Tent camping - holidays camping with your own tent or a hired one
If you have never tried what we call "proper camping" before, and by that we mean camping in a tent rather than staying in a mobile home, caravan, Pod or anything other than canvas, then it is high time you had a taste of what can be the cheapest and probably the most enjoyable holiday experience of your life.
What we suggest for first timers is not just to go out and buy loads of equipment, but take a weekend or so with someone you know who is already into camping and has all the gear. This saves an awful lot of disappointment if you don't take to the life, and of course, it saves you all the money you would have spent on gear.
Lots of campers are hooked on the lifestyle from an early age, probably after they have been on a family camping holiday somewhere, and that stays with them into adulthood and beyond when they have children of their own who they introduce to it. Families we know take family camping holidays in France every summer, though most of them hire tents which are already erected and which also have proper beds and kitchens as standard.
We have to say though, that if you start young it is much easier to accept that not every night under canvas is going to be one where you can gaze at the stars in awe and wonderment. I mean, it does rain sometimes, and in our experience that "sometimes" is just when you are starting to erect the tent.
Tent camping is obviously far, far cheaper if you have bought your own gear, as after that all you have to pay out for is the cost of the pitch which can range from a fiver a night on a windswept hilltop with few facilities to around £20 per night for a pitch on a 5 star site with all mod cons. That cost covers the tent and the whole party unless the campsite charges a small extra fee per person, and if they do then it will, indeed, be a small amount.
Tent camping in France has become very popular recently and we put that down to families having good, sound commonsense in purchasing their own tent and equipment so that they can have two or three weeks abroad in the sunshine for a minimal outlay.
Please give tent camping a try whenever you can; we are sure you will enjoy yourself!
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