On the Road and Under Canvas - 10 reasons to camp on your next trip
- Andy Marks
- 3 days ago
- 7 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Anyone who has read about my travels on two wheels has probably worked out that I love camping when I'm away! My decision to camp whilst on my first solo trip across France was purely a cost driven one; I couldn't afford to travel for that long and stay in hotels all the way round. However, I soon fell in love with the freedom and flexibility it offered. So, here are 10 reasons I would advise anyone to give it a go...
1) Cost
I'll skim over this one because it's pretty obvious, but it's also a big one. On my last trip in France I averaged under £11 per night camping and I wasn't exactly hunting for the cheapest options. The one night I spent in a very cheap hotel was £33. Do the sums on that, and you're saving £154 over a week-long trip - that's a few off the bike excursions, meals out, or even extra days on your trip!
If you are interested I did an entire post about what that trip cost me:
2) Security
OK - last boring one I promise!
Personally, I feel much happier with my bike parked right next to my tent in the middle of nowhere than I do leaving it in a car park in a city and sleeping in a hotel where I have no idea what's going on. I use a decent disc lock and a cover, but it's always an anxious moment as I walk round the corner in the morning, hoping it is still there.
Of course, some hotels offer secure parking - but this restricts where you can stay even more.
3) True Freedom
Why do we go touring on a bike? Isn't that sense of freedom a huge part of it? For me, there is nothing more freeing than setting off with no plan and a tent strapped on the back. Europe has a phenomenal number of campsites. There are over 11,000 registered campsites in France alone, with a total capacity of around 1 million pitches! I can honestly say I have never been turned away from a campsite, and I don't know anyone else who has been either. Travelling without the need for hotel reservations makes travelling without a plan a doddle!
4) Location, Location, Location
Hotels tend to be in built-up areas, you'll find an abundance of them on the outskirts of bigger towns and cities. But is that really where you want to be riding your bike? Rural areas are littered with small campsites so you really can ride until you've had enough and then look for somewhere close by rather than having to find the nearest hotel that suits your needs is an hour away! Then, when you get up the following morning, you're straight back onto the scenic roads that you've come all this way for.
5) The Social Aspect
I've just got back from a week's skiing in Italy. I spent a lot of the week in the hotel because I'd sprained my ankle and couldn't ski. So, I can say this from experience: as soon as you shut that hotel room door you are truly on your own, and even in a hotel bar people tend to be in groups and aren't that sociable. Campsites could not be more different from this, you'll invariably find people to be friendly and chatty which, for me, is very important on a solo trip. I like my own company, but I do miss the social interactions if I go for too long without them.
I've had cups of tea made for me, beers supplied from campervan fridges, and spent many evenings sitting up chatting to complete strangers about everything from travelling to European history and even German politics (he talked, I listened). All of this adds so much more to the experience than sitting in a hotel and scrolling through your socials ever could!
Top Tip: Park your bike with the UK number plate on show, people tend to stop and ask where you've been or where you are headed.
6) Unplug and Relax
Although not many campsites are truly off-grid, they rarely have Wi-Fi, and I never make use of the electric hook-up. This makes them an ideal place to put the phone away and have an evening without technology. An evening on a quiet campsite with nothing but a book is pure gold after a day on the bike. If we're being pedantic, I use a kindle for reading when I am away, but making that the only technology I use all evening, combined with no artificial light in hotels makes for as good a nights sleep as you'll ever get - as long as you have comfortable camping kit but we'll come back to that later.
7) The Immersive Experience
When asked why I ride a bike, one of my go-to answers is how immersive an experience it is compared to sitting in the car with the windows up, air con on and radio blasting. The same can be said for camping - lying in a tent listening to the wind in the trees, a nearby river, or even, in the right circumstances, the pitter-patter of light rain on the tent canvas appeals to me in all the same ways that being on the bike does. Combined with sleeping in the fresh air and waking up to a dawn chorus of birds, it's something that is hard to describe to anyone who has never tried it. By camping you aren't just travelling though a country - you're truly experiencing it!
I'll finish this part off by saying that, if you've never seen the stars from a campsite in the mountains, I can promise you they don't look like that from outside a hotel in a town filled with lights! Unfortunately, I don't have a picture that comes close to doing this justice, so you'll have to take my word for it until you get there!
8) Getting Active
As I've already said, campsites are generally in more rural locations than hotels. I'm not saying never stay in a city centre hotel and explore on your day off, but why not mix it up with a rural campsite where you can access walking trails, hire a mountain bike, or go fishing for the day?
9) Room With a View
How often have you checked into a hotel with a website that promises views of the river, mountains, or sea only to find that all you can see from your room is the car park? Most campsites will let you set your tent up wherever there is space, and you certainly get to choose which way you are facing. Sometimes, you are restricted by the need to set it up in a sheltered corner or facing away from the wind, but when the weather isn't an issue, you can aim for the best morning views.
10) Comfort
Yep, you read that right. If you have decent equipment, I genuinely believe camping doesn't need to be uncomfortable. Get yourself a decent tent, sleeping bag and inflatable mat and you're 90% of the way there. A small camp chair is another must for me - a luxury, but a worthwhile one! None of this needs to cost the earth either. Now that I have a decent setup I do prefer sleeping in my own 'bed', even when it's in a different place every night.
I'd back this up by saying that a hotel is no guarantee of a good night. I stayed in a cheap hotel in Belgium recently when the weather was atrocious. It was so grotty that I ended up sleeping in my own sleeping bag, and I stopped at a café a few miles away to use the facilities the following morning because one look at the communal toilet in the hotel was enough to make anyone cross their legs. I'm not precious, it was just that rough! I accept this is an extreme case and less likely to happen if I spent a bit more on a hotel room, but I know I'm going to be comfortable in my tent!
11) Bonus Point - Added Experiences
In a hotel, everything is done for you. You may enjoy this but since starting to camp I've learned to love cooking on a camp stove, making my own coffee in the morning and, when allowed, sitting around a fire with strangers. You do have to be more self-sufficient and this can lead to all sorts of experiences you never expected.
A big downside I find in hotels is that they tend to be very samey. When you camp you'll find yourself stopping at a local shop or market stall in the afternoon for supplies. This all leads to more opportunities to soak up the local culture and to try local food and drink.
I regularly get asked if I would camp if money were no issue, I hope this post has convinced you that the answer is most definitely yes! I can honestly say none of my best memories from travelling on a bike have come from being in a hotel; many of them have come on campsites though.
This isn't to say I wouldn't change anything, I would probably treat myself to a new tent and the point at which I bail to a hotel might change, I already draw the line at setting up in the rain but if I could avoid the 50/50 decisions about whether or not it's going to be raining when I pack up in the morning, that would be great!
So - if you have never camped, why not give it a go this summer? If you have camped, what do you think I have missed from this post? Let me know about your experiences in the comments.
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