Great Cheaper Camping and Caravanning Hunt

MSE_Martin

What's it about?

I'll be honest, my preferred type of accommodation is a nice comfy bed in a hotel yet there are many MoneySavers who prefer to head off on hols with their car and tent or caravan.

So I thought I'd tap camping and caravanning MoneySavers' wealth of knowledge to gather MoneySaving tips and hints both for newbie campers as well as those that are old hands at it.

Click reply to let other MoneySavers know your top tips and suggestions for cutting the cost.

To start off the hunt it's worth noting there's a way to possibly slash your pitch costs if you're going low season.

What's the deal?

Regular camping and caravanning enthusiasts will know it's much cheaper to
pitch in the off-peak season yet there's still a way to slash the cost
further, paying £10.30 per night per pitch for a 3, 4 or 5 star campsite in
any of 21 European countries including the UK.

What do I need to do?

Specialist camping site Campingcheque.co.uk provides vouchers to save on your costs.

Before you go order either electronic or paper vouchers and use them to pay
for your pitch. There's a £5 administration fee although order online and
it's reduced to £3.

The cost covers 2 people with a car, caravan, tent or motorhome together
with electric hook-up (it also covers one dog if you happen to be taking
your pooch along with you on holiday). Camping cheques are valid for 2
years so if you over order simply keep them for the following year.

To get your vouchers click on the "order" link on the left hand side of the screen and fill in the form (it's in a pop-up so if you have pop-up blockers on you may need to change your settings to see it).

pjs_3

Great thread. Just picked up our first caravan and Im really nervous! Cant wait for all the money saving tips to help me on my way.

sammybo22

Check this website out http://www.campingcard.co.uk/ if you buy the ACSI camping card, a bit similar to what Martin mentions above with the camping cheques. It costs £6.50 which in turn gives at least 10% but sometimes even 50% of the normal price.

Two excellent websites are www.eurocampings.co.uk and www.campingo.com which give you thousands of campsites to choose from throughout Europe.

Happy Camping!

fudgem

We've just returned from camping in Northumberland, cost £5 per night, 2 adults and as many children under 18 as you have. This was a temporary holiday site with no facilities, but virtually all caravans have all the facilities you need anyway
Join http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk for £33 per year, monthly magazine, huge book of campsites in UK, and loads of special offers

maryotuam

Although we love camping we tend to prefer small sites that are peaceful and off the beaten track. Do any of you have any hidden gems to share? I have one but I will only PM it on request.:whistle:

GhostDog_2

We took the plunge again recently and purchased one of these......http://www.camperite.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_16&products_id=25&zenid=6a8f1841ec34c65c0fd018718f06774c

Our only previous camping trip (2yrs ago) was cold, damp and not pleasant so we're planning on sleeping on nice new airbed in the back of the 4x4 and using the awning for privacy / changing etc. The awning will "stand alone" when we want to go off and explore!

Looking forward to giving it a whirl! :T

across

we just bought a tent that was on display for a fraction of the price it would be unused, it is an eight man tent for £60 and RRP£249 (although i have seen it selling about £150),so next time your browsing round the tents it might be worth asking if you can buy the display one ours was very muddy but has cleaned up very well with a bit of elbow grease!:rotfl:

GhostDog_2

across wrote: »

we just bought a tent that was on display for a fraction of the price it would be unused, it is an eight man tent for £60 and RRP£249 (although i have seen it selling about £150),so next time your browsing round the tents it might be worth asking if you can buy the display one ours was very muddy but has cleaned up very well with a bit of elbow grease!:rotfl:

Sound advice there across :cool:

My link was for demonstrative purposes only - we actually bought the awning "ex-display" at a fraction of its true value too. It had only been "out of the box" for photography purposes.

The Forum has trained me well! :rotfl:

jaymac_2

If you're in the Camping and Caravanning Club or the Caravan Club...about £30 a year..you can use their five van sites. Some are fairly basic but from £5 a night they're excellent value. Also, if you're going across the channel they do a great deal on ferry prices, especially the deals which include camping cheques.

jinky67

maryotuam wrote: »

Although we love camping we tend to prefer small sites that are peaceful and off the beaten track. Do any of you have any hidden gems to share? I have one but I will only PM it on request.:whistle:

Now now thats not fair.
Spill the beans....and I'll share mine too:D

getmeoutofhere

jaymac wrote: »

If you're in the Camping and Caravanning Club or the Caravan Club...about £30 a year..you can use their five van sites. Some are fairly basic but from £5 a night they're excellent value. Also, if you're going across the channel they do a great deal on ferry prices, especially the deals which include camping cheques.

Although the Caravan Club sites are undoubtably amongst the finest in terms of facilities, you can still end up paying upto £30 a night for a family of 4.

Just be aware before you part with the £30+ to join!