New to Camping? - First Timers Advice | Alan Rogers Travel Service

First Timers Advice

First time abroad?

There are over 25000 campsites in Europe, and over 12,000 in France alone. As you would expect, quality standards vary massively but many offer standards and service levels which are genuinely impressive, and every year many first timers having taken a few hesitant steps, never look back!

The holiday of a lifetime is out there waiting for you. But don’t spoil it by ignoring a few basic rules. Here are our Top Tips for Touring!

Make plans early

What do you really want from your holiday? Who’s going to drive? And don’t forget that, whilst most continental roads are excellent, you should never underestimate how long your journey could take. A good atlas is highly recommended. Detailed AA and Michelin maps are recommended too. Route planning websites such as www.viamichelin.com are useful and will give an accurate indication of mileages and costs.

Check your passports

Are they valid for the full duration of your holiday? Don’t forget that passports are required for all party members, including children. The passport office offers a last minute service – but it’s obviously best to avoid any late panics!

Don’t forget to get a free European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)

This has replaced the E111 form and is available from the Post Office. This will cover you, to a degree, for primary health care throughout many parts of Europe. Check the current terms for full details. For full details please visit the Department of Health’s website www.dh.gov.uk/traveller.

At best the EHIC offers at best only partial cover

Do take out proper travel insurance too. You should consider broadly two categories of insurance – personal cover for all party members which will address any medical requirements as well as personal effects, and vehicle breakdown and recovery cover. Alan Rogers offers competitively priced insurance specially designed for camping and caravanning on the continent. It’s worth noting too that ‘free’ policies available from credit card companies and the like, can often provide inadequate cover. It’s well worth checking beforehand.

Check your car insurance

Don’t forget your green card (check your requirements with your insurance company), or you may find that you only have third party cover. Don’t forget that all drivers will need to bring their driving licences too! The new pink / green photocard version is universally acceptable but holders of the older green licences will need to apply for an International Driving Permit if planning to travel to Austria, Italy, Spain or any Central European countries.

Vehicle Servicing

Have your car / motor caravan and / or caravan properly serviced. Don’t forget to check tyre pressures and particularly that they are properly adjusted according to your caravan’s weight. Needless to say a good spare tyre is also essential

Don’t forget spares bulbs and a warning triangle, they are compulsory when towing vehicles without hazard warning lights (2 are required in Spain, Croatia, Slovenia and Turkey). You should also carry a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit. Less obviously perhaps, a reflective jacket is a requirement in some countries. In any case you should check the legal requirements of the countries you plan to visit. A well equipped spares and tool kit is highly recommended too.

It’s important to use headlamp converters to ensure that you do not dazzle oncoming traffic when driving at night or through tunnels etc. In many countries, notably Scandinavia, driving with dipped headlights is the norm.

It’s a good idea to fill your fuel tank once on the continent – fuel is invariably cheaper there and savings can mount up! Please note however that many petrol stations advertising 24 hour opening will often use an automated process only accepting locally issued credit cards. 24 hour fuel can always be found on motorways but it can be difficult to find a manned filling station in many areas outside normal business hours. Many are also closed on Sundays.

Finances

Nowadays, payment for most eventualities (including fuel) can be best done by credit card. These are very widely accepted. Nevertheless, we do recommend carrying a limited supply of cash too. ATM machines are widespread and usually offer an English language option. They can often be found in supermarkets and motorway service stations. A handy way to obtain cash at an exchange rate which is invariably as good as that available anywhere else.

It’s a good idea to keep a note of your credit card numbers (in case of loss or theft) – but be sure to keep any such note separate from the cards themselves.

Medical

Don’t forget to bring any necessary medication with you, as well as written details which will help doctors / pharmacists to provide additional supplies if necessary.

Lastly, don’t forget to cancel milk, newspapers etc., and let your neighbours know of your plans. It’s also well worth checking your house and contents insurance to ensure that you’re aware of any limitations.

Arrival on site

Many (but by no means all!) campsites will employ English speaking reception staff. On arrival, you should, of course, firstly check-in. You may be required to complete a registration form and possibly leave a deposit. This may necessitate leaving a passport. However, an international Camping Carnet can be useful as proof of identity (and obviating the need to leave your passport at the campsite reception). We can provide a carnet for just £6 as an attachment to one of our personal insurance policies, or free-of-charge if you take one of our ‘plus’ policies.

Many campsites now use card operated barriers. These are an important security asset for the campsite in question and the site will issue you with a magnetic card or key to operate the barrier. Please note that a deposit will usually be required – very often in cash.

Your pitch will usually be ready from early afternoon. Do remember that, on the continent, lunch breaks are sacrosanct and the campsite reception may well be closed from 12.00 noon to 2.00 pm (and quite possibly longer in Spain and Italy). Some countries (notably Germany, Austria and Northern Italy) also practice a ‘mittaggsruhe’ system, whereby all vehicle movements and any other potentially noisy activities are banned during an early afternoon siesta period, to allow those who so wish to have a pleasant nap!

You should try not to arrive on site after 7.00 pm. Some campsite receptions will close, particularly in low season. In any event, you should ensure arrival before 10.00pm – the campsite barrier will very often be closed for the night at this time and you would need to remain outside the barrier until it reopens the following morning. If you believe that you will arrive later than 10.00 pm, it would be worth calling the site and special arrangements may be possible.

Check-out time will vary from site to site but is generally between 10.00 am and midday. Please let the site management know if you need to leave very early (e.g. to catch a ferry).

Pitch allocations are very much decided by the campsite management. It’s well worth passing on any request you may have at the time of booking (e.g. sunny or shady pitches, or pitches close to friends). These may be possible at the time of booking but may well be impossible to arrange in peak season.

Once installed on your pitch, electrical connections shouldn’t cause any major problems. You may well need a continental adapter (readily available at any caravan accessory shop). You may encounter a ‘reverse polarity’ problem (reversal of live and neutral connections with the result that any appliance remains ‘live’). This can be easily resolved using an electrical screwdriver to ascertain the live and neutral terminals.

Calor Gaz is virtually unavailable on continent. Camping Gaz however is a good substitute and is very widely available but you may need a special adapter

Where to go?

If you’re travelling in the low season, it would be well worth considering the Camping Cheque scheme. There’s usually no need to make a fixed reservation with Camping Cheque – it’s an ideal touring programme offering over 570 of Europe’s best sites for a single fixed price. In every instance, this is guaranteed to be at least 10% and up to 60% below the site’s standard public tariff. You can buy your Camping Cheques (along with low cost ferry crossings) from Alan Rogers. Please visit www.campingcheque.co.uk or call us on 0870 405 4057 for more information.

For first timers, France really takes a lot of beating, and you don’t need to travel far to soak up authentic French experiences. For many, a ferry from Dover to Calais is the obvious, and often most cost effective choice. Ferries on this route operate throughout the day and night, and it’s definitely worth considering a crossing at night – these can be much cheaper. Eurotunnel’s quick and convenient but can be prohibitively expensive for daytime travel with a caravan or motorhome – but again, overnight journeys are worth looking at.

Calais doesn’t really have much of interest, other than a couple of large hypermarkets, the large Cité Europe shopping complex and an astonishing number of 24 hour UK managed cash and carry outlets.

However, you don’t have to travel far to reach some delightful countryside, and some excellent campsites.

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