Camping within the UK has much to offer for many but with such easy access to Europe you have many more options and destinations available to you. The mountains of the Alps, the great lakes of Italy and the warm sunny coast of Spain all are with reach for those prepared to take that adventure a little further.

When considering such a trip the route and travelling aspect is a huge part of the planning. Hopfully this post will answer some of the questions you have and help you along the way.

The Crossing

Two choices either the Ferry or the Tunnel (Unless your planning for Spain in which case the Tunnel may not be the best choice)

Having used both the Tunnel and Ferry option I can tell you both have pros and cons. Norfolk Line offer some very competitive crossings for example a return in August for a car and trailer/caravan can be found for about £100 without using any offer. Book at the right time with an Offer code and this could be cheaper. The downside is that Norfolk Line don’t sail to Calais but to Dunkirk although only a 30 minute drive from Calais the crossing time is twice as long at 2 Hours which may not seem to long but if you have a long drive afterwards it all adds to overall travel time.

The other option, the Channel Tunnel, offers a very quick transfer at only 30 minutes. Travelling later in the evening or early in the morning quieter times offer hassle free quick transfer times. Its pretty much turn up and on you get. Before you know it you're the other side en route to your destination. The problem is the Tunnel is a much more expensive option at over £200 return with a trailer. However... Tesco Clubcard deals! every £10 is worth £40 on Crossings so well worth checking out if you have them!

If you're travelling to Spain then taking the Tunnel is not really an option unless you plan on making some overnight stops through France along the way. So for most.. the ferry will be the better option (or at least you would think!) Portsmouth to Santander is not cheap! I just completed a quick check again for August with a trailer over £900 and that’s without a cabin!

But don’t let that put you off... spend some time on Google looking at crossings with different companies you can quickly find some good deals that may be within budget... remember although the crossing to Spain is more expensive you need to take the costs of the alternative options into consideration also such as fuel, wear and tear on the car, the extra mileage, over night stops... so be sure to calculate all options in full when comparing the costs.

Motorail

All over Europe there is a network of motorail trains. Again like the cost of the ferries to Spain these seem like a very costly option, but when you factor in the overnight stops and the extra miles you are putting on the clock although they are still the more expensive option they can better. A 12 hour drive to Italy is way to much to do in one hit and would require at least one overnight stop to break the journey up. Taking the Motorail this is done overnight including all meals and cabin to sleep. Further more the meal is served at sunset as you pass through Rolling Hills of the Black Forrest in Germany. If you want more information on the Motorail then take a look at Seat61 for a great guide on not only the Motorail but also all trains across Europe.

The Drive

France and toll roads! Most motorways in France will cost you! Take a look at ASFA for more details on costs. Most importantly make sure before you leave you have cash! Euros in notes and change in preparation. You can prepay with the Liber-t system. This is something I have yet to research so will follow this up with another post at a later date.

I travel with kids ages 4 and 6 and have found that travelling by night is far easier for them as they sleep through most of the travel time but it depends on the distance you are travelling. Our last trip to Germany was about 7 hours from Calais and we took the 11pm Tunnel crossing and were cruising on the French motorways by midnight. I had slept most of the Day before getting up late afternoon to load the car prior to departure. The problem with travelling by night for you though is the tiredness even with a long sleep during the day doing several hundred miles on the motorway in the dark is heavy going. Both myself and my wife drive so we were able to swap over as we went. I took the first two hours we then stopped for 20 minutes and she then drove for an hour before we pulled into a break area. (You get service stops in France in with Petrol Station and Restaurant and Break area which is just a car park and Toilet Block) We then slept ourselves for about 3 hours. Getting up around 6am, taking the kids to the toilet before setting off again. Stopping about an hour later for breakfast and then the final leg. The kids having only been awake for a couple of hours travel time.

The key is to make sure when you calculate your route and travel times to include plenty of stops It's no use working out it will take 5 hours and you plan to arrive at the site around 7pm but it takes you 7 hours due to stops and last pitch is 8pm. So do check all these details during your planning process. Google maps is great tool for planning a route see my post Getting the most from Google maps for a more in depth look at this.

Overnight Stops

Easy option is a B&B or cheap hotel but do make sure they have good parking faculties as all your valuable camping equipment will be left in the car. The other option is to camp. If you have a large tent then you could invest in a small pop up tent these are quite cheap, don’t take up to much space and can be pitched in seconds.. Ah I hear you say that’s great for two of you but we have 2 kids with us. Well so do we, take a look at the Quechua 2 Seconds IIII this is a small lightweight instant pop up for 4 people. It's perfect for a late arrival and early departure overnight stop. Then your main tent for your main break.

Any further questions? well as always you can post comments here or find me over on the Forum