How do you plan your next trip?

Rowena
Rowena Administrator, Club Member, Staff Posts: 565 admin
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Whether you’re a meticulous itinerary planner or a "see where the road takes us" kind of traveller, every caravan trip or motorhome adventure starts with a spark of inspiration.

From booking the best campsites months in advance to spontaneous camping weekenders, we all have a unique "pre-departure" ritual.

Tell us: What’s your travel planning style? 🚐💨

How do you plan your next trip? 13 votes

Apps: Using specialised camping apps to find campsites
15%
lesandangJimE 2 votes
Word of Mouth: Friends and family recommendations
0%
Digital recommendations: Researching and reading on forums (like Club Together!) and social platforms
0%
On the road: Get in your van, hit the open road and find campsites on the way
0%
Review platforms: Reading reviews of campsites from the area you want to visit
15%
eribaMottersRoger McNair 2 votes
Other
69%
peedeeKjellNNnelliethehookerTakethedogalongCornersteadyInaDDaveCynHjaMichael88 9 votes

Comments

  • peedee
    peedee Forum Participant Trusted Posts: 10,104
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    Other

    Don't use any single method, so I have selected other.

    peedee

  • Hja
    Hja Club Member Posts: 1,048
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    Other

    yes I selected other as we use all of those listed.

  • Rowena
    Rowena Administrator, Club Member, Staff Posts: 565 admin
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    Good point - and sorry I can't edit the poll. I think if you pick 'other' for all as you have both suggested or pick the top one that you use and rely on most that would be great, thank you. ☺️

  • JimE
    JimE Club Member Posts: 471
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    Apps: Using specialised camping apps to find campsites

    After I have decided which part of Europe to visit, I use the Search for Sites and Camping-car Park apps primarily.

    Quite often we make up the itinerary as we go along depending on the weather and our progress to our final destination.

  • eribaMotters
    eribaMotters Club Member Posts: 1,536
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    Review platforms: Reading reviews of campsites from the area you want to visit

    I guess our method is similar to most. We usually start to plan a year in advance when on our summer French trip.

    For some reason we come up with areas of France we want to visit the following year, usually The Loire and AN Other. Then we start picking fellow campers brains for advice and recommendations.

    When home we work through ACSI, C&MC and UKCampsites websites and come up with a short list.

    Then the sad bit, to some. Planning and booking early is a habit, partly through previous necessity, partly my OCD. I check channel crossings and site offers with various providers and shuffle our dates to get the best fit on convenience and prices, then book. This is usually all completed by Oct/Nov.

    Colin

  • Michael88
    Michael88 Forum Participant Posts: 3 Participant
    First Comment
    Other

    Other for us as we use a variety of options, CAMC Centre listings, C&CC THS/meets and (occasionally) sites.

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 15,332
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    Other

    We are the same as @Michael88 and @peedee using all sorts of sources to suss out where to go and what sites to stay on.

  • Cornersteady
    Cornersteady Club Member Posts: 15,499
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    edited March 27 #9
    Other

    I chose an area then select a club site in it. Is that the first option?

  • InaD
    InaD Club Member Posts: 1,899
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    Other

    Don't use just one method, depends where we are.

    If abroad, we never book and do "On the road: Get in your van, hit the open road and find campsites on the way".

    If in the UK, we never do that, but always book and research beforehand.

  • KjellNN
    KjellNN Club Member Posts: 9,024
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    Other

    I also selected “other” for the same reasons stated above. We have stopped going abroad now, due to insurance costs, but there are still areas in UK we have not visited much.

    We used to plan months ahead, but not these days, too much uncertainty and too many health problems, now we only book a few weeks before we go.

  • DaveCyn
    DaveCyn Club Member Posts: 409
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    Other

    Another "other' for the list

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Trusted Posts: 18,356
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    Other

    We choose an area to visit, based upon what’s of interest, activities, how busy it might be, what’s the weather like, and just go from there. We might pre book our first stop, but after that it’s choose sites while rolling, although we do like to have a bit of a route in mind. So it’s “other” for us.

    We will use reviews sometimes to help us choose, plus apps, plus CT, etc….. so we use as broad a spectrum of information as we can to make sure the chosen places to stay are what we want and like.

  • eurortraveller
    eurortraveller Club Member Posts: 7,283
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    Flexibility rather than plans set in concrete for us. I recall going across from Plymouth to Roscoff intending to look around Brittany - but it was overcast and raining and the local forecast said it would stay like that for a week. So we went south instead - and it didn’t stop ranimg for 600 miles till we were going down the long A75 hill towards Montpellier, with the Mediterranean coming into sight.

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 14,771
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    I still have on my computer a copy of MS Autoroute which I found very useful for initial planning of trips.I am sure there are online varients now?

    David

  • lesandang
    lesandang Club Member Posts: 251
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    Apps: Using specialised camping apps to find campsites

    My feeling is that Caravanners are more likely to plan than Motorhomers, we are less keen to take the risk of negotiating country lanes to find a site is full on arrival.