Eurocamp in Europe is a winner of FTF’s Top 10 (Cheap) Getaways For Family Travelers 2008 award, and here is a look at the chain today.
Camping always seems like a good idea for families. It’s eco-friendly, and in the great outdoors there is more space to play and that cozy home-from-home feeling that only a tent can provide. Of course, that’s only until the kids learn they have to use a communal WC, nap amongst tiny crawlers and miss episodes of their favorite television show.
When researching the best budget family campground, we set high standards. It had to be rustic, but also provide some luxuries and fun-for-kids facilities that its competitors didn’t. It had to have enough flexibility to accommodate first-timers and those who wait all year to sleep under the stars. And most of all, our winner had to be a campground chain that was both cheap and good value for money. We found two such chains, one in North America and another in Europe, that are the winners of the 2008 FTF Top (Cheap) Campground Getaway: Yogi Bear’s Jellystone and Eurocamp. Check out why Eurocamp is a winner, and happy camping!
Although famous for its cities and historical sites, Europe has many excellent locations for a family to camp. Think about your dream vacation in the verdant French countryside or Tuscany’s rolling hills. Even though you’re roughing it and need a place for downtime, some days your family will want to look their best for sophisticated city sightseeing. To meet these flexible demands for creature comforts, we introduce the British campground chain, Eurocamp. We’ve become fans of their campgrounds that offer multi-bedroom luxury tents, chalets, stocked mobile homes, or RV hookups, and apartments, plus swimming pools, spacious playgrounds, flexible booking policies, and free children’s activities.
Located throughout Europe (and in Florida), each Eurocamp parc also gives guests a chance to design their own road trip and decide how plush or rustic their accommodations should be. No two parcs are alike; they vary from large holiday villages complete with a waterpark and sports facilities, to the smaller, more rural hideaway retreats. When you go on their helpful website you’ll find categories such as ‘more relaxed’, ‘more lively’, ‘more to see’ and ‘more to do’ to help you select the parc that’s right for your family.
Eurocamp offers different and unique types of accommodations for families to choose: Classic Tent, which is of the same size as two bedrooms’, usually accommodating 4 people; Safari Tent, equaling one double room and one twin room; Bungalow with 3 bedrooms and an outside terrace; and Tree House with its unique design that keeps it 3 to 5 meters above the ground. Other types of accommodations include lodges, mountain lodges, lake houses and apartments. We appreciate that Eurocamp knows no two families are alike, and has customer service representatives who help narrow choices for appropriate campgrounds and activities. Take note that they offer special assistance to single parents, with seasonal discounts and babysitting service provided at some campgrounds.
Eurocamp also honors families with a special focus on vacations with toddlers. They currently identify 57 of their 150-plus parcs as toddler-friendly as they are far from main roads and railways, ditches, or water hazards. Families can enjoy safe play areas with grass and shade, and know their vacation will be toddler approved.
Dedicated children’s clubs are also available and provide specialize in-camp activities and mini play stations divided into four different age groups. To ensure success, Eurocamp worked closely with Kings, the UK’s leading multi-activity specialist for 4 to 17-year-olds, who annually organize camps serving more than 30,000 children at 60 top UK venues.
Since it’s not only about price, but value, in booking a budget vacation, we think Eurocamp hits the mark on both counts. Families get the cheap price they need without sacrificing amenities or quality customer service. In fact, Eurocamp (+08/44/ 406 0402) goes above and beyond what you would find at most local hotel chains in terms of individualized attention and variety.
Photos Courtesy of Eurocamp.
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hope you all like it!
The Paramount Hotel- http://www.nycparamount.com
BDC- Broadway Dance Center- http://www.broadwaydancecenter.com
Ellen's Stardust Diner- http://www.ellensstardustdiner.com
Capezio store- http://www.capeziodance.com
Amy's Bakery- http://www.amysbread.com
Junior's in Times Square- http://www.juniorscheesecake.com
The Ambassador Theater (Chicago)- http://www.ambassadortheater.com
Al Hirschfeld Theater- http://www.hirschfeldtheater.org
I was the same way. I had my Bat Mitzvah on top of Masadah and was complaining of the heat. I didn't truly recognize what an amazing place I was in. I was fortunate enough to return last summer and had the time of my life. I look forward to seeing your post for when you get to return. I wish you all the best!
one of my all time favorite vacations.
This was one of the best trips I have ever been on.
I am ecstatic that I was able to participate in learning my heritage, history, and my parents past.
My trip to Africa was really an extraordinary experience, and I fell in love with the country Nigeria. I am so happy that my father allowed me to see my heritage and my family.
Truly humbling
I hope you enjoy learning about my experiences in Paris, France!
Thank you so much for this information. Multi-generational travel is an area that I am interested in, but it is not easy to navigate various ages, levels of mobility and interests. These tips are super useful!
This was seriously such a life-changing trip for me. I got to see a whole other way that people live life. It really opened my eyes and made me EVEN MORE eager to learn German and to adopt a more frugal lifestyle.
My experience with traveling to a foreign nation, in the form of a blog.
Going on that trip was the best thing I have done in my life. I learned so much, and experienced many different things, such as food, culture, and people. It was a great opportunity for me, and I highly advise others to travel as well. You will not be disappointed.
I recommend this or a similar trip for any future paleontologists. I have since been to the Field Museum in Chicago and the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and am pleased to have visited all the major paleontological museums in North America.
I hope you have fun on your trips, too!
This is my submission to the young travel writer scholarship
My trip to South Africa transformed my life. I grew closer to my best friend, as well as experience a culture very different from my own. As a result, my knowledge of the world has grown.
I quite enjoy I can feel the passion.
I hope you enjoy the lessons i learned over seas in Spain! I know I will take them with me as I move forward in life. Thank you for reading!
-Rebecca Krivitsky
enjoy my story, i pray it will reveal a new cultural avenue while still providing a humorous tale
This trip was truly life changing. It was the first time I realized that there is a whole other world outside the United States!
Thank you very much for your post! I love it very much! I will bring my family to Florida soon!
Thanks and support
Here is the website documenting my trip: http://madisongoestonewyork.blog.com/
My time in El Salvador changed my life. It is my dream that one day I will be able to return there. I can honestly tell you that my love for the people in El Salvador has remained with me. And I hope the best for that nation.
The summer of my sophmore year in high school I spent a week in El Salvador. This one week changed my life. As I volunteered in El Salvador I gained an amazing view of different cultures and life styles. I developed a love for El Salvador and its people. And my memories there will remain with me through out my life. It is my dream that one day I will be able to return their and give more of my time to those amazing people.
My freshman year of high school I spent a week of my summer in El Salvador. It was a remarkable week that literally changed my outlook on life. I have a huge heart for the people of El Salvador and the country itself. It is my dream that one day I will be able to go back.
My amazing trip
It was definitely a trip to remember that I'd do any day! 🙂
A trip to remember that I'd do again any day
It was a trip to remember. Every spect of it was interesting and something I would do again!
I enjoy traviling with my family and creating new memories.
I enjoy traviling and spending time with my family.
– By Ciara Bri'd Frisbie
Thank you for reading my essay.
-Nathan Shaw
Thank you for taking the time to read my essay I really appreciate it.
-Nathan Shaw.
This trip was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. From the Great Wall to the hospitals of Beijing, I learned so much about myself and other cultures.
I just love traveling. Disney World is my favourite destination. Above all 10 sposts are my favourite. I would love to visit all that destination.
Reading this story has been a stroll down memory lane. I stayed at the Diplomat as a little girl in the 1970's, and still remember how impressed I was with it. So glad to hear that the resort has bounced back to its original glory.
I am very glad to know that Disney Cruise Line is taking health so seriously, yet making cleanliness palatable for kids. These suggestions are also great for air travel, another germy breeding ground. Thanks for the info!
My family loves Cancun, and we have had good stays at the Oasis and the Sol Melia and the Sheraton too. Nice to see a new list of recommendations from you. Thanks
This is a really fun outing, but if you can't get out to the countryside, just visit one of those urban tree sellers. A lot of them in the northeast are staffed by college kids from Canada, who take a break, get into a rental trailer and drive it south, then re-sell trees they have bought on consignment to pay for the next semester.
I always ask (nicely) and I always get (with a smile), the extra boughs that they take off to make the trees look even all around. With some ribbon, maybe the wire from a coat hanger and lots of creativity, it's easy to get the kids helping you turn old boughts into beautiful wreaths for around the house.
Love the photos in this article!
Thanks for having this contest; my family loves Snowmass and it would be great to go back there. We took our son when he was about 7 and it was a great learning adventure for all of us. The instructors are terrific and we had fun, but it's not something we could afford to do right now.
Thanks for giving us another chance to go back!
When Jean Carlisle of Menomonie, Wisconsin heard she won a family of four Galapagos Adventure Cruise, she wrote us:
"YES YES YES!!!!!!!! THIS IS MY DREAM DREAM DREAM VACATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CAN you tell I’m excited??!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"A Galapagos vacation has always been on my DREAM list!!…add it to a cruise vacation makes it even more special. I accept!!!"
Jean explained that she'd enjoyed playing along the scavenger hunt but was anxious about the random drawing for a winner.
"I didn’t sleep well last night because I was so excited!! LOL I entered the contest because I had seen many publications and shows on national geographic on the Galapagos Islands and always thought that would be a place I’d like to visit. I was first drawn to the beautiful pictures on the website and when I saw the contest, I knew that I just had to enter and would love to win!
"I’d like to thank TakingtheKids.com, TravelingMom.com and Family Travel Forum for this once in a life opportunity!! We are excited to make arrangements and show off photos when we return!"
So glad it's helpful to you with your teens, I've already given the Primland brochure to my own mom and her girlfriend who want to tour the Blue Ridge Parkway and look at the Appalachian handcrafts. This is a great base for lots of exploration. If you go, I know you'll enjoy it!
This sounds like a real find and perfect for my own family. I ma always looking for resorts that will work as destinations with lots to do for my two teens, and Primland sounds excellent. Thanks for spreading the word!
Thanks so much for sharing your dreams about the Galapagos; that's the way we all felt when we learned that the terrific Lindblad team wanted to work on this project. so excited to know that someone's dream will reallyl come true! And a 6th grader is the perfect travel companion.
Don't forget to post your a link to your comment here :
http://www.travelingmom.com/freebies/contests/3917-galapagos-giveaway-contest-entries.html
so you're sure to be recorded as an entry into the grand prize drawing. Hope to see you on Twitter too @familytravel4um @travelingmoms @takingthekids @LindbladEXP
If there are no comments on our blog, does this mean that our blog has been rejected, or that it has not been reviewed yet? thanks!
As noted, thanks to your enthusiasm, there are several thousand posts to read, so the judges will be done by mid October. Check back after that to see your status!
I tried following the steps above for finding out about the scholarship judging, but I'm still lost. Does it show up at the bottom of your blog? Or is it just off to the side when you have the option of clicking on your blog? Like, is it next to the name of your blog, the date it was published and then the word scholarship with either a yes or no? Thanks!
Crystal – you get an email