The best campervan and motorhome owners’ clubs to join in 2022
25 February 2022
Joining a members’ club helps you make the most of your campervan or motorhome. Whether you’re new to caravan ownership or a seasoned traveler, there are lots of benefits to joining a club, from exclusive access to sites to discounts and connections with like-minded people.
However, every club has a different set of benefits that need to be weighed up. What are the main clubs out there, and which would suit you best? Take a look at our guide below!
What are campervan and motorhome owners’ clubs for?
Touring clubs work on the principle that joining with others makes you stronger. Uniting different campervan and motorhome owners brings strength in numbers, enabling clubs to secure discounts, negotiate deals and share knowledge among members.
You don’t need to be a dedicated campervan enthusiast to join a club, simply having a touring vehicle you wish to take around is enough. Even so, it can be daunting to understand the differences between the main groups and work out what is good value for money. This handy guide will help you to choose the right option for you.
What are the best campervan and motorhome clubs?
Each club has a slightly different range of benefits. Before discussing these, it’s worth going through some of the main questions you should ask yourself about your priorities.
- Where do you plan to travel?
- Are savings important to you, or are you looking for members-only offers?
- Are you a newbie who needs lots of advice on sorting your motorhome?
- Are you looking to meet other campervan enthusiasts, or are you happy to go it alone?
Some clubs also cater to different interest groups. For example, they may specialise in older, classic campervans or motorhomes only. Before parting with a membership fee, just check the club’s website to see which ones suit you and your vehicle best.
Why join a campervan community?
Campervan and motorhome holidays are sometimes about getting away from it all and finding your own tranquil spot with no one else in sight. At other times, it can be a brilliant way to create a temporary community with friends and soon-to-be-friends.
Rallies and other events can be great opportunities to have an enormous amount of fun for very little money. You might get a special rate on a campsite for the event and entertainment is guaranteed when you are surrounded by other friendly motorhome or caravan owners. Sharing a barbecue, hiking in the mountains, visiting a local attraction or just sharing a cup of tea in your van while you wait for the rain to stop, meeting other like-minded people can be a wonderful part of van ownership.
Quite apart from the fun side of things, other motorhome owners can be an invaluable source of impartial, detailed information. This might be about the best way to maintain or repair your vehicle, where to find suppliers or service companies, where to buy and sell your campervan or where to find the best campervan insurance.
Other members can also provide great tips on using your van, for example ways of keeping your chemical toilet from going whiffy, how to dry your washing when you’re on the road or the best way to park up in a narrow space. They might also advise on routes, locations and campsites that they have visited before, saving you time and money trying out lots of no-so-great locations. Campers are usually friendly and supportive to other campers, and more than happy to share their knowledge and expertise.
Why user reviews are so valuable
Many clubs offer directories where members can add reviews to different sites. This can be incredibly useful. The promotional materials for a site might make it look heavenly, but if the toilets stink and the pool is filthy, you won’t have a good stay there. These things don’t always show up in the pictures!
User reviews can also provide information about the facilities available, local attractions and which restaurants, pubs and cafes nearby are worth checking out. Photos taken by visitors to the site can give you a warts-and-all view that helps you decide if you really want to visit.
What are the best campervan and motorhome clubs?
Let’s look at some key advantages of the main clubs. The two biggest ones are the Caravan and Motorhome Club and the Camping and Caravanning Club.
The Caravan and Motorhome Club
- Savings on ferries and key campervan or motorhome-related services
- Discounts on 2,700 sites around the UK
- Offers and promotions for cut-price equipment and days out
- A magazine and app to help you stay up to date and plan your trips
- A forum and local centre to help you meet other campers
- Expert advice on issues to do with your vehicle
- Membership costs from £56 per year
The Camping and Caravanning Club
- 30% discount for members camping at a Club site
- Concessions and discounts for older members and families
- Discounts at selected stores such as GO Outdoors and Millets
- Savings on ferry and Eurotunnel crossings
- Cut-price entry to some attractions and days out
- Guidance on technical issues like solar panels and satellite dishes
- Cut-price driving courses to boost your confidence
- An app and members’ magazine to help you plan and organise your next trip
- Membership costs from £42 per year
- Dog-friendly campsites
- Grassroots organisation
- Membership is free and members can access one night of free camping or caravanning per year
- The focus is on sociability and being family-friendly
- Provides access to cheap, certified campsites as well as glamping sites
- Club events to help build relationships with other members
The International Caravanning Association
- This club is all about events rather than finding pitches or securing discounts
- There is a calendar of tours and rallies that members can join
- Events take place both in the UK and internationally
- Members join together for walks, leisure activities and group camping
- A website and magazine tells you about events including the spring and autumn rallies
- Membership costs £20 per year
- Offers a directory of camping sites and stopovers throughout the UK and Europe
- Listings include detailed information about facilities, including photos and videos
- Site listings can be downloaded with GPS instructions for easy route planning
- Members can add feedback about sites to provide additional information
- A forum and social network help you to link up with other members
- Membership costs £20 per year
- This friendly club holds over 500 social gatherings across the UK each year
- Members are divided into local groups to facilitate mixing
- A monthly magazine and annual book offers news, information and offers
- Discounts on ferries and selected camping sites
- Membership costs £36.75 per year
- This niche club is for devotees of old-school caravans from pre-1961
- You do not need to own a vintage van to join
- Members can attend socials and rallies
- A listings page features historic caravans for sale
- Membership costs £25 per year
Other clubs to join
You may also be able to find smaller niche interest clubs relating to your own local area, preferred touring destination or make and model of van. Try checking this directory of clubs (or this one) to see if there’s something for you.
For example, there are clubs for naturists, folk singers, wild campers, canoeists and more. Joining a group that relates to your own make of vehicle can be very useful for addressing problems or challenges specific to your van.
Our favourite sites and apps
Clubs and societies can be a brilliant way to access guidance and make friends, but sometimes you just want access to information about campsites. Directories provided by clubs can offer this, but there are plenty of apps and sites that do a similar job.
Consider downloading some of these apps before you head off on your next trip:
Need a last-minute spot to park up for the night in your van? This app tells you about campsites but also laybys, accessible fields and all manner of other wild camping opportunities. It covers the UK and Europe.
An easy-to-use app that shows motorhome stops and campsites. It allows you to filter for different features and lists many wild camping spots.
Need somewhere to camp in your campervan or motorhome? This comprehensive app and site covers over 37,000 motorhome sites in 58 countries, with user reviews to give you an accurate picture. Make sure your campervan insurance covers you to go abroad before setting off overseas.
Turn-by-turn navigation guidance and a list of all the attractions and stops you might want to make along the way. Roadtripper makes planning a trip fun and easy, giving you great tips about quirky and less-visited locations along the way.
The popular site has a comprehensive listing service of sites in the UK and abroad, and you can filter to opt for different types of pitches to accommodate your campervan or motorhome.
This map app uses GPS to help you navigate but has the added features of showing you where you can stop for a break, indicating shortcuts, giving live travel updates and warning you about speed cameras ahead.
If you love to chat about campervans and motorhomes, this is the site for you. The social networking site offers forums for people to chat about their vehicles, with classified ads, articles, listings for rallies, reviews of campsites and much more.
Site safety tips
There’s one important topic seasoned campers will tell you about: fire safety. A fire can wipe out your precious campervan in no time, as well as posing a threat to you and your loved ones. Campervan insurance is essential to protect you against losing everything if fire strikes.
What can you do to prevent fire? Firstly, ensure all electrical equipment, gas canisters and similar appliances are well maintained and in good working order. Be very careful when cooking on a barbecue and keep the grill well away from your van and awning. Carry a fire extinguisher in your motorhome and consider installing smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
Remember that fires can be caused by the vehicle part of your campervan as much as the on-board appliances. Underinflated tyres can result in a collision and fire, while a van that has been out of use for some time could have its exhaust blocked by debris, which can lead to fire.
It is important to understand the conditions and exclusions that apply within your insurance. For example, your campervan insurance provider might require you to have your gas canisters checked annually, or carry a fire blanket on board.
You can do a lot to keep yourself safe in your campervan by simply using common sense:
- Don’t drive too fast
- Make sure objects are secured when you’re driving
- Wear a seatbelt
- Keep the vehicle in good repair
- Don’t travel in bad weather
Planning your route and booking campsites before you set off can also help avoid stressful driving situations when you’re more likely to make a mistake at the wheel.
Protect your camper for the road ahead with campervan insurance
Do you need specialist campervan insurance? Benefits of cover with us can include:
- Gas bottle and awning cover
- Windscreen cover
- Optional breakdown cover
- Cover for personal effects up to £6,000
- EU cover for up to 90 days
Call the friendly team at Lancaster today and join our club!
Policy benefits, features and discounts offered may very between insurance schemes or cover selected and are subject to underwriting criteria. Information contained within this article is accurate at the time of publishing but may be subject to change.