Hi I'm thinking of going to France for the first time with my wife and 2 children. The prices I'm being quoted are way over £1000. Wondering if anybody knows of ways to reduce the overall cost to something more affordable. Hoping to go to Vandee area.
Thinking of going to France for the first time advice of lowering cost.
- Thread starter JONATHAN.SULLIVAN
- Start date
hi johnathon i have just replied to your message on the other thread -
give alan rogers site a call they will assist
if you can go after the 21st aug - most sites will accept camping cheques and these are only 13.95 per day
rather than the 40 euros per day
give alan rogers site a call they will assist
if you can go after the 21st aug - most sites will accept camping cheques and these are only 13.95 per day
rather than the 40 euros per day
Hi Jonathan
Tips:
1. Are you looking at taking your own equipment - if so then book everything directly with the sites (or try Alan Rogers as Thelma has suggested - or the Caravan Club) rather than through Eurocamp Independent or similar, which can cost more. If you're not taking your own equipment and want a ready erected tent or mobile home, then find the site you want and then see what sort of accommodation they offer, directly. Most sites offer a variety of mobile homes, or tents, or cabins, these days.
2. Use a short ferry crossing rather than the longer western crossings. Our crossing *(booked at the time of the NEC Caravan Show using a special offer code) was £58.00 return, with Norfolk Lines, Dover to Dunkerque. They make these offers available at the Caravan Show and the promotional codes are often circulated on forums such as this one. It might be worth waiting until the next show in February to see if anything comes up (but this is by no means guaranteed). Play around with the timings of your crossing to bring costs down. It makes for a longer drive to some sites, though - but driving is more pleasant in France than in this country.
3. Have a look at the Camping Cheques or ACSI card websites - www.campingcheque.co.uk, or www.campingcard.com to see what sites are available. The problem is that in the Vendee (a very popular area with some Brits) the Camping Cheque/ACSI acceptance dates don't really apply until that bit later than in some other areas. There are sites which accept Camping Cheques, or an ACSI card, from the 15th August - but not in the Vendee.
4. Go the last two weeks in August, rather than in July or the first two weeks in August - site prices come down on some sites even if you can't use Camping Cheques or an ACSI card. Large family sites do tend to be more expensive, especially right on the coast, but if you go a little inland you may be able to save some money. If you're prepared to stay on smaller sites then there are lots of them - check out www.campingfrance.com for details of all 11,00 campsites in France (has links to campsite websites).
Tips:
1. Are you looking at taking your own equipment - if so then book everything directly with the sites (or try Alan Rogers as Thelma has suggested - or the Caravan Club) rather than through Eurocamp Independent or similar, which can cost more. If you're not taking your own equipment and want a ready erected tent or mobile home, then find the site you want and then see what sort of accommodation they offer, directly. Most sites offer a variety of mobile homes, or tents, or cabins, these days.
2. Use a short ferry crossing rather than the longer western crossings. Our crossing *(booked at the time of the NEC Caravan Show using a special offer code) was £58.00 return, with Norfolk Lines, Dover to Dunkerque. They make these offers available at the Caravan Show and the promotional codes are often circulated on forums such as this one. It might be worth waiting until the next show in February to see if anything comes up (but this is by no means guaranteed). Play around with the timings of your crossing to bring costs down. It makes for a longer drive to some sites, though - but driving is more pleasant in France than in this country.
3. Have a look at the Camping Cheques or ACSI card websites - www.campingcheque.co.uk, or www.campingcard.com to see what sites are available. The problem is that in the Vendee (a very popular area with some Brits) the Camping Cheque/ACSI acceptance dates don't really apply until that bit later than in some other areas. There are sites which accept Camping Cheques, or an ACSI card, from the 15th August - but not in the Vendee.
4. Go the last two weeks in August, rather than in July or the first two weeks in August - site prices come down on some sites even if you can't use Camping Cheques or an ACSI card. Large family sites do tend to be more expensive, especially right on the coast, but if you go a little inland you may be able to save some money. If you're prepared to stay on smaller sites then there are lots of them - check out www.campingfrance.com for details of all 11,00 campsites in France (has links to campsite websites).
We have had a price through Caravan Club and also Camping Cheques for August - Caravan Club comes out about £10 cheaper. This is based on using the Brittany Ferries sailings when caravans go free. We hope to sail on 17th August Poole to Cherbourg and back Caen to Portsmouth (Cherbourg crossing is slightly cheaper). The ferry crossing taking into account over-length caravan comes to £301. To get this you have to have at least 7 camping cheques on top or at least 7 nights site fees.
What does that £1000 include? We went to the Vendee for 2 weeks (family of 4 with our caravan) and spent £1,300 in total, including food, petrol, tolls, site fees etc. I booked it all direct without using any clubs, companies etc.
The biggest saving is by crossing the Channel through Dover or Eurotunnel - our Eurotunnel crossing cost £76 with loads of Tesco discount vouchers - this year we've got Eurotunnel for £26 in June and for our other trip in August, a ferry from Dover to Dunkirk for £80 (using the discount code from the October caravan show). The cheapest Portsmouth crossing quotes ranged from £520 to £780 for the same dates...
The next biggest saving is making your own lunches
. Honestly, I worked out I saved about £300 over the 2 weeks by buying baguettes (fresh from site reception every day), ham and cheese (from local supermarket) and having that at lunch. A lunch out for 4 is at least £30 a time...
The biggest saving is by crossing the Channel through Dover or Eurotunnel - our Eurotunnel crossing cost £76 with loads of Tesco discount vouchers - this year we've got Eurotunnel for £26 in June and for our other trip in August, a ferry from Dover to Dunkirk for £80 (using the discount code from the October caravan show). The cheapest Portsmouth crossing quotes ranged from £520 to £780 for the same dates...
The next biggest saving is making your own lunches
As others have indicated you have to look at the overall not the superficial cost. For example, if you live (generally) west then despite the higher book costs, Brittany routes may be less expensive than Dover if you take into account the true costs of home to destination including the bits in UK. Equally you need to look at your travel insurance costs and see if you really need to take out health care, since the European E111 equivalent will give you lots of cover if your are young and healthy and particularly if two of you can drive and tow so could get you home in the worst case. If you are old and a solo tower, then you need the insurance. Research the insurance time periods e.g. if you cut your trip from 45 days to 42 you may save quite a lot.
Overnight ferries cost more but you may save one night at a site which offsets the cost and also gives a good nights rest enabling you to do more miles (|safely) the next day.
Take some of your own food for the first day or so = like UK, food at motorway service areas is expensive particularly for a fmaily. Think picnic.
Plan your route to avoid tolls - going down the west coast of France this could easily save two nights site fees.
Use municipal sites if you can = can be half the price or less of the all singing ones. Use camping a la ferme sites (CL type) unless you really need the swimming pools and entertainments. None of these will necessarily reduce the qualtiy of your trip - may even enhance it.
Buy your fuel at supermarkets. If towing go through the 24/24 lanes which generally accept UK credit cards at the pumps and have much easier way in / way out than the pay at the kiosk pumps.
Investigate trips with camping cheques (phone Caravan Club and talk about IXT (or ITX - forget which) deals.
Your road fuel will cost less (but not much less in France) but wise shopping should cost less if you stick to ingredients and not ready made meals.
Appereciate that some of the above may not be what you want to hear or experience for a holiday, but for those of us on fixed income and virtually zero real interest on savings in UK we have to work through this but it is still very much worth coming, so ENJOY
Overnight ferries cost more but you may save one night at a site which offsets the cost and also gives a good nights rest enabling you to do more miles (|safely) the next day.
Take some of your own food for the first day or so = like UK, food at motorway service areas is expensive particularly for a fmaily. Think picnic.
Plan your route to avoid tolls - going down the west coast of France this could easily save two nights site fees.
Use municipal sites if you can = can be half the price or less of the all singing ones. Use camping a la ferme sites (CL type) unless you really need the swimming pools and entertainments. None of these will necessarily reduce the qualtiy of your trip - may even enhance it.
Buy your fuel at supermarkets. If towing go through the 24/24 lanes which generally accept UK credit cards at the pumps and have much easier way in / way out than the pay at the kiosk pumps.
Investigate trips with camping cheques (phone Caravan Club and talk about IXT (or ITX - forget which) deals.
Your road fuel will cost less (but not much less in France) but wise shopping should cost less if you stick to ingredients and not ready made meals.
Appereciate that some of the above may not be what you want to hear or experience for a holiday, but for those of us on fixed income and virtually zero real interest on savings in UK we have to work through this but it is still very much worth coming, so ENJOY
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