How many nights away in 2016?

1356

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  • statusMoty1
    statusMoty1 Forum Participant Posts: 225
    edited November 2016 #62

    Quite a few and I don't count them, haven't a clue on any costs involved and next year I'll pay what's needed to do the same again.
    Happy

    Spreadsheets, summing and the like, how boring for oneself and any unlucky person who has to listen to it. Just my opinion
    Smile

    I only keep a record of sites visited for when I can't remember.

    we have a travel journal bought for us when we swapped over to a Moty and though it is now more of a quick 2 lines where, how many nights and pitch number it is interesting looking back and to see how many nights you have managed away....not boring at all
    just interesting to see. Just my opinion though.;)

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 13,867 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2016 #63

    Quite a few and I don't count them, haven't a clue on any costs involved and next year I'll pay what's needed to do the same again. Happy

    Spreadsheets, summing and the like, how boring for oneself and any unlucky person who has to listen to it. Just my opinion Smile

    I only keep a record of sites visited for when I can't remember.

    I suppose it may be boring to some but then I assume that people that are bored by such things won't bother to record the information anyway? I enjoy keeping records and the information can be useful. There are often many questions, particularly about overseas travels where people want an idea of general costs. Therefore those of us that keep records are able to help. Likewise in the UK we often have discussions of site fees. The record keepers can contribute from a position of knowledge not guesswork?

    David

     

  • DerekAndSusan
    DerekAndSusan Forum Participant Posts: 74
    edited November 2016 #64

    We have only managed 45 so I guess that makes us lightweight's Cool

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited November 2016 #65

    We have only managed 45 so I guess that makes us lightweight's Cool

    Probably means you are working and payimg for OH's State Pension. I don't get mine for 12 months

  • peegeenine
    peegeenine Forum Participant Posts: 548
    edited November 2016 #66

    75 nights so far this year. A bit less than we usually do as we lost 8 weeks this year due to illness. We are both retired so are time rich but even when we both worked full time we managed 100 nights away some years. Most nights spent on C&CC THS, CS, CL,
    Geocaching events and just 5 nights on CC sites, sorry.

  • Jood
    Jood Forum Participant Posts: 120
    edited November 2016 #67

    Normally we do two foreign trips each year plus several short UK breaks - 70-80ish nights (have elderly mother to visit regularly, large garden, OH lay minister in CofE, so not long trips) but this year, so far, none due to health problems but are planning
    12 nights away before the end of the year and hope for more next year.

    Write your comments here...I hope you manage your 12 nights away by the end of the year meecee and enjoy yourselves.

  • Jood
    Jood Forum Participant Posts: 120
    edited November 2016 #68

    Oh heck! makes my 31 days away completely insignificant. Or should I really try for the gold medal!

    Write your comments here...it's all about the enjoyment redface...31 enjoyable nights away are better than 100 miserable nights away! 

  • Jood
    Jood Forum Participant Posts: 120
    edited November 2016 #69

    We have only managed 45 so I guess that makes us lightweight's Cool

    Write your comments here...As long as you enjoyed your 45 nights away Derek and Susan..that's what it's all about! 

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 13,647 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2016 #70

    What would be more interesting is what has been your average site fee as well as the number of nights away especially as there are quite a few moans about costs.

    Our average cost per night this year so far is £12:06.5p. This is using mainly CLs but also a few CC sites and the odd commercial site, all with EHU. However I suspect that it will be a little higher by the end of the year. Last year the average was £11.73pn on a total of 260 nights.

  • meecee
    meecee Forum Participant Posts: 304
    edited November 2016 #71

    I hope you manage your 12 nights away by the end of the year meecee and enjoy yourselves.

    Thanks, We're counting the days and hoping it won't snow

  • Tammygirl
    Tammygirl Club Member Posts: 7,957 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2016 #72

    Not as many nights as last year as we've only been to Spain/France once this year. To date we've spent 89 nights in the M/H and 56 nights on other holidays, of which 21 nights Lanzarote, 7 on a narrow boat, 14 Gran Canaria and we still have 14 nights on
    a Carribean cruise to take yet. Might get a few more nights in the van over the next week or so, as we cut short our last trip due to bad weather and OH's appointments. 

    Would love to get a gardener in but trying to get one round here is difficult, we can't get a window cleaner let alone a gardener. We do have a fair sized garden compared to modern houses, I love it. OH doesn't garden. Its the one thing I miss about going
    away, but I console myself with the fact that one day we might not be able to travel for long periods, so enjoy it while we can. The garden will still be there when we stop travelling. As to costs, who knows, it costs what it costs, you can't take it with
    you and the kids and Gkids are taken care of, we've worked hard and now intend to enjoy ourselves.Smile

  • young thomas
    young thomas Club Member Posts: 11,357 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited November 2016 #73

    nice post TGHappy

    well, weve not been over the water in the van at all this yearSad due to protracted parents' house move in the Spring and then the birth of
    1st gchild in AugustHappyand then the tragic accident of our touring pals' sonSad....

    in amongst all this, we did manage to sneak away to the Canaries and for a Med cruise and Centre Parcs last week with all the family....but van nights have been down, although we have done quite a few short breaks (4-8 days) no long tours.....

    we usually do around 30-35 weeks, so generally well over 200 days but, as mentioned above, way down on that.....but weve still had a good year for those other reasons....and pals' son is starting to make good headway.....Happy

    ...still we also have the Christmas market at Broadway to come and a stay over new Year at Minehead....

    so, looking to grasp the nettle for 2017 (to keep the average up..) and have been nosing around for ferries....

    we were asked by some friends from a Spanish trip, to go to Italy/Croatia (via Germany) for a couple of months but this wont be until end May, so Im looking to take the van down to Spain, say mid/late Jan for 8-10 weeks...back for the Carthago Owners rally
    before heading south once more .....

     happy vanning to all, for the rest of this year (for some...) and into next year....Happy

  • Hoodmansion
    Hoodmansion Forum Participant Posts: 25
    edited November 2016 #74

    In the last 4 years, between 850 and 900 nights Worried

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 13,867 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2016 #75

    I must say I find it fascinating that there are fair few of you out there that manage in excess of 200 nights away a year. The best I have ever managed is 120 nights in one year. We have no commitments in the sense of aging parents, grand children so nothing
    to particularly keep us at home except home itself.

    David 

  • Unknown
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    edited November 2016 #76
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  • young thomas
    young thomas Club Member Posts: 11,357 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited November 2016 #77

    good stuff, AD, long may it continueHappy

    DK, if you are going all the way to Spain/Portugal or Italy/Croatia, or even just the good old south of France, you will have made a considerable invstment in fuel/(poss)ferries so it would be a bit 'quick' for us to be turning around after, say, 7/8 weeks....

    ...but AD raises a valid point about being able to avoid the crowds, and if you feel you need to be back before, say mid july, then starting at the beginning of May gives you (only) 10 weeks..

    then there is the inclination (or not) to avoid the worst of our winters....but there is also the comsideration of Xmas/New year, home or away....

    we know many smowbirds, as David mentions, who are away at the mid/end October, drifting gently south as the temp falls away, arriving at their destination to spend 'the off season' in the comparative warmth, right through until they drift north again around
    March/April....

    if you do this, or even the 'before Xmas' or 'after New year' bit, youll still be racking up the days......and saving on your fuel at home.....Happy 

  • Tammygirl
    Tammygirl Club Member Posts: 7,957 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2016 #78

    Had we done the same as last year in Sept/Oct/Nov then we would have had about 165 nights away in the van. As posted earlier, this year we did differant things due to family commitments.

    Next year though will see us doing 2 long trips to Europe all being well. Like AD we have in the past taken out RP 122 day cover, this year however we changed to Green fllag Euro+ which gives us cover for 12mths in UK and Europe so our days are no longer
    determind by the policy. When we go next year, I will more than likely just book an outgoing ferry and only book the return when we've had enough (up to 90 days for house insurance) we did that at the end of last year and had no problem getting a ferry home
    and the price was no differant. By leaving it until you want to return you can decide where you want to return from, last year we wanted to try the drive up from Spain through the Somport tunnel and up to Bordeaux, we then decided to try Caen in the Winter
    to see how the crossing was (it was fine) if the weather had been stormy we would probably gone onto Calais.

  • peedee
    peedee Club Member Posts: 9,389 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2016 #79

    I find 6 weeks, once a year, long enough for my fix. I start feeling I want to be back home for a bit after that and the remainder of the year is usually punctuated by much shorter trips. The longest I have been away is 72 days on a Scandinavian visit.

    peedee

  • Tammygirl
    Tammygirl Club Member Posts: 7,957 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2016 #80

    I find 6 weeks, once a year, long enough for my fix. I start feeling I want to be back home for a bit after that and the remainder of the year is usually punctuated by much shorter trips. The longest I have been away is 72 days on a

    Scandinavian visit
    .

    peedee

    When we retired 5 years ago we thought 3 weeks away was a longtime, it has gradually increased everytime we've been away since then. We would both like to take a year out to do it full time, but not possible just now. I think we might do winter one year
    in the future. We still have so much to see just in Spain and France will keep us busy for many years to come. As long as we can keep fit and healthy we still have many years to come. I can see at some point we will cut the touring down to 6-8 weeks but anything
    less from here is just not VFM.

  • Unknown
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    edited November 2016 #81
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  • young thomas
    young thomas Club Member Posts: 11,357 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited November 2016 #82

    AD, time certainly flies when you're enjoying yourselves.....Happy

    OH now keen to get away once the New Year has passed, already checked out the ferry prices....

    £78 from Newhaven to Dieppe, but a much longer drive both ends...

    £134 from Poole to Cherbourg

    £134 from Porstmouth to Caen

    other Portsmouth crossings but more expensive.

    Poole 45 min less drive from home than Portsmouth

    Cherbourg 45 mins more drive to (say) Poitiers than from Caen.

    However, Cherbourg crossing is 90 mins shorter, but will only give us around 3 hrs driving once areiving on the other side.

    still, no hurry.....so i reckon Poole/Cherbourg will do the trick...

    Like TG, we dont book a return, as i dont want that information influencing anything from day one.....and we wont know where we will be sailing from....Wink

  • DSB
    DSB Club Member Posts: 5,677 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2016 #83

    Just 70 nights for us so far this year.  Most of those were our summer holiday in Germany, France and Italy.  Only one CC site (Tredegar House, in February).  One C&CC site during the May Day BH weekend.  One visit to Wrexham and two visits to Cornwall.
     Hoping to go to Buxton (Clover Fields) on Saturday, but the car is playing up so might have to cancel. (Frown).  We'll get at least one more visit
    in before the end of the year.

    David 

    Managed to get the car fixed so we had a few days up at Clover Fields and are going to Chapel Lane for a few days next week.  That mean it's 76 nights for us so far this year.

    David 

  • steve874
    steve874 Forum Participant Posts: 34
    edited November 2016 #84

    78 nights so far, up on last year. Have to leave time. For cruises as well, 2 this year

  • Francis
    Francis Club Member Posts: 2,024 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2016 #85

    We have just got back from a weekend away which has now taken us to 72 nighrs for the year. We have another 9 nights planned before the end of December so we should get to over 80 by the end of the year.

  • HelenandTrevor
    HelenandTrevor Forum Participant Posts: 3,221
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    edited November 2016 #86

    We have managed 55 nights away in the van so far this year, not bad considering we both still work ,  it has meant juggling shifts and using half days.Still got 5 days to look forward to in December so hopefully we will make it 60! Smile

  • madhouse4
    madhouse4 Forum Participant Posts: 129
    edited November 2016 #87

    How many nights away do people manage when still working? I thought at 31 nights we wasn't doing so bad wih juggling School holidays and working 6 days a week, looks like I must try harder next year!

  • gygafo
    gygafo Forum Participant Posts: 51
    edited November 2016 #88

    I work but managed 18 night's this year but only bought our caravan at the begining of August as a restoration project and spent a few weekends working on it on the drive. I've just altered my hours at work and now finish at 12:00 on Fridays so we are really
    looking forward to getting away next year. We want to try a few rallies too, any recomendatiuons?

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 13,647 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2016 #89

    I work but managed 18 night's this year but only bought our caravan at the begining of August as a restoration project and spent a few weekends working on it on the drive. I've just altered my hours at work and now finish at 12:00 on Fridays so we are really
    looking forward to getting away next year. We want to try a few rallies too, any recomendatiuons?

    When the new site directory arrives you'll probably get a letter regarding Centre application. You can join any centre you like and also use any other centre's rally. Also if you look in the Membership section when you sign in you will find Centre activities
    listed there, see below. http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/membership/what-is-a-centre/centres 

  • Unknown
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    edited November 2016 #90
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  • Metheven
    Metheven Club Member Posts: 3,987 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2016 #91

    How many nights away do people manage when still working? I thought at 31 nights we wasn't doing so bad wih juggling School holidays and working 6 days a week, looks like I must try harder next year!

    Much the same as you when we were working, I had 5 weeks paid holiday a year and attempted to include a few  Bank Holidays into that to extend it even more. Then took early retirement, no days off and can't pull a 'sicky'
    SadHappy