Camping: Going on Vacation without the usual crowds

Tips and tricks on where to find peace, relaxation and solitude

A relaxed dinner with nature in view, waking up to the gentle chirping of birds, enjoying a coffee in the sun, parking your home on wheels wherever you like. An increasing amount of people is getting hooked on this way of traveling, so it’s no surprise that many spots and campsites are reaching their capacity limits. To help you find the peace and quiet you are looking for on your vacation, we have collected a few suggestions and tips to show you ways to find very special locations and alternatives to the classic campsite – far away from the crowds.

Choosing the right Travel times and destinations

If you are flexible in terms of time, it is best to travel during the off-season, i.e. in spring or fall and outside of school vacations. During this time, you will also be able to find a nice spot to spend the night on popular campsites and grounds, and cultural institutions and other sights as well as natural highlights and restaurants will be less crowded, so you won’t have to waste time waiting in line, you’ll have more time to look around and your vacation pictures will be less “photo-bombed”. You can also change your route with much more flexibility during the trip and, for example, follow the sun or a spontaneous idea of where to go next.

Consider Windercamping

Why not go camping in winter? Winter sports in the mountains, enjoying a cool ocean breeze, a walk followed by hot chocolate and mulled wine or shopping for presents at a Christmas market – you can do all of this while camping. Our Dreamer and Traveler models are equipped with everything you need to keep you warm on cold days thanks to the auxiliary heating and other features. Alternatively, you can travel to southern Europe and enjoy the milder temperatures over there. You can find more tips on winter camping here.

If you travel during off-season, you not only have the advantage of emptier campsites and pitches, you can also save money. Many campsite operators offer their pitches at a lower price during this time than during main season. Of course our prices also drop during the off-season.

Choose less touristy Regions

Even traveling during the main season can be mostly crowd free. The best way to do this is to choose a less popular destination, e.g. countries in Eastern Europe such as Poland, Hungary or Slovenia. These countries have many beautiful cities and breathtaking nature, but far fewer tourists. Or head north to Scandinavia and enjoy secluded spots in wide open spaces while camping in Sweden, Norway or Finland. There’s a good chance you’ll find a secluded lake or forest that you can enjoy all to yourself, because wild camping is permitted and tolerated to a certain extent. This is thanks to the Everyman’s Right in Sweden and Norway. Here you can find tips and tricks for a vacation in Sweden.

Germany has secluded places as well

If you don’t want to travel quite as far, you can find more secluded places in Germany if you venture a little further into the “hinterland” and move away from the classic travel routes. For instance, how about a stay in the Weserbergland including a hike in the Solling-Vogler Elbe Sandstone Mountains Nature Park or a tour along the Swabian Spa Road in the Lüneburg Heath? Thanks to the protected nature and national parks, there are unique landscapes in these areas that are still less frequented by tourists. More tips and tricks on how to find smaller campsites, as well as alternative pitches on farms and pop-up camps, are given in the following paragraph.

Alternatives to the traditional campsite

While there are many alternatives to campsites, they all offer different advantages. However, if you don’t want to miss out on the comfort of a classic campsite but would still like a little more peace and quiet, a small campsite with just a few pitches is a good option for you. You can find a selection of great campsites on the cool-camping website, via ACSI and by contacting us – please do not hesitate to ask us for recommendations.

“Landvergnügen”

Idyllic landscapes, cows, horses or chickens nearby and only a few other campers can be found at the campsites that have joined “Landvergnügen”, which are mostly small pitches on private grounds. You pay a one-off fee of €34.90 and receive the Landvergnügen annual vignette, which allows you to stay on all registered pitches for 24 hours free of charge. You will find these in the brochure or in the corresponding app. You can choose from over 1000 hosts throughout Germany. There are also similar deals in other countries, such as Agricamper in Italy or Pintrip in Denmark.

Lots of new pitch concepts due to the corona crisis

Last year, many new campsite concepts and platforms emerged due to the increased number of campers during the coronavirus crisis. Take the founders of Pop-up Camps, for example, who came up with the idea of setting up unused festival areas as temporary campsites. Similar to Airbnb for campers, platforms that offer pitches from private landowners have practically exploded in 2020. No surprise, as this offer is in line with the current zeitgeist and meets the desire of many campers, especially younger ones, to stay in the countryside and not have to share their pitches with other campers. For example, with the mycabin.eu platform, providers have created a concept to promote regionality, sustainability and minimalism when traveling. Other recommended providers of private pitches include hinterland.camp and CampSpace. So they do exist, the small, wild alternatives to the classic campsite!

WILDERNESS CAMPING: FREE OF CHARGE & WITH MAXIMUM FREEDOM

If you prefer to discover your own dream locations and don’t need any infrastructure at all, wild camping might be something for you. Some European countries allow overnight stays on public land, known as wild camping, which is a fantastic opportunity to enjoy a few nights in peace and quiet in remote locations. You can find all the important information and things to consider in our article on wild camping. For suggestions on how to find beautiful places that are very similar to wild camping but are completely legal, see our article on alternatives to the classic campsite.

CAMPING OUTSIDE THE CROWDS IS POSSIBLE

More and more people are spending their vacation camping in Europe. And yet there are many ways to spend your camping vacation in peace and quiet, without many other tourists. So if you’ve got the urge to plan your own trip, feel free to call us if you have any questions – we’ll be happy to assist you. Or you can book one of our camper vans and start right away with the mindset of: “Let’s see where this road takes me.”

And by the way, even with children you don’t always have to go to a large campsite offering entertainment and the like. In many cases, the little ones love spending some quality time alone with their parents and exploring nature without any entertainment. You can find lots of helpful tips on camping with children here.

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