ASCI.....hows it work pls
Hi all, hope you're enjoying the Summer
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ASCI, is it easy?......obviously I have no idea really what it is. Having returned to France in May with the Club on a 3-week pre-booked package. Yesterday my partner was awarded a 6 weeks extra holiday. So thinking book a return ferry to France, check weather forecast. Allow the weather to be our guide to the direction we travel, for 3 weeks and allow a week to get home.
Do you just turn up at the site and get shoved in a corner or do you phone ahead, or reserve on the app? We have a caravan, so don't fancy Aires. Slept in enough of them, as a truck driver. I realize, because we meet you lucky ones who spend months bimbling around Europe. It's easy Plessy or is it? I'm hoping you'll tell me it opens up options/freedoms, that pre-booking doesn't give you.
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ACSI is an organisation that visits and rates sites in many countries of Europe, a service for which sites pay. It also publishes a book / card and App of sites that offer a discount at off peak times. This costs about €14 for 2022, although will be more in 2023. The App is another €5.
You can book ahead but off peak it is not really necessary. In France peak is generally from sometime during the first week of July to sometime in the last week of August. All other times the sites are open are discountable, if you have bought the book / card. Other countries have different discount periods and these are listed in the book.
If you are travelling at peak it is probably not worth buying the book. All the rated sites are listed on the ACSI website. The App only works if you have bought the book/card.
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You buy the ACSI book which contains their Camping Card. With that card 1400 campsites in France - out of 8400 - will give you a discount price but only at low season dates. Those dates vary from one site to another. Refer to the list to see the dates for each site. In most cases you can turn up without a booking - but you may occasionally find a site full. If in doubt phone ahead and ask. In most cases you get a choice of pitches but in a few cases you get a restricted choice. The 7000 sites which aren’t members of the ACSI scheme may have discounts of their own. Don’t ignore them.
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Hi D17, As mentioned there is lots of info on the ACSI site, or to be correct, the Camping Card ACSI site:
https://www.campingcard.co.uk/
and on the Eurocampings site:
https://www.eurocampings.co.uk/
ACSI is a very useful scheme but, as said, if you are looking at high season, roughly 17-31/8 less so.
I always start with our main destination, look at routes, calculate how far each day then do a Google search of that area and look at the two sites above.
It is possible to find sites full-we have had this happen three times, all at the same very popular lakeside site on Garda-or with restrictions on which type of pitch or pitch location.
As Euror says, dont be a slave to the ACSI card and check, check and check again as there may be deals that match ACSI at some sites-we booked a pitch direct with the site on an 'ACSI site this year as there deal offerd a better pitch for the same site which was our main site for the holiday.
Wherever you do go have a great time!
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You are almost guaranteed to get a return on your money if you use just 2 sites for 3 days each.
It's nearly always paid its' way for us (covid years an exception) and sometimes the savings have been eye watering.
I endorse what others have said in that sometimes you can get a better deal from the site, usually found online, say if you are staying for a prolonged period of time.
We have come across one or two duff sites but have done that without ACSI as well. The ACSI card gives you a basic 6 amps in the price and 2 adults. You will have to pay extra if you want ampage increased, if available, and maybe a more scenic view or, as we did in Holland a serviced pitch but even there we only paid the difference between standard pitch and serviced one.
Their service of sending the books and card is usually good. Just make sure that you take the cut out card and the right book. They only give you one card. You can also buy an ID card from them which guarantees payment to the campsite should you default.
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The other point to mention is that as ACSI inspect their sites you can expect a certain minimum standard. Our experience has been good and we use their sites almost exclusively. There is also a lot of information in the app for each site including reviews (multi-National).
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Fwiw,
We have commonly found many sites do use specific inferior pitches for the ACSI budget price, might be just us, but you can discuss. Many sites retain the old stickers in reception windows but are not now members / discounters.
Useful for research, choices and to ring ahead if desired.Be careful to use the address, area codes and coordinates as have found costly errors in navigation to sites.
Generally worth havingM
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Sorry, being a bit dense, but I can't make out what the difference is between the ACSI 'subscription' and 'Club ID'. Can anyone enlighten me please in words of one syllable!!!
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A subscription to ACSI means you allow them to take a direct debit from your bank and they send you a copy of their site guide every year until you cancel it.The alternative is to order a single copy of their guide from this Club or from a UK bookseller such as Vicarious Books.
The ACSI Club ID is an identity card you can hand in at an overseas campsite which they hold until you pay at the end of your stay. An alternative is that some sites will photo copy your passport and hold that until you pay. Many simpler sites don’t bother and will trust you to pay before you leave.
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Fantastic, thank you so much. All clear now.
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Which CAMC guide are you referring to please? 5 or 6 years ago they used to publish a really good book of sites that members had visited and reviewed, but I thought they had stopped that. We haven’t been abroad for a number of years but thinking about it for next year. The only other CAMC guide I know is their over seas sites book for the sites they have done a deal with. Never really used that, always found the sites too much like holiday parks.
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ACSI books arrived this morning. . Some pleasant times ahead for us planning. We have used ACSI now for a number of years and have always found the experience most easy.
Do bear in mind that the discounts are only for off season stays, the savings are significant.
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Which CAMC guide are you referring to please?
It is not a C&MC guide but is produced by a Dutch Camping Club. I think the Club shop used to sell it as does the C&CC and Vicarious Books. Last year they were sold out in this country so if you want one get it early. I think you can also order it from their >web site<
peedee
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Acai is good to get you going in Europe but as said other sites are available. For the cost I wouldn't be without it. Never been allocated an inferior pitch, most sites let you choose.
Do remember to check the dates on each and every campsite, some sites come off the discounted rate for public holidays, we have been caught out like that in the past. Thankfully we found another and better site that was still discounted, the difference in price was more than double.
Haven't got our books yet for this year.
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This is the 2022 edition of the CAMCTouring Europe site guide. Always useful.as it lists many sites which ACSI omits - and contains a wealth of information especially for first time travellers to mainland Europe.
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And for campsites in France this is the bible - listing almost every one- five times the number that ACSI has.
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If you can manage with 8353 sites, that’s 111 less than le guide official, take a look here;
https://www.campingfrance.com/uk
My ACSI guides arrived yesterday and two sites we were considering are no longer in there however-had seen this on the website-however, not being tied to just ACSI, as is often said, a quick check shows that for a small amount, €2 a night, extra we can stay at our site of choice and this includes a reserved pitch.
This year we stayed at an ACSI site but, booked direct for the same price but this got you a “deluxe” larger, lakeside pitch.
It does pay to keep an open mind, and check, check and check again.
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We have also found just using Google maps a good resource. Last year we were looking for a site with shade and a pool in Bedoin for the hottest days of a heatwave. The ACSI discount site was out of town, no pool and the reviews a bit dubious. The camping car park Aire whilst next to the municipal baths, had no shade. However, Google maps showed a site close to the middle with shady pine trees plus a very nice pool. It also provided a link to the site web page with all the details.
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