For us it’s always A. Like dk168, I am also risk averse, it’s just my personality, and I know that my anxiety levels would be off the scale if I didn’t have a completely planned holiday. I’d love to be free and easy but it’s just not in my nature and a holiday is supposed to be relaxing, not full of anxiety, so I plan absolutely everything I can to try to eliminate the uncertain as much as possible.
------------- Pixie
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Think there are several aspects to take into account, especially regarding 'risk'.
I did a 10 day road trip to the USA west coast way back in the mid 80's, the first night's hotel was booked, as was the last night before catching the flight across country to stay with friends for a further 10 days, every other stay was just winging it, would set a destination for that day and just seek a Motel on arrival, did get it wrong a couple of times, turned up at Yosemite on a (unknown to us) public holiday (BAD mistake – packed solid!), and some towns you just don't want to stay in! It did teach me, a little local knowledge/research (NO www back in those days!) was invaluable, so totally winging it carried risk.
In UK, I find sites a little rigid on arrivals rules (done a couple of unscheduled overnight stops, and the sites give the impression it's a BIG favour to accommodate you, despite phoning ahead to ensure vacancies!), if you fail to get a pitch, parking a car-caravan combo up overnight is quite problematic, OR expensive/uncomfortable if forced into motorway services, I find 'A road' lay-bys REALLY unpleasant/risky places and wouldn't want to spend a night there! Not sure 'winging it' around UK would make for a very relaxing comfortable experience, certainly not with a caravan, smaller MHs and campers may have better scope.
On the continent, not that we've done it, as have always had a fixed plan/destination/site dictated by our reasons for being somewhere, it does seem to be much more acceptable to just turn up unannounced, and think I have sufficient sense of adventure to do it if I had a flexible schedule, but not sure I'd be so comfortable if I was solo.
Quote: Originally posted by dk168 on 12/6/2024
(a) as I always plan and book in advance, being very risk-averse travelling as a lone female with a dog.
DK
Risk averse here too
We are usually on foot so book in advance. We can't get to an alternative site easily.
Have just turned up at French sites. Always book UK sites. Have met folk on big tours of the UK who phone the day before, but we, well, I like to plan beforehand.
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
I might add that when the forecast was cold and wet for a week in Brittany we went south, and when it was hot as hell at Narbonne we went up into to the hills - as we did when we found how busy it was by Lake Garda. Then there were the three sites where we drove in, drove around, pulled a face and drove straight out again. And the bank holiday weekend we had to spend at Sallanches when the car was sick and the local garage was shut until Tuesday. And the motorway pile up near Le Mans where we sat for three hours and plans for that night had to be torn up.
But then as others have said we came across lovely places and opened the beers and stayed. Going without booking suited us very well for 45 years.
It's not so much about finding a site and pitch we like, but about being able to leave whenever we like. Booking a pitch removes that option.
We're currently driving from Roquebrune-sur-Argens towards Perpignan, just because we fancy a change of scenery (and the weather looks good all across the south). We've no idea where we'll end up tonight but have a few campsites in mind to check out. If we don't find anywhere we particularly like, we'll head towards an old favourite.
Often make up our minds very last minute as to when and where to move on.
Prefer the freedom of not booking ... and, in France, if it's full, there's always another site within a few miles. But that's only happened twice in forty years!
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Thanks all, kind of surprised at just how many don't book. We've always booked but then we've always been in July for a couple of weeks. Last trip to Spain we did pre-book but cancelled when we arrived and instead just turned up (d). It was much easier to just follow the weather so I'm kind of converted but on the other hand still a little anxious . While it worked for us we did see people turned away in Orio, that was in late June.
Can I ask, for those that regularly don't book, how do you manage to pay when you leave ? I've always found that even when I turn up unannounced they always ask how long I'll be there for and want payment up front.
We do a mix. We have turned up at around 8 sites in the last 3 years in France and found them full so are beginning to book more often. It seems we are unlucky when I look at other responses. That said, we do enjoy coastal sites and places like St Remy de Provence. We have been turned away 3 times in Remy in June and September so will always book for there in future. When we toured Scotland at Easter a few years ago, we just turned up but booked all sites two years ago and as it turned out about half were full by late afternoon in June. I would love to just rock up and then leave when we fancy but I think we will have to find different favourite places. Fingers crossed that tomorrow we find somewhere without booking!
Quote: Originally posted by arthurdent on 17/6/2024
Can I ask, for those that regularly don't book, how do you manage to pay when you leave ? I've always found that even when I turn up unannounced they always ask how long I'll be there for and want payment up front.
When we get to a site and ask for a pitch, I usually say that we want to stay for either 3, 4 or 5 nights (alternatives are possible, ie, 7 or 8 nights, etc, etc). Not once have we been asked to pay up front; there has occasionally been a suggestion of paying for the minimum number of nights up front, but I always say I'll pay the day before we leave. In that case, usually the site has wanted to retain the ACSI card, or Camping Carnet on non-ACSI sites, which I don't have a problem with. We may decide after 1 night that the site isn't for us, for whatever reason, so I never pay up front and that's never been a problem.
Sometimes a site has wanted to know the maximum number of nights we want to stay for, and that's no problem, because we usually decide beforehand how long we want to stay; if we then want to extend that stay, it's usually not a problem, unless of course your particular pitch is booked; but that hasn't happened very often at all.
Usually you are only asked to pay up front if you are doing 1/2 nights ... anything longer is paid upon departure.
However ... rebooking is usually (?) paid in advance.
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Have never booked on the continent and I can't really understand how people do so. How do you know where you are going to be when the time to start looking for a site arrives ? What do you do if the site looks dire or if the forecast isn't good?
OK, we go out of season but the odd time we have stayed to August there still hasn't been a problem. There is always another site in half an hour or so.
DaveS1
Quote: Originally posted by DaveS1 on 24/6/2024
Have never booked on the continent and I can't really understand how people do so. How do you know where you are going to be when the time to start looking for a site arrives ? What do you do if the site looks dire or if the forecast isn't good?
OK, we go out of season but the odd time we have stayed to August there still hasn't been a problem. There is always another site in half an hour or so.
DaveS1
Organisation.
Also, if you are on foot or bicycle, your half an hours drive is a tad longer and more difficult.
Understand Ewen. I was referring to caravanning as against "proper" camping!
Sometimes I have found myself 150/200 miles from my original 'planned' destination for one reason or another.
For me being pressed to arrive at a particular site at a particular time would spoil the enjoyment of touring. Each to their own though.
I only wish you could turn up unannounced at a UK site
DaveS1
A quick look of the on line availability list from the Caravan and Motorhome Club shows that one could arrive unreserved at 19 out of 20 of their sites in Devon and Cornwall today.
This year we've used a combination of aires, France Passion sites and campsites, the latter have been a mixture of ACSI sites or municipals. We were away for 4 weeks in total and arrived home yesterday (and already need another holiday to get over arriving back home).
We never booked ahead or booked through ACSI.
Neither have we phoned ahead before leaving the site we were on to make sure it wasn't full, in other words we just wing it.
This is how we've played it since we we started touring holidays (e.g. once the kids had left home).
We have made a couple of exceptions and these have been when we absolutely want to be somewhere at a certain time for a specific event. Also last year, it was exceptionally busy (this year was back to the levels we'd been accustomed to), and we booked a couple of sites, one site we didn't need to in the end and the other we did but they let us book at the ACSI rate.
Generally we've been able to get in to our first choice but there have been occasions when we haven't and we've needed a back-up.
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: Arriving at sites and booking
via mobile 14/6/2024 at 2:44pm
. While it worked for us we did see people turned away in Orio, that was in late June.
