Camping card / carnet for Europe ?

Specifically for cycle touring subjects & questions
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trilathon
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Camping card / carnet for Europe ?

Post by trilathon »

Years ago I used to employ the Carnet Camping International via the CTC, but it's some years since I've held one. I see options such as
http://campingcardinternational.com/

and

http://www.campingcard.co.uk/ ( which seems worth it if only for the helpful offline map app ? )

I found some information on line but it all seems specific to motorised family outfits rather than a chap on a bicycle with tent

I wondered what experience others have had with either of these or genreal advice please ? I'm primarily interested in discounts if I perchance upon an included site, rather than the id facility, and will doing a loop from Staffordshire mainly comprising the valleys of the Rhine, Rhone, Ardeche, Tarn and Dordogne starting in May and finishing in June

Thanks
Searching for, and camping in, places of antiquity and wild beauty. Former ironman, 3PCX, Rough Stuff Fellowship, fell runner, regional time trial champion and 20 odd years of cyclo camping around Europe.
tatanab
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Re: Camping card / carnet for Europe ?

Post by tatanab »

The CCI card is more of an insurance card but gets some discounts on some sites. I think I've had one or two in 10 years but I use mainly rural sites. They are useful when checking in because they have your address etc on them and are accepted in place of finding your passport. The CTC used to offer them, but when they stopped I found I could get one through the RAC as a member http://www.rac.co.uk/travel/driving-abr ... ernational

I looked at the ACSI card a long time ago but I think I concluded that too few sites were involved and not the sort I'd likely use.
Vorpal
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Re: Camping card / carnet for Europe ?

Post by Vorpal »

There are lots of cards/clubs that offer similar benefits.

You can get a Camping Card International from http://campingcardinternational.com/
In some countries, the ACSI card is better http://www.campingcard.co.uk/?_ga=1.222 ... 1461149770
Camping Key has good insurance, and possibly more non-camping discounts. But this, too, is better in some countries than others http://www.campingkey.com/en/

So, I would look at what they have available in the countries you are going to, and the benefits relative to your conditions (e.g. a discount for caravans isn't much use!) and decide for yourself. I've had several of these sorts of things with different organisations. I've mostly signed up for them at campsites. I got the Camping Key when in Denmark, and I thought that it was better than most in terms of discounts. We used it for tickets to the zoo, some restaurant meals, and various other things, as well. Camping Key also has an app for campsite finding and lots of member campsites :)

Another way to do it, is to pick campsites, and look at their websites (or call them) and find out which organisations they are associated with. some campsites have more than one :)

Good luck!
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bikes4two
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Re: Camping card / carnet for Europe ?

Post by bikes4two »

I've used an ACSI card for a good few years now and the out of season discounts are worth it if you're camping with the car, a full size tent, electric hookup etc. However, for cycle touring the card offers no saving and in my experience it's cheaper without.

As for an (Android) app for camp sites, I use Archies Campings which is brilliant and you can get the sites in POI form to import into Garmin and other devices.
Without my stoker, every trip would only be half a journey
robing
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Re: Camping card / carnet for Europe ?

Post by robing »

bikes4two wrote:I've used an ACSI card for a good few years now and the out of season discounts are worth it if you're camping with the car, a full size tent, electric hookup etc. However, for cycle touring the card offers no saving and in my experience it's cheaper without.

As for an (Android) app for camp sites, I use Archies Campings which is brilliant and you can get the sites in POI form to import into Garmin and other devices.

Excellent, just checking this was still the case. Am setting off on a European solo bike tour with tent in a week's time and I notice that a lot of sites particularly in the Low Countries are camping card. I don't have one and it's too late to get one. I also have the excellent Archies app.
tatanab
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Re: Camping card / carnet for Europe ?

Post by tatanab »

I used to get the CCI card from the CTC and then RAC. Since it is no longer available from either source, last year I took the ACSI equivalent. This is NOT the club card linked to above but simply a form of ID equivalent to the old CCI carnet http://www.acsiclubid.co.uk/en/home/l2- ... 1525792208 I used it last year and in the main it was fine although some campsites had to be convinced it was a carnet for ID purposes and one site refused it and insisted on my passport. I would have renewed my card for this year but I cannot work out how to pay as an existing member. Something odd about the payment button so I have filed a request with ACSI and am awaiting a reply.
mercalia
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Re: Camping card / carnet for Europe ?

Post by mercalia »

oh do you have to hand in your passport at camp sites?
tatanab
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Re: Camping card / carnet for Europe ?

Post by tatanab »

^^^^^ No. I was only asked to show it because the campsite owner liked to see photo ID. This was in France.
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foxyrider
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Re: Camping card / carnet for Europe ?

Post by foxyrider »

tatanab wrote:^^^^^ No. I was only asked to show it because the campsite owner liked to see photo ID. This was in France.


Some sites do still want your passport and hold on to it until departure - i've had hotels/b&b's do the same within the last couple of years. It used to be common practice for them to take your paperwork to the local police station to register you. In these digital times they can do a lot of that stuff on line so it's much less common.

I use the ACSI card less for any savings but mostly as ID, even non ACSI sites will usually accept it as a passport substitute.
Convention? what's that then?
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