazing company and community before the acquisition, so it wasn't a surprise how far they were able to grow the platform from 600 locations to over 5,000 locations within a matter of a few years.

"Harvest Host is a pretty simple program," Holland said. "It is a membership club for RV'ers and we are at a quarter of a million members. They have access to our network of partners, which include 5,000 really cool small businesses around the country."

Holland said in Ohio there are more than 300 hosts. Among the hosts are wineries, breweries, distilleries, museums, farms and more.

"These are a very different experience from your traditional RV campground or state park or Walmart parking lot or rest stop," he said. "It's just a fun way to change it up."

Holland said Ohio is one of the most over index RV states in the country. He noted the state is easy to work with when it comes to Harvest Host's network. He pointed out many people don't know that Ohio has a lot of wineries.

"That's just not the first thing that comes to mind," he said. "[RV'ers] use our app or website and they start planning to see really cool wineries with great reviews. It pulls these members off the road and into these businesses."

Are there any Harvest Hosts located in Ashland?

The Harvest Hosts in and around Ashland include two farms, one a pure maple syrup business, as well as camping at a car dealer. Due to privacy concerns, details about the hosts are only available to Harvest Host members.

When asked what Harvest Host hopes to achieve in the Ashland area, Holland said additional growth and location. "When I look at Ashland, we have five small businesses in the area and 20-30 within a 45 minute drive."

Holland discussed the Ohio maple syrup business in Ashland and how that is surprising to not only him, but for others as well.

"I think Vermont [when I think about maple syrup]," he said. "You wouldn't think of Ohio, which is cool. And that becomes a huge draw for members because they like to do different things."

What RV'ers can expect when using the Harvest Host's network

Each of the Harvest Hosts offer stays of a maximum of 24 hours. However, RV'ers may be invited to stay an additional night at the discretion of the hosts. Harvest Host notes on its website it discourages multiple night stays in order to not "wear out" the RV'ers' welcomes.

The company also stated all classes of RVs are allowed to use the service. This includes motorhomes, fifth wheel trailers, travel trailers, toy hauler, camper vans, truck campers and schoolies.

The vehicles and other camping methods that are prohibited are traditional pop-up campers, tents (ground tents or rooftop tents), sleeping in cars, trucks, or minivans as well as overlanding in jeeps, bikes, or ATVs.

However, Harvest Host does not allow camper vans where the bed area at the top of the van pops up. The rest of the van has four rigid sides. It also allows clamshells and teardrop trailers, but their trailers' outdoor facilities are not to be used while on host properties.

Membership for Harvest Host is $99 a year and includes access to the mobile app, interactive maps of host locations, detailed trip routing and planning information and discounts to additional RV programs.

Harvest Host does not charge the hosts to be in its program. On average, hosts make an extra $13,000 a year for being part of the Harvest Host's program, Holland said. The company does not take any of that money. It goes straight to the host.

"It's all upside for them," Holland said about the participating hosts. "Basically a free marketing program to connect RV'ers to their properties."

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Harvest Host gives RV'ers a chance to stay at thousands of attractions