Can you enjoy a £4500 holiday for £1000?

High Street travel operators bombard us with package holiday deals at this time of year, and although tempting, they don’t always fit my meagre budget. As a middle-aged father of two, the cost of living crisis has been gnawing steadily at my savings, gradually reducing them to a figure that would barely cover the deposit for a package holiday. 

With uncanny timing, a glossy email dropped into my inbox, offering seven nights on the Brittany coastline, including flights and car hire, for £4500. Sure, off-peak deals are availale, but as a family of four restricted to school-time travel, such bargains are off-limits.

The travel operator was offering a villa holiday set on the fringes of a coastal town with a small pool by the patio, and I wondered if I could replace the villa with a caravan and create a similar holiday at a much lower cost. With help from Google Maps and The Caravan and Motorhome Club’s website, I found a campsite just 20 miles from the villa and contacted the Club’s Travel Team to ensure no savings were missed. They suggested I look for a combined deal, as additional savings can be had when booking certain crossings and a minimum of four site nights simultaneously. On this occasion, towing a Bailey Phoenix+ 650 with a Mercedes Vito, we saved over £200 on the Dover to Calais crossing alone. Moreover, it gave us the ABTA bond, the same guarantee offered by the well-known travel operator who advertised the villa holiday.

I chose Camping Du Poulquer in Benodet as, like the villa, it is located on the edge of a seaside town and has an array of swimming pools. Travelling by caravan, motorhome, or campervan gives you the added bonus of exploring places along the way, so in addition to our seven nights in Brittany, we spent an extra four days exploring Calais and Normandy. 

Our first night was spent at Chateau du Gandspette, a favourite of ours when travelling to the near continent. It’s just thirty minutes from Calais, has two swimming pools, a bar & restaurant, and all the activities younger children could ever wish for. If you’re considering taking a leisure vehicle to France for the first time, it’s worth adding the site to your wish list, as it’s a straightforward towing route with a supermarket and fuel station just a few minutes away. Our next stop was Camping Risle et Seine in Normandy. The site sits on the edge of Pont-Audemer and has a swimming pool and bar/restaurant. For history buffs, Normandy needs no introduction. Deauville is fifty minutes west, and the site grants easy access to the eastern edge of the D-Day beaches. With this being a one-night stay, we ventured into Pont Audemer, a pretty town with half-timbered houses and bridges that cross the River Risle.

Although our ‘there and back’ trip segment gave us four extra days, the main aim was to spend seven nights in Brittany. The town of Benodet is popular among French holidaymakers thanks to the golden sand and numerous bars and cafes that line the promenade. The town is a perfect size – small enough not to be a sprawling metropolis but large enough to house all the amenities you need – with Camping Du Poulquer nestling on the eastern edge of the beach. Even though we stayed during peak season, the pools were never crowded – indoor or outdoor – and we could use the sauna and steam room whenever we wished.

As previously mentioned, the seven-night villa holiday was £4500. Our eleven-night caravan holiday was just £834. This figure included a return crossing and all campsites, but not fuel. Maximising our fuel savings with the help of the Waze app, the total cost, including fuel, was £1100. I was hoping the holiday would be closer to £1000, hence The Grand Summer Challenge, but even though we were £100 over budget, it underlines the savings on offer once you own a caravan, motorhome, or campervan. 

How to Save Money on a Caravan, Motorhome, or Campervan Holiday

Crossings: 

A combined deal – crossings and sites that carry an additional discount if booked together – saved over £200 on the crossing alone. 

ABTA Bond:

 The ABTA logo is often displayed on adverts from large, well-known travel operators. It was automatically included with our Caravan and Motorhome Club booking as we booked our crossings and sites simultaneously.

Fuel costs:

I use an Avtex Tourer sat nav when towing the caravan, as it plots a route based on outfit size. When fuel is required, I also run the (free) Waze navigation app to select a fuel station based on price. For example, we filled up with diesel just 300 yards from a French dual-carriageway and saved a whopping 30 Euro Cents per litre.

Food & drink:

If you’re looking for the best deals on food and beverages, restaurants on the promenade tend to be more expensive than those a street or two away. Google Maps will reveal establishments away from the main thoroughfare, and these are often cheaper. Google allows you to check the reviews, too.

Supercharged travel insurance? 

Visit camc.com and search for ‘Red Pennant’. It’s travel insurance that’s designed with caravanners, campervanners and motorhomers in mind.