To Plan - Or Not To Plan? (1 Viewer)

teensvan99

Free Member
May 17, 2015
231
250
Margate
Funster No
36,402
MH
coachbuilt
Exp
2005
Ferry booked 1st July .30th July return. Plan is call into Gravelines when getting off ferry at midnight and see which way ann wishes to go. That means take aires books and bord atlas
steve & ann. -----------------teensvan
 

MikeD

Free Member
Dec 21, 2011
3,936
3,697
London
Funster No
19,230
MH
IH PVC
Exp
Since 2012
We never plan anything. Not always which country we are going to visit.

We have always gone with the "flow" of the trip

Only once been told by a site that they are full. (y):)

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 

sedge

Funster
Jul 7, 2009
5,494
13,035
Nr Jct 3 M6
Funster No
7,396
MH
C class
Exp
Aug 09 to date 9,000 miles!
We quite like the beach aire at Berck sur Mer, so for several years used to go there 'immediately' from Calais. Chill on the beach for a day or two, whilst we decided where to go for our holidays! Or Le Crotoy, but the estuary one not the beach one. Nowadays, we just hang a right and go to an aire at or near wherever we land up. The rest of our holiday is much the same and JUST as well-planned in advance really!

BUT - we do tend to follow the sun. Is it warm enough here, if not go south. If it is, what's the rush, dear? LOL
 

GeebeeJaybee

Free Member
May 28, 2015
293
349
St Helens
Funster No
36,586
MH
A Class - Adria Vision
Exp
newbie
All these leisurely travels sound fantastic - unfortunately we can't take a month to wander around. Really looking forward until the days when we can but still got 20 years until then!

When we go to our house in Florida we are much more relaxed, just book flights and a car and see how we feel. Sometimes we then book internal flights to visit somewhere else in the US or drive down to the Keys - sometimes just chill. We dont really do the theme parks anymore as it gets very samey.

Probably sell this in a couple of years which should give more time for random MH travels!

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Aug 4, 2013
1,138
139,202
Oop North
Funster No
27,309
MH
A Class
Exp
2013
We planned ahead quite a bit of our current trip but have altered quite a few bookings to avoid poorer weather. We wont book sites when we are simply travelling any more .... its just not worth it when so many aires are free .... the ones we have been on have felt perfectly safe and we have met lovely people.
We have lost a few euro's here and there from sites that we pre-booked, its just not worth going somewhere that the weather will be bad; having said that we have sometimes saved money on petrol and tolls by not going as far. We have turned up early at a few sites too, the reception staff are mot always so happy but when we have been pitched there are plenty of spaces, we would have just gone elsewhere if needs be and phone calls ahead are not always easy! We tried them! Also we dont always have internet.
We will not make as many concrete plans again but I am thinking of keeping some type of notebook recording good looking places to visit, by area, ones where we can get about easily, campsites that we will fit on. I will use high lighting pens and tabs in the Aires book and maybe take notes. Alot of the inspection notes in last years book were from 2010 and the prices where way out, so will invest in up to date books next year.
 
Oct 30, 2010
4,256
20,707
Suffolk or France or ........
Funster No
14,290
MH
A Class Carthago Chic
Exp
Since 2008
Like Baldrick we have a cunning plan.
Our plan is as cunning as cunning can be.
So cunning that even we don't know what it is.

In the past we have had a Plan A but that got changed to Plan B, then Plan C and finally to Plan D. Then we tore it up. :D

So, we just forget all about plans and go where the fancy or the weather takes us. ;)

Richard.
 

JJ

Mágica
May 1, 2008
19,230
47,728
Quinta Majay, Pinheiro Bordalo, Portugal
Funster No
2,459
MH
Burstner Privilege T
Exp
over 50 years
Many people enjoying planning and believe it extends the holiday excitement.

But in my case, trying to plan anything just makes my head hurt.

I prefer being a "Cork on the Ocean of Life" floating around depending on tides and currents and the winds.

JJ :cool:
 

Cobweb

Free Member
Mar 25, 2014
388
349
North Yorkshire
Funster No
30,693
MH
A class
Exp
Since 2007
We usually plan the first stop and a rough idea of where to go but like this trip the weather has dictated much of where to go .We are not ones to sit around and wait for better weather if we can just drive a bit further to the sun . It doesn't always work though .
 

DBK

LIFE MEMBER
Jan 9, 2013
17,969
47,804
Plympton, Devon
Funster No
24,219
MH
PVC, Murvi Morocco
Exp
2013
I find it useful to read up about regions in guide books, for example the Rough Guides have a bit at the start of each region listing the highlights. From this we can get an idea of what there is worth visiting.

If you don't do this and just wander about you might find you have driven past somewhere which you would have found really interesting - but you missed because you didn't know it was there.

We don't plan each night in detail but I will list aires and campsites around the proposed route in a notebook, but we won't follow this slavishly, weather and other factors might mean the plan is torn up and we make a new one!

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 

Lenny HB

LIFE MEMBER
Oct 18, 2007
52,715
147,684
On the coast in West Sussex
Funster No
658
MH
Hymer B678 DL
Exp
Since 2008 & many years tugging
Usually have an idea of the area we want to end up in but often doesn't work, worked like that since we first started going abroad with a tent in the boot 35 years ago.
First trip in a Motorhome we were heading for German Baltic coast, it was pissing down in Belgium forecast not good so we turned right & ended up in Slovenia.
In France at the moment came across for D-Day week then were going to southern Brittany, only spent a couple of days in southern Brittany found too many interesting places on the way.
 
Jul 5, 2013
11,713
13,681
Tunbridge Wells, Tunbridge Wells, UK
Funster No
26,797
MH
A class
Exp
Since 2013
We book a one way tunnel trip, then research a bit where we may be aiming for, buy a good guide book or two, gets the Aires and ACSI books. But once we hit France we follow our noses wherever we feel like
 

Zippy4522

Free Member
Sep 24, 2012
21
15
eastwood
Funster No
23,011
MH
a class
Exp
Newbie
No set plans with us, apart from which country(ies) we plan to visit. Just done a 5 week tour of Poland, with no set ideas of where we were going. Only ever decide on site the night before we set off for the area. Have a great time.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Jun 16, 2013
1,228
820
Wiltshire
Funster No
26,522
MH
Low Profile Hymer CL 554
Exp
Since May 2014
Doesn't the plan not plan totally depend on the time of year travelling? We are going for the first time this August i would worry too much if i didnt have sites booked. As it is the first time we wanted a plan. I assumed sites would be booked up in August.
 

Davfo42

Free Member
Jun 19, 2015
46
27
Ireland
Funster No
36,858
MH
c class
Exp
10 years
We have been to france twice before, once in september, and last year at easter in april. this year we are going mid august, travelling into Roscoff and probably heading down towards archachon direction.. .... do we need to book as in high season or will we have any probs do you think. ps. we have two young kids so would be looking at staying in a camping park rather that an aires.
 

Terry and Jan

Free Member
Feb 25, 2014
249
135
Saltash,Cornwall
Funster No
30,283
MH
Low profile
Exp
2012
Just got back from France and Spain. Closest we got to planning was booking the ferry to roscoff and the return ferry from Santander, the rest we just went with the flow!

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Nov 8, 2012
14
6
Stockport
Funster No
23,614
MH
Carthago 138
Exp
caravanning 15years, motor homes since 2012
We usually book the first and last nights of our 2 week August holidays.
This year circumstances dictate we'll arrive near Ashford in the evening so have booked a Kent pub site and a morning Eurotunnel train; last year we got an evening train to France so booked a site near Calais for the first night.
We like to decide in advance which hiking area to head for (this year the Vosges) and drive no more than 4 hours a day to get to our chosen area. Once there, we stay at aires, auberges or campsites (not been brave enough to wildcamp yet), whichever happen to be the best placed for the hikes we decide to do (we love to hike directly from the van and aim to hike further than drive while we're in the area)
We always book an early morning train home and like to stay at Escalles for the last night so that always gets booked.
 
D

Deleted member 29692

Deleted User
As it is the first time we wanted a plan. I assumed sites would be booked up in August.

Depends where you are planning to stay. It isn't possible to book aires - they are parking places not sites. If you turn up and there's no room you go somewhere else. With a lot of the more popular ones they can be full by mid afternoon especially during the summer.
 
Nov 8, 2012
14
6
Stockport
Funster No
23,614
MH
Carthago 138
Exp
caravanning 15years, motor homes since 2012
We have been to france twice before, once in september, and last year at easter in april. this year we are going mid august, travelling into Roscoff and probably heading down towards archachon direction.. .... do we need to book as in high season or will we have any probs do you think. ps. we have two young kids so would be looking at staying in a camping park rather that an aires.
Campsites tend to start emptying mid-August in the areas we go to now (smaller sites, off the beaten track, etc) so we don't book anything, just turn up at Aire or campsite, whichever is in the right location. Coastal areas might be very different.
That's a long way to drive to risk being disappointed, I'd rather book ahead.
PS lots of fantastic campsites in Brittany and the Loire!

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 

Join us or log in to post a reply.

To join in you must be a member of MotorhomeFun

Join MotorhomeFun

Join us, it quick and easy!

Log in

Already a member? Log in here.

Latest journal entries

Funsters who are viewing this thread

Back
Top