Do yo spend more in a welcoming/free area?

[MichaelT]

Interesting post..have you ever wondered why the free areas are there in the first place...Is it to encourage visitors to spend locally, or perhaps to control where motorhomers park and dispose of the waste.
Where do these small communities get there funding to build such places...Tourism.. encouraging people to their areas.... I've often wondered.
We know many places that offer all services including electricity points.all for free.

Yes we've stayed on a few but some have nothing at all in the village so what's the point of them? I assume the village gets something in return to have an aire.

Área Valfonda de Santa Ana

Details for Área Valfonda de Santa Ana a Overnight parking - with services Valfonda de Santa Ana, Huesca, Aragón, Spain, 22255

www.searchforsites.co.uk

Area Vinaixa

Details for Area Vinaixa a Overnight parking - with services Vinaixa, Lleida, Catalunya, Spain, 25440

www.searchforsites.co.uk

Lots of villages in france too have an aire but not even a Baker to buy a baguette of to put something back, or if there is they are always closed.

 

[GJH]

Similar thread from 2014.

Do we motorhomers really boost the economy?

We often see claims of how much motorhomers contribute to boosting local economies where we stay so during our holiday starting with the Sandy meet I decided to keep a rough track of how much we spent. After Sandy we used a CL, MCC rallies and had 3 nights free camping at a pub. Average daily...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

 

[L' Hobo]

Yes we've stayed on a few but some have nothing at all in the village so what's the point of them? I assume the village gets something in return to have an aire.

Área Valfonda de Santa Ana

Details for Área Valfonda de Santa Ana a Overnight parking - with services Valfonda de Santa Ana, Huesca, Aragón, Spain, 22255

www.searchforsites.co.uk

Area Vinaixa

Details for Area Vinaixa a Overnight parking - with services Vinaixa, Lleida, Catalunya, Spain, 25440

www.searchforsites.co.uk

Lots of villages in france too have an aire but not even a Baker to buy a baguette of to put something back, or if there is they are always closed.

Could it be they are closed because few on the aire is buying from them?
If everyone on the aire, each spent a reasonable amount of money, probably they would be open?

 

[Just smiffy]

Depends if it’s just a stopover to sleep or for a day or two, if the latter we normally go for lunch in the town or village. We stopped at Breda for 2 nights last week for free, we ate lunch at the bar and spent €11 in the local ceramic shop and on both occasions we mentioned we had a MH and stayed in the Aire.

Me too…

When ever I stay in an aire free or cheep I always say to shop staff I’m in the aire….

 

[MichaelT]

Could it be they are closed because few on the aire is buying from them?
If everyone on the aire, each spent a reasonable amount of money, probably they would be open?

But if there's nothing there how can you spend?

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[L' Hobo]

But if there's nothing there how can you spend?

What, a township without a baker, France must have changed!

 

[pelican]

Can't say I've ever noticed a connection between.my shopping habits and the proximity of chemical waste disposal points
Enjoy your travels though

You obviously have not combined it with a dodgy takeaway curry

 

[PaulC70]

We spend in local bars and restaurants wherever we stay that's why we have gone there, what else are you going to do , just sit in the van?

I have to admit we do too, even when the sites silly expensive like £50 a night on keswick, but again, location, site is less than a mile from town centre and we really like Keswick.

 

[Barriesimpson]

I wont park anyware that I cannot buy taxidermy, if there is loo emptying its just an added bonus

But just how many times can you stuff a dead animal? Oh, hang on, I wasn't counting on... well.. let's just leave it at that

 

[nicholsong]

To answer Thread title question, we do not have much comparison between free and paid, as on our last 3-month trip to Italy and Greece we only stopped on a chargeable parking on two nights, and that €10 was discounted against the meal we bought at the owner's restaurant, with free water and services.

However, all I can say is that in three months we spent €3,000 out of pocket, including diesel, but not ferries.

But if we have parked where there is no restaurant we will have spent money in the region at shops to feed ourselves.

In France where the aires(proper municipal aires, not CCP) are often in the villages or towns we are more likely to eat out, even chosen one based on restaurant availability.

In Greece we often chose beach parking where there were tavernas which we knew, so yes we were spending money there.

I would prefer to spend money at local restaurants/tavernas than on campsites, because that is supporting places that the locals would use, not campsites which are not much use to locals, neither as facilities that they want, nor as places offering them much work. This helps keep the local population in villages and small towns and not migrating to cities away from families and to the ravages of urban living, including noise, pollution, drink and drugs.

Here endeth the lesson.

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[MichaelT]

I would prefer to spend money at local restaurants/tavernas than on campsites, because that is supporting places that the locals would use, not campsites which are not much use to locals, neither as facilities that they want, nor as places offering them much work. This helps keep the local population in villages and small towns and not migrating to cities away from families and to the ravages of urban living, including noise, pollution, drink and drugs.

Here endeth the lesson.

You forgot one thing, campsites employ locals or did you think they were bussed in from the drug and drink slums from the cities? Even supermarkets employ locals! So you avoiding them and sleeping in a car park are depriving locals out of a job and forcing them to become drug addicts and alcoholics in big urban cities.

Here endeth the 2nd lesson

 

[Lenny HB]

When we stop on a free Aire in France/Spain/portigal/Germany etc.,we always try and spend a bit in the village. If we have to pay for the Aire not too bothered if we spent in the village.

 

[Dorwyn]

Me too…

When ever I stay in an aire free or cheep I always say to shop staff I’m in the aire….

I think they can tell! Stranger in town, first thing in t'morning. Must be foreign freeloader! Nothing personal of course!

 

[chaser]

Could it be they are closed because few on the aire is buying from them?
If everyone on the aire, each spent a reasonable amount of money, probably they would be open?

Used to be a baker outside the montendre aire in the town, did well out of motorhomes, as soon as it was moved two miles out of town he closed.

 

[L' Hobo]

Used to be a baker outside the montendre aire in the town, did well out of motorhomes, as soon as it was moved two miles out of town he closed.

Probably the townfolk didn't fancy walking 2 miles+ for their bread?
Seems strange, if he was making so much from the M/H's, why did he move?

Poor business decision??

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[chaser]

Probably the townfolk didn't fancy walking 2 miles+ for their bread?
Seems strange, if he was making so much from the M/H's, why did he move?

Poor business decision??

Sorry the aire moved not the baker.

 

[Just smiffy]

I think they can tell! Stranger in town, first thing in t'morning. Must be foreign freeloader! Nothing personal of course!

I’ll be freeloading again today…..

 

[MichaelT]

Sorry the aire moved not the baker.

Well why didn't he just drive his van each day like many do to service the aire?

 

[Dorwyn]

Used to be a baker outside the montendre aire in the town, did well out of motorhomes, as soon as it was moved two miles out of town he closed.

The Montendre aire was small and usually full of cars. Can't have been that important to the town. Is the campsite still in English hands? Twin Lakes, wasn't it. Nice place. Just a bit off route for me. I've fancied going back a few times seeing it on the road signs.

 

[chaser]

The Montendre aire was small and usually full of cars. Can't have been that important to the town. Is the campsite still in English hands? Twin Lakes, wasn't it. Nice place. Just a bit off route for me. I've fancied going back a few times seeing it on the road signs.

No twin lakes is a campsite, used to have meets there from here, no it's a ccp type place the other side of town

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[barryd]

Yes we've stayed on a few but some have nothing at all in the village so what's the point of them? I assume the village gets something in return to have an aire.

Área Valfonda de Santa Ana

Details for Área Valfonda de Santa Ana a Overnight parking - with services Valfonda de Santa Ana, Huesca, Aragón, Spain, 22255

www.searchforsites.co.uk

Area Vinaixa

Details for Area Vinaixa a Overnight parking - with services Vinaixa, Lleida, Catalunya, Spain, 25440

www.searchforsites.co.uk

Lots of villages in france too have an aire but not even a Baker to buy a baguette of to put something back, or if there is they are always closed.

I know what you mean. I remember being on one about six miles out of Cognac. Not only was it free but it had sixteen amp hookup. Tiny little village and no shops. I rode around on the scooter trying to find something to buy. Nothing!! Not even a hairdressers which is unusual as the French will put one in a field in the middle of nowhere.

 

[chaser]

I know what you mean. I remember being on one about six miles out of Cognac. Not only was it free but it had sixteen amp hookup. Tiny little village and no shops. I rode around on the scooter trying to find something to buy. Nothing!! Not even a hairdressers which is unusual as the French will put one in a field in the middle of nowhere.

And pharmacy.

 

[chaser]

Well why didn't he just drive his van each day like many do to service the aire?

Maybe because he hasn't got a van and why would he leave his shop to do a five mile round trip without knowing if anyone was there.

 

[Minxy]

We spend in local bars and restaurants wherever we stay that's why we have gone there, what else are you going to do , just sit in the van?

Walk and play with our

 

[chaser]

Walk and play with our

I can't walk far and I wouldn't have a dog if you paid me.

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[Minxy]

I can't walk far and I wouldn't have a dog if you paid me.

I wouldn't want to pay you to have a dog no matter how desperately the dog needed a home!

 

[Lenny HB]

Used to be a baker outside the montendre aire in the town, did well out of motorhomes, as soon as it was moved two miles out of town he closed.

I've always said the few Euro Motorhomes spend in the local boulangerie can be the difference between life & death for them.

 

[MichaelT]

Maybe because he hasn't got a van and why would he leave his shop to do a five mile round trip without knowing if anyone was there.

But you said he relied on the Aire?

 

[chaser]

But you said he relied on the Aire?

Where did I say that? But he must have done as when the site closed so did he.

 

[The Wino]

Yes, likewise. What I'm wondering is, is that behind the decision makers' thinking? Is this why they clamp down on Motorhomers. My nephew had a business in Scarborough and so was involved with the town council, and was saying that he was trying to resist the negativity there towards us.

I do the same talking to locals around here ( Whitby) but it's a real uphill struggle. The town is rammed with visitors in the summer motorhomes or not!

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