 With the long flight time between Australia and the UK and Europe, most Australians holiday on the continent for at least four weeks. Without a doubt, one of the greatest expenses of a European holiday is the cost of accommodation and this is especially so when travelling with children.
Most hotels and B & B’s only accommodate a maximum of two guests, (occasionally 3), so for a family of four, two rooms must be paid for – doubling the family’s accommodation bill. This would, understandably, deter many families from planning a European holiday, but family-friendly alternatives are available.
When considering our first family holiday to Europe in 2000, a friend who had lived in England mentioned Eurocamp, an English company who offer camping and mobile home holidays in Europe. Eurocamp erect their tents and mobile homes (on-site cabins) at over 150 top quality camping grounds (or ‘parcs’) in more than 13 European countries. All  accommodation is fully equipped, with everything from cutlery and crockery to blankets and pillows and even the kitchen sink! All you need to provide is your linen (and even this can be hired at many parcs) and your food. Even the tents include properly sprung beds – none of those canvas ‘Army’ style beds – and mobile homes contain their own shower and toilet. A Eurocamp holiday really is luxury camping.
With so many parcs to choose from, there is a destination to suit everyone, and Eurocamp holidays are particularly good for families. To keep Mum and Dad happy, nearly all parcs have their own shop or supermarket, as well as cafes or restaurants, and laundry facilities. The kids will be in their element too, with plenty of room to run around, great playgrounds, and in some cases, swimming pools, games rooms or beach access. Larger parcs offer free Kids Clubs catering for children up to 17 years old – a great way for your kids to meet other children and an opportunity for you to enjoy some ‘time out’ of your own.
Being an English company, Eurocamp holidays are extremely popular with British families, be we also met families from Germany and Holland, who also appreciate the good value and family-friendly atmosphere of this style of holiday.
 Unlike many other self-catering accommodation options in Europe, a Eurocamp holiday can commence on any day of the week and there are no minimum or maximum stay requirements. On our first Eurocamp holiday in 2000, we took advantage of the company’s ‘three weeks for the price of two’ offer and spent three nights at each of seven different parcs in four different countries.
In hindsight, this was probably packing too much into too short a time (especially with young children), so on our 2005 Eurocamp holiday we extended our stay to six nights at each of three parcs, and three nights at our final parc (where we had previously stayed). Returning to Europe again in 2008, we spent a total of 12 nights at two different parcs.
Whilst the majority of the Eurocamp parcs are located in France, Spain and Italy, you will also find them scattered throughout many of Europe’s other popular locations, including the new hot spots of Croatia and Slovenia. Depending on which parcs you are visiting, car hire is generally required as many parcs are away from major rail lines, often situated in quaint rural villages or on the outskirts of busy cities. Having said that, parcs in Paris and near Rome and Florence are within easy commuting distance to the main attractions.
For our family, the advantages of a Eurocamp holiday have been many. As the accommodation (either tent or mobile home) is the same no matter where you stay, you can be sure of what you are going to get – there are no nasty surprises when you arrive! The benefits of being able to cook your own meals goes without saying, and the on-site supermarket means you won’t need to lug groceries for miles. Eurocamp ‘couriers’ live on-site and are on hand to welcome you on arrival and to offer assistance and recommendations throughout your stay. On days when you are not off sightseeing the kids will be kept amused at the on-site playground or swimming pool, or at the Kids Club. Our football-loving boys always managed to find somewhere to kick a ball around and let off some steam!
The biggest advantage, though, is definitely the price of a Eurocamp holiday. Earlybird deals are available if you can book well in advance and avoid the peak period of 9 July to 27 August. Since our family’s first Eurocamp holiday in 2000, and on our recommendation, many of our friends have also enjoyed a Eurocamp holiday and have been impressed with this style of holiday. I would thoroughly recommend Eurocamp to anyone, couple or family, who is looking for an affordable holiday in Europe.
Article courtesy of Carolyn founder of www.holidaystoeurope.com.au and BYOkids travel consultant. If you'd like to take the kids to Europe Enquire here
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