How To Go On A Camping Holiday On A Budget
Camping is becoming a popular vacation choice for families, especially during the holidays here in the UK. If you are not buoyant for a camping trip, don’t disappoint the whole family. Instead, create a camping plan that will cover you and the whole family and yet be within your budget. Within the UK, a VW camper can accommodate your equipment and the family effortlessly.
There are also some other factors to consider when cutting down the cost. For instance the number of people going on the trip and the type of camping will determine your budget structure. The type of camping kit will rely to a great extent on your camping style. Read through the following camping types and select the one which best suits your budget.
Campsite camping
This camping trip requires any potential camper paying for a slot on a camping site for a designated time period. This camping type is convenient for larger groups whether groups of friends, couples and large families.
This is where the money comes into play. Campsite camping has facilities like showers, toilets and washrooms. It will be prudent to check the price list of all campsite spots and decide on the one which best suit your budget. Then book in advance.
Festival camping
Thinking about camping during a festival holiday, then consider this as an option. A familiar theme with festival camps is that all festival equipment need to be offloaded from the car park to the designated campsite. This could be tricky particularly if the festival ground is quite far from the campsite. If you’re travelling in a rather large festival group consider sharing the cost, a quality tent could be purchased for less money.
Check rules covering tent size allowed on the site as well as cooking equipment permitted on the grounds. The festival website will be a good place to check.
Wild camping
This type of camping involves starting on a camping trip with only the essential necessities tucked away in a rucksack. No need for booking, just find a legal campsite and camp out. In the UK, Scotland and some areas of Dartmoor National Park have legal backing for wild camping. Anywhere else, requires a landowner’s approval.
The motto for wild camping: “don’t need what can’t be carried” So you can budget with a survival style mentality.
Planning for the camping holiday
Once a decision has been made on the type of camping, start planning towards the trip.
Book campsite in advance
With the camping trend picking up speed across the UK, it’s prudent to be ahead of the camping pack. The only way to ensure a fair price if you opt for a campsite or festival camping is to book your campsite well in advance of will be campers. Generally, the best time for holiday camping is in the low season (i.e. May, June or September).
Booking a camp stay during the low season is cheaper price wise. The campsite accommodation is relatively cheaper and the kids have more room to play in. Fewer campers equal less expense.
Organize your Equipment
Make a list of all camping equipment and accessories. To save money, you can borrow some of the equipment from relatives or friends. You can also purchase used, but not worn gear at a low price. Then pack the essentials, after all, the whole point of a camping trip is to live off nature and experience the outdoors. Having a stock of your own chopped firewood will be economical and provide fire for cooking, etc. Bring items that serve multiple purposes like a Swiss army knife, duct tape, compass and canned foods. A solar light will be very useful as well.
You can organize a mock camp in the garden to gain valuable experience.