We are first time family campers and looking to go to France next summer. Considering Eurocamp (or similar) for the sites/ pools/ kids clubs but wondering if it would be any cheaper to buy and take our own tent. Has anyone done this? Any thoughts would be great
If you have your own tent it is cheaper to do it all yourself and cut out the middle man. I believe eurocamp independent is for those with their own tents anyway. If you want you could deal with one of the big site groups such as Castels, flower camping, huttopia or yelloh. They can do all your booking for you from their central website. Otherwise, think of an area you would like to visit and use the campsite search here to find a site you like the look of.
If you are not sure if buying your own tent is a good idea, eurocamp have safari tents set up on many sites as do huttopia and many independent sites. You can try out camping in France without the expense of buying a tent.
Don't be too ambitious for your first trip. Driving isn't as daunting as you might think but,like at home, can be a pain with kids.A good idea is to find a site that does fridge rental and that is walking distance to a town/beach with a decent supermarket a fee minutes drive away. Think of which port you will be going to arrive in and at what time. If you angel to Cherbourg or Roscoff there are excellent sites only 15 minutes from the port and there has been very good weather in both areas in recent years. Less driving and lots to do round about.
Oh yeah, take out travel and breakdown insurance just in case.
The main thing is enjoy it and remember the planning is part of the fun.
Tot up ferry, petrol, overnight road stops and tolls, too.
If you don’t take your own gear you may find cheap flights. Depending on how far S / E you plan to go. But probably not in tne school hols.
We did Eurocamp for a couple of years before braving taking our own tent to France. It gave us a feel for camping and whether we enjoyed it as a family before spending a lot of money on camping equipment. One of the advantages of Eurocamp (and other companies like that) are kids clubs, proper beds and fridge freezers in the tent.
Quote: Originally posted by JezAl on 03/9/2018
Thanks for your reply. It just seems expensive for camping but yes a good idea before a big investment! Might start a new Eurocamp thread lol!
Once you start buying tents, upgrading tents, upsizing, downsizing etc it may seem cheaper to do eurocamp
There are also lots of independents with pre-pitched options if you have a look around. Here are
a couple that I've noticed in my travels: Pors Peron Du Tromeur
Quote: Originally posted by JezAl on 03/9/2018
Thanks for your reply. It just seems expensive for camping but yes a good idea before a big investment! Might start a new Eurocamp thread lol!
Once you start buying tents, upgrading tents, upsizing, downsizing etc it may seem cheaper to do eurocamp
And the same goes for all camping kit...
It's not just the selecting and the buying, it's also the transporting and the setting up.
If you haven't yet been camping at all and do decide to go down the own kit route, I suggest trying to get a couple of short breaks in first, even if it's just to local sites. Make sure you're familiar - and happy - with your kit. It'll also provide opportunity to assess what you don't need to take and what you feel you should add.
Even though we have all the camping kit we need, we've still chosen to stay in pre-pitched safari tents at independent sites on a couple of occasions and left all our gear in the trailer. Go with whatever feels right for you!
We stayed in a pre-erected huttopia tent a few years ago in France - we just fancied a change from our usual setup. The tent had a toilet and a shower, some even had wood burning stoves. The campsite was really lovely too and no super-loud 'entertainment'.
It was a lot more reasonably priced than eurocamp - which is outrageously expensive during the school holidays.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Eurocamp independent anyone?
