Do you keep going back to the same places or try new (1 Viewer)

Feb 24, 2013
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We have a long chat about our next trip, Bev is really keen to get us back to using the MH more like we did our caravan and spending a few more days at a time on sites

We are currently working on a compromise :)

But we also discussed the benefit in trying new places and risking disappointment when we already know about a little treasure maybe only a few miles away particularly applies when touring without a real plan

I guess the recurring answer will be some and some, also the more places you have already got under your belt the less you need to find new maybe

So taking a 'for instance' on your next trip to France on your second night, how many will be looking for somewhere new to stay or how many will be aiming for a favourite aire or site?
 

DBK

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We like to explore but the trick is getting into the mind set of doing it at a gentle pace. On our trip to Brittany last September there were some days we only drove twenty kilometres or so. Indeed the whole trip was done at a slow pace because originally we were heading for "France" but instead of tearing around doing three hundred mile days we just mooched around Brittany.

But we won't be going back to Brittany on our next trip, we will be looking for somewhere else but ideally at a slow pace where possible, which is why it will be nearly three months long.

I think the trap some fall into is rushing around doing a country a week. It is enjoyable, or can be, I suspect some get bored if they aren't continually moving on but my experience in Spain for example, is there is much more to see and enjoy if you slow down.

So the answer to the question about the second night aire is move if you have to find somewhere tranquil - but then kick off the shoes, lean back, relax and unwind. :)

But campsites can be good for that as you can stay longer than some aires and you may have more space around you to unroll the awning and get the tables and chairs out.
 
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laird of Dunstan

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I think that there are still a great many places that i have never been to,and that adds to the feeling of exploring ,there are also some places that i would never go back to and others that i would return to , i quite often nip up to the peak district , i have been there many times and plan to return there , you can drive through some where in either your car or your MH and think that you have "done" that place ,but the number of times that i have found hidden gems by exploring on foot an area where i have been to before leads me to hope that i will never run out of places to explore:) , i go back to some places armed with an ordinance survey map and have a deeper look at the place(y)
 

GJH

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It depends what is available and what areas we want to visit.

Last year, for instance, we wanted to go to a C&CC weekend at Doncaster Aeroventure after Peterborough but needed to fill a few days in between so went to Epworth, where we had been once before.

Our longer trips (3 weeks and 4 weeks) involved stays at places which were completely new but, in some cases, close to places we had visited before.
 

hilldweller

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We keep returning to Italy but vary the route, though I have to say we now have favourite routes.

Then there is Benidorm, it delivers the goods like nowhere else in the winter.

We love Windermere and Southport.

So basically boring olde fartes who keep returning.

Now in Le Crotoy, new overnight for us but so cold and windy almost dangerous to leave the van and when we did over €15 for two crepes and two coffees. France is not cheap.
 

Zilevets

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We do both new sites and ones we've been to before, we are currently at Ingelton which is a site we come to every year but as we use the van all year we find we like to find places we've not been to before.

That's the best bit about this lifestyle you can move on or stay, you've got the freedom to choose.

Liz
 
Apr 27, 2008
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A bit of each, we do have a large number of places we like in France in particular, but I, rather than swmbo, insist on some new places each time. These sometimes then become old places the next time.
As regarding our second night in France, it will be somewhere new. I have a couple of possibilities in mind

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GJH

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We keep returning to Italy but vary the route, though I have to say we now have favourite routes.

Then there is Benidorm, it delivers the goods like nowhere else in the winter.

We love Windermere and Southport.

So basically boring olde fartes who keep returning.

Now in Le Crotoy, new overnight for us but so cold and windy almost dangerous to leave the van and when we did over €15 for two crepes and two coffees. France is not cheap.
What? No mention of Bruges? :Eeek:
 

Anthea M

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@DBK we are like you these days and try not to drive to far each day. We are doing Brittany again this year but only have 2 weeks instead of 3 so would be pleased if you could give names of places . We may visit some favourites again but love finding new spots too!
 

MC 55 FUN

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As newbies to this we'll be doing what we did prior to MH ownership & that is to go & experience as many different places as possible first, both in the U.K. / Eire & abroad & only returning to a favourite very irregularly.

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Sep 16, 2010
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We do 3 months at a time when we go away and have done the Spanish coast, but not yet overwintered there.
We took 3 months to go around the coast of Greece (before the influx of migrants) but won't do that trip again, despite the wonderful people.
France is heaven for our lifestyle and we will go again.
But when I get my licence back (hopefully 9th of June) after my "brain Fart". We will possibly be going up to the Baltic coast of Poland as it looks great on Google earth !!
Then I want to take Jenny to the coast of Croatia in September/October to "wallow" around in the beautiful warm sea.. But will be limited to camp sites as its illegal to be "freeloading tossers" there !!! So it will only be for a couple of weeks.
Sadly our touring world has shrunk since the upsurge of the migrant/terrorist situation.
But there are still plenty of new and exciting places to see and a lot of places we have visited and will return to at some time in the future.
Great life aint it !!
Mitch. (y).
 

DBK

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@DBK we are like you these days and try not to drive to far each day. We are doing Brittany again this year but only have 2 weeks instead of 3 so would be pleased if you could give names of places . We may visit some favourites again but love finding new spots too!
You might recall I wrote our trip up: http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/two-go-to-france.115155/
The Gulf of Morbihan was a nice place, sheltered and with a coastal path running around it, plus the Rose Granite coast of course.
The Dorling Kingsley Eyewitness guide to Brittany was a good place to get ideas from - it has lots of pictures. :)
 
Feb 22, 2008
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We have a few convenient favourites but prefer to explore new to us areas, so much to see.

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Oct 5, 2012
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Book your van in for a wheel alignment after going to Poland, the roads are awful (except the EU funded ones going to new windfarm sites). If you get up north on the Baltic coast the wolf's lair is a must, also a cheap aire there(y). The Baltic sea itself is quite dirty and polluted I never saw anything living in it.
 

Lynne Steele

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We have our favourite half a dozen places locally, when we can only go away for 1 night, which is nearly every week as we are carers, but we have 10 days in France every year and try new places, I fell in love with Il de re last year and want to return but will leave it a year or so as there are so many places I want to see. We never book, so if we don't like somewhere we can just move on.
We like aires when travelling, but always find a nice campsite to chill out for a couple of days because it is nice to leave the table and chairs out and barbecue and sunbathe for some of our holiday. So a mix for us.
 

Anthea M

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You might recall I wrote our trip up: http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/two-go-to-france.115155/
The Gulf of Morbihan was a nice place, sheltered and with a coastal path running around it, plus the Rose Granite coast of course.
The Dorling Kingsley Eyewitness guide to Brittany was a good place to get ideas from - it has lots of pictures. :)
Thanks will read it soon, your trip was before I joined! Off to check turkey for Mother's Day meal! Thanks again !such a great forum!!!

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Sep 5, 2012
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We visit Devon once a year and always stay on same sites, one site is in Father in laws village so easy for us or them to visit us and it has lovely canal walks. The other site in Somerset always relaxes me, it just one of those places. On our way down and back we usually try different sites.
Near home if we just have a couple of days we usually use same site an hour away.
 

CWH

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I suppose to some extent it will also depend on what you do when you're "there". Unless we dislike where we are, we tend to stay 2 or 3 nights so that we can explore the area a bit as we both really enjoy walking.

We're still quite new to this (started Nov '13) and we've only toured in the UK. What we've done so far is to discuss a few places that one or other of us really wants to visit, and then decide on (eg) "South Coast tour", "North Wales tour" (though it doesn't always follow that we'll stick to that). We tend to plan just one night and then, we just might extend. I think the longest we 'extended' was two weeks! There was so much good walking locally, plus a long day's foot-ferry trip we couldn't resist... We amble around and often only decide the day before, where we'll (probably) end up for the night, so it's usually new places.

However, we might return to the same place if we've found a good hill-walking base that's reasonably quiet, has excellent views, and we feel safe leaving the van for most of the day.

But we're lucky, we have no responsibilities so we've never toured for less than a month, our first was 3 months around the Scottish coast. We don't go far in a day.
 

Chris

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I like returning to places I like again and again.

I am the same with my favourite Chinese and Indian food.

It avoids disappointment(y):D
 
D

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Both for us. We have some favourite places that we go back to quite often but also like visiting new places.

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Khizzie

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Bit of both for me,always something new at a place visited before and is also a place you know what's what ,and then the new places to delight ,frustrate or bore you. So a bit of everything..but the greatest bit about touring is meeting like minded people...and I might add . even "Funsters" haha
 

CWH

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And then of course there's the 'non-touring' trips.

There's those where you just want to get away & have a rest - we've done a winter week or so at a site in Devon (chosen because it had a pool and horse-riding); Dorset (pool and gym); Norfolk (pool, gym, & only a few minutes walk to the beach).
Then there's the 'visiting folks' trips - weeks with family (like now), or house/ pet sitting (like for a fortnight from tomorrow). We also did 4 weeks' house/ pet-sitting for a fellow-Funster - now 4 weeks is a long time to stay in one place, but we had a good reason for wanting to be in that particular place for that length of time, and due to the generosity of our Funster hosts we were able to get around quite a bit.

Sometimes it's just nice to get away from the house, sit down, and stop.

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Jul 5, 2013
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Our motorhome hell would be to keep returning to a place we had been to many times before, or to stay weeks in the same place. But each to our own .... my brother and SIL does both! :) And our next door neighbours have been going to the same room in the same hotel on Guernsey at the same time of year for the last god knows how many years.
 

wingman

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When going somewhere new, I find that one of the easiest ways to minimise disappointment is to 'drive' around the parish using Google Earth/Street View.

I lack the devil-may-care gene that some have and stress about 20 foreigners on my tail whilst heading for an un-signposted height restriction - type scenario!!

However, on the odd occasion when I DO adopt the ruffty-ruffty Funster's motto (Who dares - parks!) I find a place like in the pic.

This place was miles from anywhere, I was tired and just lamely followed a 'Camping' sign down a long French country road, seemingly to nowhere. On arrival, a sign said, "Le bureau est fermé. Prendre votre emplacement et Madame sera bientôt de retour". Well, Madame did retour. She took a measly sum and when she heard that we had almost run out of milk, she brought some from home!

Go somewhere same-y or be adventurous? I guess it's just pot luck!

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