With the cost of living crisis showing no sign of ending, and inflation still above 7 per cent – or more than seven times the rate it was during the last summer of entirely Covid-free travel in 2019 – the need to spend less is more centre stage now than at any time since the great economic unpleasantness of 2008-2012.
It can be hard to pinch the pennies when it comes to a family holiday, but it is not impossible, and the good news is that families looking for the best-value summer holiday don’t have to look much further than the campsites of Europe.
We’re not talking about some class of in-tents experience or Father Ted on the Hilltop holiday: we have tried both, and they can be hit and miss. We’re talking about mobile homes that come with air conditioning and dishwashers and proper beds and showers and toilets.
While camping holidays of this nature are not always cheap, they can be much cheaper than alternative options.
Last week, for example, one of the very cheapest hotel and self catering accommodation-type holidays we could find, in the Algarve’s Praia de Luz for a fortnight in June for two adults and two children, was €1,910. That was for a pretty snug-looking one-bed apartment with three single beds and a futon.
A two-bedroom mobile home in the nearby Turiscampo site, meanwhile, where you’d also have access to a decent deck, somewhere for kids to play in front of your mini house, several pools, a gym and at least two restaurants was priced at €1379 or more than €500 less.
We’re not talking about some class of in-tents experience or Father Ted on the Hilltop holiday: we have tried both, and they can be hit and miss
It was much the same story to the east, where two weeks’ self-catering in Cambrills, 90 minutes’ drive from Barcelona, for the same two weeks was a minimum of €1,400, while two weeks in the Park Playa Bara campsite in the same area booked with Eurocamp was priced at €1,219 for four.
We priced sites we’ve been to, but there were much cheaper options. For instance, Eurocamp was also offering two weeks on a site called La Plage in Trinité Sur Mer, Brittany with a listed price of €664. Add a ferry crossing with Stena Line and you’d have a two week holiday for four for €1,764 or – to use the language beloved of travel agents – €220 per person per week.
But saving on accommodation is just the starting point, and – if done right – an outdoor (ish) holiday in the sun can save you money across the board and boost your fun at almost every turn.
With all that in mind, here are just some of the top tips gleaned from more than a decade of camping.
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1. Think hard about tents
Life under canvas sounds lovely and a tent – either one that you bring and erect yourself or one you rent already fully formed – might well be cheap but it comes with challenges. First, there’s the heat – you won’t get air conditioning which might be grand in Ireland, but can be a recipe for sleepless nights and cranky days elsewhere. Then there is the mud. If it rains even for a couple of hours your indoor living space will be manky in minutes. While camping in a tent does not mean you have to sleep on the hard ground, an air or camp bed is no substitute for a proper bed, and two weeks on one of them will be tough, no matter how hardy you are. The absence of plumbing is also a problem when it comes to washing (both dishes and yourself), and going to the bathroom in the dead of night. Then there is the absence of privacy. Canvas walls do not keep noise out or in. Don’t get us wrong, we’ve had lovely holidays in tents and would do it again – maybe – but if we had to choose between a tent or a mobile home, we’d go with the latter every time.
2. Book as early as you can
It’s too late to be early this year, as there will be people who booked their camping holidays for the summer ahead late last summer. There are deals that appear late on in the season, but the best of campsites book up fast. The other advantage of booking early is that many operators let you reserve your space for small sums, so you can chip away at the total cost over a period of months, which takes the sting out of the final bill.
3. Don’t forget to sort out flights
If you leave them to the last minute, you’ll pay dearly. Prices across European airports climb significantly as departure dates come close. And be canny with your booking. Flights to Reus – 20 minutes from the campsites on the Costa Brava in Spain – are relatively scarce. Prices climb higher faster. Flights from Dublin to Barcelona, meanwhile, are more plentiful, so flying there and taking the 90-minute drive in a cab will save you money. Similarly, you can fly to a small airport on the French coast or to Paris and take a three-hour train journey to save hundreds.
4. Don’t be afraid to go back
Normally we’re fans of new experiences but when travelling with children there is a lot to be said for repeat visits to good campsites. You will know what you’re getting the second time round, for starters, and will settle in faster. And if you go back to the same spot a few times, it will start to feel like home and there will be a better chance your children will remember the holidays of their childhood when they are old, like Pricewatch.
5. Plan to eat ‘out but in’
Hotels mean you eat in restaurants either on or off-site, while self-catering forces you to either eat in restaurants or cook like you are at home – and where’s the holiday fun in that? Camping means you spend your evenings barbecuing, which is cheaper and more craic than formal dining experiences. You will eat every meal outdoors on your deck, which adds to the holiday magic. And it is cheap as chips. Literally. Some chopped potatoes cooked in an oven, sweetcorn and burgers or chicken or fish and you’ll feed a family of four for a tenner, with all the wine and beer you might fancy not likely to cost much more. There won’t be much by way of washing-up either. And even if you do want to eat out, when you book a good campsite, the restaurants on site will be decent and cheaper than home.
6. Shop smart
Do a big shop in the biggest supermarket you can find near your site on the first day – either ask your neighbours where to go, or use the great gods of Google to find the best shop. Stock up on water, wine, ice-cream, potatoes, cereals and the like and then use the smaller on-campsite supermarket for perishable things. If you have a car, great, but if you don’t, organising a taxi to take you there and back will be financially worthwhile.
7. Get your timing right
If you have to go in high season you will pay the price but if you can go in June, or even early in July, prices fall by as much as 30 per cent. Pay very close attention to English school holidays too. They start at least two weeks later than in Ireland, so if you go at the end of June, you still miss the really high demand season for our nearest neighbours. This year, for instance, Irish primary schools break at the end of June, while English schools don’t break until July 21st.
8. Get there early
Arrive at your campsite as early as possible on day one. That will mean a flight from Ireland at Ridiculous O’Clock, but the early-morning hell will be worth it if you plan right and hit the pool the moment you get to your campsite. Check-in won’t be until the mid-afternoon, but there’s nothing to say you need to hang around waiting. The trick is to pack swimming stuff in an easily accessible place.
Do a big shop in the biggest supermarket you can find near your site on the first day
After your morning in the pool, have lunch on the site, and only then check in with your operator at your leisure. When home time comes, book your flight as late in the evening as you can. Again, you’ll have to check out of the mobile home at around 10am, but you can use the campsite’s facilities for the full day. Taking these two simple steps might leave you a bit tired for a day, but they effectively give you two extra days of holidays.
9. Don’t be a slave to weekends
Most campsites and camping specialists are happy to facilitate midweek bookings. If you book a holiday from a Wednesday to a Wednesday you will save money on flights, as all airlines charge a premium to those who wish to travel on Saturdays and Sundays.
10. Book local
You can book many campsites directly but if you book with a campsite operator that has a significant presence in Ireland, you can gain multiple benefits – apart from supporting people who live and work in the local economy. Because operators block book accommodation in the same part of parks, you are more likely to have Irish neighbours. That has advantages and disadvantages. Now we want to make it clear we’re not saying ‘Try and have Irish neighbours because we want to stick with our own on our holliers’, but it will make it easier for your children to make friends, if the families around them share a language. If your children can make friends on the first day of the holiday it takes the pressure off you to entertain them.
Camping means you spend your evenings barbecuing, which is cheaper and more craic than formal dining experiences
And the contained nature of a camping holiday means even young children can roam relatively freely and call into their friends after lunch or dinner or whenever – a simple thing which has been confined to memory for many Irish families. We also have found that when things go wrong, it is better to be able to call an Irish number to see if it can be put right. Operators such as eurocamp.ie, Ballinasloe-based KelAir campotel.com, and vacansoleil.ie are worth checking out. The disadvantage to surrounding yourself with Irish campers is that you might find yourself on holidays with people you know and dislike (unlikely, we would have thought) or people who want to talk to you about things happening at home when you’d rather forget about them for a couple of weeks (far more likely).
11. Do your homework
Make sure your site has everything you need close by. It not only makes a holiday easier, it makes it cheaper. The checklist includes beaches, pools, water slides, restaurants, supermarkets, discos, kids’ clubs and ice-cream stands.
12. Do you need a car?
Many of us book car hire automatically when booking an overseas holiday but it might not be needed if you get your campsite right and you might be able to avoid the expense. Even though prices are not likely to be as high this year as they were last year hiring one could still add the guts of a grand to the total cost. See if your site is accessible by public transport or a taxi, and make sure it has all you need close by. Another advantage of not having a car is that you won’t feel guilty if you barely use it or feel compelled to use it just to justify the expense, which takes away the pressure to go on random drives and will allow you to properly switch off.
13. Consider bringing your own vehicle
As we reported on this page several weeks ago, a trip to France with a ferry company can cost substantially less than flights for four and comes with the added advantage of allowing you to bring your car and all the bits and pieces you might otherwise have to buy or rent while overseas. It would also allow you to pack the car with cheap wine if you are so inclined for the homeward journey.
14. Pack light
If you don’t pay the ferryman you will fly, and if you fly you must pack like a ninja. For the time you are away, you will be living the outdoor life and won’t need all sorts of things like shoes, socks, fancy frocks and smart shirts. When you are camping, no one will give a rashers if you wear the same T-shirt three days running – you might only have it on you for a couple of hours each day anyway. And if you’re at pools and beaches, you won’t be wearing anything more than swimming shorts or swimsuits most day. Sandals, shorts, summer dresses, underwear and T-shirts are all you need.
Make sure your site has everything you need close by. It not only makes a holiday easier, it makes it cheaper
15. Rent your towels
Towels are bulky and heavy. You can rent them from the operator – which is cheaper and environmentally friendly. Or buy them for a tenner in the shop on your site. Sun cream costs much less in the places you’ll go than in Ireland. The key thing is to pack so you don’t have to pay for any luggage. Doing that can save more than €200 on airfares.
16. Invest in regular balloons
Don’t be conned into buying bespoke water balloons – they are overpriced! Kids love water fights, so pair the balloons with a tap and a bunch of children, and you will get an experience they will remember for years. It is also a surprisingly pleasant way for a grown adult to cool down on a hot summer night.
Five sites worth a look this summer
Turiscampo Portugal, Praia de Luz, Portugal
Two weeks in mid-June for a family of four from €1,449, yellohvillage.co.uk
While the campsites of France, Italy and Spain are well travelled by Irish holidaymakers, Portugal is not so commonly visited. This site is excellent. It is a short drive from some glorious beaches and the town of Praia de Luz with a handful of excellent restaurants. The pool complexes are top-notch, as is the food in the restaurants.
Playa Montroig, Miami Platja, Costa Dorada, Spain
Two weeks in mid-June for a family of four from €2,235, eurocamp.ie
We have written about this campsite many times before – mainly because we have been so often. It is 100km south of Barcelona and close to the town of Cambrils, and there are loads of activities on-site. There are three pool complexes, including one dedicated to younger children. The site fronts onto the Mediterranean and its crystal clear – and gorgeously warm – water. The supermarket and bakery on site are excellent and the restaurants are pretty good too.
La Sirene, Argelès Sur Mer, Pyrénées-Orientales, France
Two weeks in mid-June for a family of four from €1,643 with Kelair-Campotel, campotel.com
This sprawling French site comes with its own water park, which is almost enough to see us going back. There is also a decent supermarket on site, an excellent bakery selling buttery croissants of a morning and the freshly cooked rotisserie chickens. Oh, and some of the best beaches in Europe are a short drive or bus ride away, as is the busy seaside town of Argèles.
Camping Les Varennes, Île de Ré, France
Two weeks in mid-June for a family of four from €938, les-varennes.com
This is a compact – and to be honest, fairly basic – campsite in a gorgeous location surrounded by stunning beaches and fantastically French towns. It is cheap and accessible from the city of La Rochelle by bus or taxi. There is no point hiring a car because Île de Ré is wonderfully car-unfriendly. And then there is the cycling. Bikes can be hired on-site, and days can be spent cycling up and down the coast roads on dedicated cycle tracks.
Union Lido, Cavallino-Treporti, Venice
Two weeks in June for a family of four from €3,827, allcamps.ie
This is the most expensive campsite of the five featured today and, for many people, it will be money well spent. It is very big and has all manner of facilities including a private beach, multiple swimming pools and loads of restaurants. It is a short hop to towns like Venice, Murano and Burano.
