there are those who do and those who don't and ne'er the twain shall meet
too risky for me, but I am that sort of person but if folk do - that's their choice but there is so much advice given and only so much that some will take
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My preference would always be a campsite, but we have had to do an overnight ferry one year and catch some sleep in an Aire. Just arrive late, after midnight, and find a location with other cars and caravans that are doing the same. Avoid Aires near the cities and the risk is minimal.
However dangerous you think it is this is the life hundreds of thousands of lorry drivers lead every night. They pull up in an Aire, have their dinner and go to sleep, wake up the next morning and go n the rest of their journey.
------------- Ollie
2016
Monplaisir - Provence
Camping Les Gorges du Loup
Only today, on another forum, there's a report of people being robbed on a British owned campsite, very recently, and part of the post reads:
They had been staying at British owned campsite in France when in the dead of the night they heard a bang from their car then the car alarm and he rushed out to re-set the alarm only to discover the cars rear side window had been smashed and all their valuables had been stolen off the back seat.
OK, they realise that with hind sight they shouldn't have left anything of value in the car but now they are without their passports, credit cards and a significant amount of both UK and Euro cash.
Whatever your view on the incident, surely the two point to take out of that are:
1. Make sure your valuables are securely hidden in one of the dozens of places where an opportunist thief can't reach them. Everything should be tucked away out of sight when you are sleeping. No thief is going to rifle through your veg basket, or look behind the bean tins, or under the mat in the bathroom! (None of our secret locations revealed in that sentence!)
2. Split up valuables - don't put all your eggs in one basket. We keep cards, cash, and passports completely separately - there's no way they could all be stolen at once unless the caravan was stolen with us sleeping in it. Passports are also separated, so that one would still be available, and we have three separate credit and debit cards, again so that we always have an emergency one. Cash is always split up if we have anything more than about 20 euros.
I agree completely with your 'learning points' Val.
But I can't believe stories like the one posted. As with all of these type of stories they are always third hand and sprinkled with a liberal dose of 'apparently' and 'everything stolen'.
------------- Ollie
2016
Monplaisir - Provence
Camping Les Gorges du Loup
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
I agree entirely Ollie! This one was posted by another British campsite owner (where the couple concerned were apparently 'regular' customers) - to indicate the poor level of service they'd received on the other campsite and it was apparently posted as a 'just happened' incident. However, as you rightly point out these stories always involve 'all their valuables' - now how many people, especially 'regulars', leave all their valuable possessions in their car at night whilst sleeping in their caravan!
so every story that has a negative is an 'ah well you can just ignore it' feel to it.
equally who leaves hings like passports and other valuables in the car? I take all the things I might need if stolen from the care if it has to be left outside the site - even the security keys for the alloys (but am I unusual in this?)
Val is right re security we follow that principle and I don't think we are neurotic about security. 'Be aware' principle - that is all that we need to take into consideration
so every story that has a negative is an 'ah well you can just ignore it' feel to it.
Don't think anyone is suggesting ignore the negatives. Just that you have to learn from other's mistakes or stories and make your own risk assessment. One persons "danger story" is part of another persons daily life.
------------- Ollie
2016
Monplaisir - Provence
Camping Les Gorges du Loup
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
I agree - weigh up the 'risks', get advice, and make up your own minds - but above all take sensible (though not paranoid) precautions. The original poster is doing just the right thing by asking, and in general has a range of views to take into account. There are no 'negatives' or 'positives' just stories, views on those stories, and advice based on others' experiences.
We're much more casual on site - leaving things such as tables and chairs, lounger, mini-oven, etc., outside under the sun canopy, with no problems - but those things are not 'valuables' or 'essentials' and are easily replaced. Yes we'd miss them, but our holiday could continue without them, or we could replace them easily. Keep things as safe as they need to be - and valuables hidden, in separate places, and out of view and reach!
I read the story from the other camp site owner and wondered if it might possibly be an advert for his camp site - not the first either. "Look how well you will be looked after if you come to me... " What an old cynic i am.
we seem to be on the same hymn sheet when it comes to essentials thye test we were put to was on a site at Salbris when two awnings went on fire and there was a danger of it spreading quick decisions were needed so we grabbed the documents - passports/money things/ and drove off site at least we could get home it is amazing how long 5 minutes can be waiting for les pompiers
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Hi everyone all advise and comments much appreciated.I do have limited time to holiday in the site we have chosen in the bay of roses and would love to have more time to travel through France. Do not want to put myself or family at risk by trying to drive to far getting tired or stopping overnight in unsafe locations. Thankyou.
Whilst I wouldnt overnight in an Aire if tugging a caravan, Ive done it many times in my campervan, but I generally try not to overnight in Aires close to large town or cities.
------------- Target for 2012 2oz of Gold Total for 2011 1.4oz Gold
If you are not in a hurry stop at, say 5pm at an overnight campsite, if you want to crack on, stop on an aire at about 11pm & leave at 7am. My preference over an aire for that amount of time would be to pull off into smallish town, follow sign to supermkt & stop on carpark.
Normal precautions would be to keep wallet/mobile/keys close to where you sleep rather than lying about in caravan. I'd be suprised if anybody could break into my caravan without waking me tho.
We have used an 'aire' a couple of times ... safely ... though motorway noise is a given.
Frankly, for one nighters/in transit we tend to use the F1 stops ... they are cheap, comfortable, quiet, clean and mean you don't have to unpack/set up anything .. just in and out when you want (nearly all work on card access at any time of night).
We have stayed in overnight, sleeping in our caravan, autortoute aires MANY times when on long Continental journeys. That has included aires in France, Germany, Belgium, Croatia, Switzerland and Italy.
We are always careful about where we stop and avoid aires which are deserted. The aires are so frequent in France that it is easy to travel on to another one if the first one we try looks suspicious in any way.
We have a cheap door alarm on the caravan door which sounds if the door is open. We sleep with our passports, etc in bed with us!!
The advantage of stopping at aires is that we can drive until late and then just pull in for the night and make an early start the next day. If we are likely to stop we travel with the bed made up and a bit of water in the fresh water and toilet tanks.
In over 10 years of doing this we have never had any problems.
We do, also, stay in campsites overnight if there are convenient to the motorway but the temptation is then to stay on an extra night or more - LOL
Incidentally we sometimes stop in motorway service areas in the UK too but, of course, they charge parking fees.
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: Stopping at services on Autoroutes
