So how do you all find your campervan site and how do you plan?

[MarkVw2017]

Planning to do a our first main tour starting from Barcelona and then up throuh France next year (approx month), so looking for some tips.

How do you all find your sites. I type in campsites in google maps, but that's very hit and miss, I have found eurocamp independent, but that seems very expensive. we are quite happy with smaller/ cheaper sites.

Any recommendations to websites for campsites would be greatly appreciated

Also, do you pre book sites when going on an adventure (planning to stay no more than 3 nights in one spot) or do you just book them as you go incase you love somewhere and want to stay longer or even hate somewhere and want to move on?

 

[Nick Stubbs]

Suck it and see.

 

[jts46]

ACSI camping card

 

[MarkVw2017]

ACSI camping card

O, wow, that looks amazing!!! Thank you

 

[flying banana]

Go on Google play. Download app searchforsites . Get 7 days free to look at it then 5.99 for the year. Pub stops. Brit stops independent sites etc all on there . Includes Europe too

 

[jts46]

Or "searchforsites"

 

[MarkVw2017]

Go on Google play. Download app searchforsites . Get 7 days free to look at it then 5.99 for the year. Pub stops. Brit stops independent sites etc all on there . Includes Europe too

Thays amazing, installing now.

 

[marchugo]

With a little bit of searching on this forum, you'll quickly find solutions like:

- Archies App with almost all the campings in Europe.
- The app Campercontact gives you almost all campersites in Europe, plus some thousands of ACSI sites.
- Park4Night app shows you stealth places for overnighting.
- Camping-Car Park does the same for camper places.
- a membership of France Passion offers you free stay for one night at thousands of French farmers.
- when you install a navigation app like Maps.me, and search for "camping" or "camper site" or "camping aire", it shows you all the possibillities voor camping and campering in the regio where you are.
- If in physical pressure on the road, the app Where is Public Toilet helps you out.

Of course I may have forgotten an app or two. Other members here can add their own favourite solutions.

Regards from Amsterdam,

Marc.

 

[MarkVw2017]

With a little bit of searching on this forum, you'll quickly find solutions like:

- Archies App with almost all the campings in Europe.
- The app Campercontact gives you almost all campersites in Europe, plus some thousands of ACSI sites.
- Park4Night app shows you stealth places for overnighting.
- Camping-Car Park does the same for camper places.
- a membership of France Passion offers you free stay for one night at thousands of French farmers.
- when you install a navigation app like Maps.me, and search for "camping" or "camper site" or "camping aire", it shows you all the possibillities voor camping and campering in the regio where you are.
- If in physical pressure on the road, the app Where is Public Toilet helps you out.

Of course I may have forgotten an app or two. Other members here can add their own favourite solutions.

Regards from Amsterdam,

Marc.

Thank you VERY much

 

[WelshGas]

Thank you VERY much

Archies.
Even includes POI files for virtually all SatNav systems. Phone numbers and websites if they have one.

One advantage of Eurocamp Independent Cheap Insurance.

 

[SailSki]

Hi, with Archies I just see basic info like phone number, altitude, coordinates and opening dates but no photos, no description other than what is in the title.
Am I missing something?

 

[Amarillo]

Off season we used ACSI Camping Card, high season or if no Camping Card sites available the general ACSI database. We were searching for sites that accept dogs and allow children at no extra cost. Often stayed for 11 or 13 Euros per night. Phoned to check availability when on the way, 11am is a good time to phone as most people moving on will have left by then so reception will know about pitch availability.

We found the ratings to be reliable; anything above 8.0 is likely to be very nice; below 7.5 and only stop there in an emergency.

The iPad and iPhone ACSI apps (general and Camping Card) are excellent, work offline (but take ages to download or update), so well worth paying for.

 

[WelshGas]

Hi, with Archies I just see basic info like phone number, altitude, coordinates and opening dates but no photos, no description other than what is in the title.
Am I missing something?

Yes, one of the Icons down the bottom, of the pop-up, takes you to their website , if they have one.

Don't have my iPad at present.

 

[SailSki]

Great, many thanks

 

[Ting Tong]

Park4night app is free and brilliant once you get the hang of it. It has users reviews of sites which it translates. We used it every night on our recent trip around Eastern Europe and it conveniently open directions in google maps or waze. It helps if you declutter the results map of car parks etc in my settings > types.

 

[rod_vw]

What's all this about 'planning'?

Just take as it comes, explore the areas and the Aires and park up for the night when you find somewhere that you like. Just don't get carried away enjoying France so much that you miss your ferry (or train) back home!

 

[MarkVw2017]

What's all this about 'planning'?

Just take as it comes, explore the areas and the Aires and park up for the night when you find somewhere that you like. Just don't get carried away enjoying France so much that you miss your ferry (or train) back home!

Haha, that's what i like to hear ;-)

 

[MarkVw2017]

Off season we used ACSI Camping Card, high season or if no Camping Card sites available the general ACSI database. We were searching for sites that accept dogs and allow children at no extra cost. Often stayed for 11 or 13 Euros per night. Phoned to check availability when on the way, 11am is a good time to phone as most people moving on will have left by then so reception will know about pitch availability.

We found the ratings to be reliable; anything above 8.0 is likely to be very nice; below 7.5 and only stop there in an emergency.

The iPad and iPhone ACSI apps (general and Camping Card) are excellent, work offline (but take ages to download or update), so well worth paying for.

Hi @Amarillo , as usual thank you very much for the very helpful and indepth reply. Wow anything under £15 a night would be amazing!!

 

[WelshGas]

Great, many thanks

On the Archie’s iPad app, Click on the “A” for the campsite the “i” for information, then the Magnifying Glass ( bottom L ) and you get a Google search page with the campsite website if there is one.

 

[MarkVw2017]

On the Archie’s iPad app, Click on the “A” for the campsite the “i” for information, then the Magnifying Glass ( bottom L ) and you get a Google search page with the campsite website if there is one.
View attachment 44564

View attachment 44565

Thank you, very helpful

 

[Amarillo]

Hi @Amarillo , as usual thank you very much for the very helpful and indepth reply. Wow anything under £15 a night would be amazing!!

The 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 Euro rates are off season only and always include:
Pitch
Motorhome and awning
Two adults
Two showers per day (tokens may be issued)
Electric hookup, if metered, first 4 kWh per day
One shower per adult per overnight stay
One dog if dogs are allowed
VAT
Sometimes up to three children under 6

Campsite policies on children varies wildly. Generally in Scandinavia and Finland you never pay for children of school age or under. It is rare for a campsite to charge for babies under two years. But the cost of children can quickly make an attractive CampingCard site less unattractive. An example of this was Camping le Grillon; advertised at 11 Euros per night. When we turned up, it turned out that children over two were 3 Euros each, turning an 11 Euro/night campsite into a 17 Euro/night campsite. Fortunately the campsite manager insisted that Jack was under two years old, even after we had said that Jack was three, so we paid 14 Euros/night.

There is no way to determine the child policy from the CampingCard or main ACSI handbook or from the apps. I sent a suggestion email to ACSI about this, and received a curt response, basically saying "we cannot do everything". Sorry ACSI - but knowing at what age campsites charge for children is pretty basic information. To get that information you need to visit the tariff page of individual campsites. This is the tariff page of a 20 Euro campsite. http://www.campingdewijnstok.com/index.php?op=listino Even the manager didn't know the tariffs and charged us 10 Euros extra for two children under 8 on 21 November, well within the free period for children. This particular campsite was undoubtedly the worst site we stayed at, and at 30 Euros per night, one of the most expensive.

 

[jts46]

The 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 Euro rates are off season only and always include:
Pitch
Motorhome and awning
Two adults
Two showers per day (tokens may be issued)
Electric hookup, if metered, first 4 kWh per day
One shower per adult per overnight stay
One dog if dogs are allowed
VAT
Sometimes up to three children under 6

Been using ACSI for 35yrs and never had limits on showers or electricity, off season or in season

 

[Amarillo]

Been using ACSI for 35yrs and never had limits on showers or electricity, off season or in season

Have you ever stayed off-season at a CampingCard site which uses tokens for showers or meters its electricity?

 

[jts46]

Have you ever stayed off-season at a CampingCard site which uses tokens for showers or meters its electricity?

Yes we nearly always use off-season CampingCard sites and no we haven't been charged for showers or electricity

 

[Amarillo]

Yes we nearly always use off-season CampingCard sites and no we haven't been charged for showers or electricity

I think, then, we are saying the same thing. At CC sites one shower token per adult per day is issued so you don't pay for showers (unless you want more than one shower per adult per day).