Organised Tours/Rallies - To Go or Not to Go?
We imagine that this question has been asked before but as new motorhome owners looking to begin longer trips, further afield, what is the merit in joining one of the organised tours or rallies as part of our time away? We are fairly experienced caravanners
having spent holidays in France, Germany and Austria in recent years. Whilst up to now we have always travelled independently, we very much enjoy meeting and spending time with like-minded people. But these occasions have been for us the exception rather than
the rule, particularly so, we feel, because of the language barrier. It seems to us that incorporating one or other of these tours/rallies into our itinerary might provide us with the right mix of independent and group activity. Other posts have referred
to the 'eye watering' cost and poor value of some tours. We would be interested to hear both sides of the argument: Should we go or should we stay - away?! Sorry.
Comments
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Sorry but I have no personal knowledge of joining either but have friends who lead tours for the Club and they say they are really good and enjoyed by all who go. I think it must take a lot of the planning out of your hands, if that is what you want. I also
have friends who attend autum rallies in Spain and they say they have a great time with lots of things to get involved with all the time and the knowledge that someone is organising such events. They enjoy having the company and ability to join in or not.
I have witnessed some touring type rallies with ACSI and alike and from observations and talking to some of those on the tour it seems that many who like to have all sorted for them enjoy it. Some we spoke to could not even tell us where they were going to
next so obviously the actual touring is not an important factor for them. For me they seem to move on too quickly and whilst we like sight seeing we also like to option of moving on as and when we want to. I find it easy to tour alone but we are also very
comfortable in our own company and think we would probably not join in as much as some if we went on a tour. I thinks the costs of the tours are high by comarison to DIY buy then you cannot really compare as it is not like for like. The rallies are cheap I
think, for long stayers. Hope this helps. Regards, Roy0 -
Hi P and P, The tours and rallies don't go the places I want to go to, they don't visit the sort of sites I want to stay at, and I suspect they are not populated by the sort of independent minded people I want to travel with. So I can't really say whether you would enjoy tours or rallies . You might. I wouldn't. And for sure they wouldn't enjoy having me. I think they would send me home.
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Firstly, there is a BIG difference between a Club Organised Touring Holiday and a Centre organised holiday rally, not least in the price, the COTH is a commercial holiday and has to make money for the company organising it, while a COHR is a much smaller enterprise, initially organised for the host centre to take advantage of a group booking discount for its members. All centre rallies are open to all CC members but obviously the centre members will usually have heard about it first (before booking opens) so may be quick off the mark to book it up.
Having organised a fair few Holiday Rallies in the past, the level of participation varies a great deal usually, it is first and foremost - a holiday, there is no compulsion to join in with anything others may be doing and quite often everyone will disperse each morning some returning in the evening and being happy to sit and chat over food/ a drink or three(or more), others may eat out and return only to use their outfits as sleeping quarters. The point of a group booking is that we will have our own area together so the option is there to be with/make friends to share the experience if you wish to.
Alison
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Many CC members go to the C&CC rallies abroad, especially winter ones in Spain and Portugal. Some people take part in all the organised activities and others just do their own thing. The first time we went abroad in the winter we spent about half our time
on rallies and half travelling independently. The best thing about rallies is picking up information about other places to go and things not too miss. The people we met on our first trip are still friends. Rallies usually get special rates on sites. Give
them a go.0 -
Thank you all so much for your varied and thought-provoking responses. As it happens I've just got in from the garden where I've been splashing the pink paint about and bolting on another set of wheels
Seriously though, my question was as much about the cost of some of these tours - and whether they give value for money - as a means
of making new friends. We are independent travellers wishing to meet like-minded people and do not necessarily want to be spoon-fed an itinerary that we could have put together ourselves. If that makes sense?0 -
We were impressed when we saw a C&CC tour in action in Southern Ireland, we realised people were enjoying it, joining in when they wanted and had company if they wanted it too. There was no pressure to do everything and some had joined the tour at different
points. After seeing that we tried a holiday rally in the Channel Islands with the C&CC, it was very easy going, on a good site and the others on the holiday were pleasant company, people didn't spend the whole holiday there, most joined in parts of it. Some
didn't take part in any social activities at all. I don't know what a big tour of Europe or elsewhere would be like but if you join in part of it you'll see whether you like it or not. You might find it's a nice way to combine your travel plans for at least
part of the holiday.0 -
You make a good point, JVB66, but what I had in mind was an independent traveller (me) not averse to talking to other people who may not be like-minded (i.e. not independent travellers). I don't see it as an 'us or them' situation. But perhaps I seek the
unattainable? I wonder, is there a tour for independent travellers?
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Two ways of looking at it:
1. I think if you go touring, on your own, in your motorhome you will meet any number of 'like-minded' people, because that's what you all like doing! There is absolutely no need to join an organised tour, just make your own up - and then you truly are independent!
In most of Europe there is no need to book sites - and with a motorhome you can stay on Aires, Stellplatz, etc, all specifically designed for motorhomers, as well as campsites, so everyone there will be doing what you're doing - touring under their own initiative. You will find that many speak really good English - particularly the Dutch, almost all will enjoy some sort of socialising of the 'have a glass of wine with us' type, or a chat over the washing up or in the restaurant, even if they don't want to traipse round yet another museum following a guide.
Just go for it - most people out there caravanning and motorhoming around Europe do their own thing, meaning they are just the sort of people you are looking to meet up with!
2. On the other hand, if you are cunning and plan ahead so that your stays on certain sites coincide with 'a tour' then you can check out how it seems without actually paying to be involved. You can even make your own way to some of the sites on their itinerary and accidentally meet up there! You never know you may actually make friends with some of the people on the tour, independently of the tour itself and without the costs involved!
If you like what you see going on then you will be more informed about whether it's for you on another occasion, and better able to make up your minds whether it's value for money or not.
We hosted a 'First Timers in France' tour for the Caravan Club, and without exception everyone enjoyed it and thought it was worth it. However, on our first time touring in Europe with our caravan (thirty-odd years ago) we just 'went for it' without feeling the need to be part of an organised group.
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Rallies are definitely value for money whether in this country or on the Continent. I have done a few of the latter with the CC and helped organise a couple. The next one I am on is going to cost me £12 per night on a serviced pitch and as has been pointed out you can join in as little or as much as you like. I have also done a couple of organised tours, one in a caravan and one in a motorhome, I have enjoyed those as well, they can save you a lot of effort especially in a foreign country where you have little to no knowledge of the language and may need a local guide. On all of them there was plenty of opportunity to do your own thing either on your own or in the company of others.
You will never know whether they are for you or not until you have tried them.
peedee
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Quote: On the other hand, if you are cunning and plan ahead so that your stays on certain sites coincide with 'a tour' then you can check out how it seems without actually paying to be involved. You can even make your own way to some of the sites on their itinerary and accidentally meet up there!
Sorry, that should have read 'some of the sights'.......!
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From the Club's 7 day, £689 and pay your own ferry fare tour of Holland. Day 6 - Discover Amsterdam.
No, not Ann Frank's house, or the Rembrandts in the new Rijksmuseum, not the royal Dam palace, or the Vondelpark, not the Heineken brewery tour with their famous free bar afterwards, not one of the Brown Cafes where they sell stuff legally, and certainly not a walk through the red light district after dark. What you get is a guided tour of a cheese farm, a boat ride and a visit to a clogmakers instead. So a sanitised, sterilised day in Amsterdam with a senior Club member as tour group leader. I'd have more fun on my own.
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You say that you are "independent travellers wishing to meet like-minded people and do not necessarily want to be spoon-fed an itinerary that we could have put together ourselves."
Others have already described the sort of thing rallies and organised tours comprise of. We have never been on either, and are very much like yourselves in that we are independent and enjoy putting together our own itinerary (although we're never that organised
that we have an itinerary as such, set in stone, more like on a day-to-day basis what shall we do today, or where shall we go tomorrow). We've talked about possibly joining one or the other but really feel that it wouldn't be what we would want; ie either
the tour would be going to places we wouldn't necessarily have chosen ourselves, we'd be on the same site too long, or not long enough etc, etc.As for making friends, what AD said on the previous page, applies to us too. We've made quite a few friends, most of whom we only meet abroad! We tend to go to various sites, some we've been to for a number of years, others new to us, and you tend to get
to know people on the same sites, as they too go year after year. We have English, Dutch and French friends, who we meet every year on certain sites.I think only you will be able to decide whether something a lot more organised is for you. Good luck!
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We have seriously considered one of the ACSI tours. This is just to allow us to be with other "like minded people" (we are told that they are UK travellers only and not, as we thought initially, advertised across Europe) Main reason being that MBH (Much Better Half) would like to try it out and have others to share events of the day rather than just me.
You definitely don't travel in convoy and are free to join in with the tours or do your own thing.
If it works, great, if not, the price seems fair and they say you can't book it yourself for the same price as they get economies of scale.
Perhaps next year if the dates match our ferry crossings unless anyone has actually already done one and can share?
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Doug
It may not be intentional (travelling in convoy) but having seen several of these tours arrive and leave thats what happens, folk get ready to move on and perhaps the barriers still down or someone blocks the exit and you have a convoy.
We found that happened on our First Timers tour - though the caravans were booked on two separate ferries. Each group arrived one behind the other, and because of the narrowish and fastish road outside Chateau du Gandspette, and the short distance to the campsite reception we had to work super quickly to get each batch of twenty caravans and motorhomes on to their pitches to avoid the queue blocking the road. This wasn't easy because some weren't happy with the concept that they could park any which way they wanted to make the best of the pitch levels.
The second batch was easier because we were better prepared for them all arriving at once.
I think if the sites had been further away from the port then the convoy might have broken up more - but even on other sites we've been on, we've seen rallyers arriving in convoy.
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We went on a tour of southern Italy and Sicily with the 'other' club 2 years ago. We are independent minded people with a lot of experience of travelling with our caravan in Europe. The reason we joined the tour was taht we were a bit wary of travelling
to Sicily on our own.we enjoyed the company of everyone on the tour. There were lots of trips out that enhanced the whole experience, the archeology was amazing . Our hosts were Dutch , as it turned out the tour was really organized by Acsi. I would say go for it , particularly
if the destination is a little daunting. The major drawback from our point of view , no pets allowed on the tours.I think that some of these people who are saying they would rather stick pins in themselves than go on a tour, have never actually been on one. There was a lotmof camaraderie and support, and no one was forced to join in anything .
Go and enjoy.
i
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Can i ask if ayone knows whether the other club has ths abroad? And i couldnt find if the cc has any rallies in europe as when i pressed "here" it went to my profile cheers mrs bc
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As far as I am aware there are no C&CC THSs abroad. They run rallies stewarded by volunteers, but organised by the travel service rather than local DAs and sections. Their summer 2017 brochure is due out shortly. The rallies are already on the website.
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I have no idea what a Club tour of Sicily would cost, but I know that it would mean me hauling a caravan nearly 3000 miles to get there and back, whereas RyanAir are offering me a return flight for £78 in May 2017. There's tempting!
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Can i ask if ayone knows whether the other club has ths abroad? And i couldnt find if the cc has any rallies in europe as when i pressed "here" it went to my profile cheers mrs bc
Look under UK Holidays, then Centres see here . The "What's On" section gives details of all the rallies in the UK and abroad, choose a country etc and you should be able to find more details. Centres will now be adding their 2017 programmes. Keep the search fairly broad and you should find plenty of ideas.
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You can apply euritravellers argument to just about any destination so why bother going abroad with a caravan!? If rallying and/or organised tours are your thing then good for you. I spend long hours in my working life surrounded by people, networking, socialising
and so on. I dont want even more of it when i am on holiday. Peace, quiet, with my wife and that is fine for me. And if i get to the stage my faculties cant cope with organising my own holiday bookings and itinery then it is time to pack up caravanning altogether.0
,are not most tours /packages for like minded people?
