How To Save Money On Your Favourite Campsites Around Australia
Everyone is a road tripper and camper this year, am I right? It’s the perfect time to explore our own surroundings, whether that be for a weekend or weeks-long.
To be honest, your only problem is deciding how to narrow down your endless options, and deciding whether to glamp it up, or kit out your car and get to camping.
You know what makes travel even better? Discounted travel.
Camping obviously tends to be a cheaper option in general, and there are plenty of free campsites around. However, if you want to hook up to water or electricity, or take a shower, you’re going to have to pay for it.
In my personal experience, the free/ very cheap sites tend to be fun — like the field behind a small local pub in Bucca, QLD — but the best spots for views and locations will involve more money. So I like to do a balance, depending on how long my trip is.
Still, who doesn’t want to get as much of a discount as possible? There are a few tricks you can try to get yourself the lowest price possible.
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#1 Avoid peak travel times
If you’re a bit of a last-minute planner, this point is especially good for you. After a very impromptu Queensland road trip earlier this year, I discovered that campsites are a lot fuller, even mid-week and pre-summer. Which makes sense, given all of us bitten by the travel bug are despo to get out of our homes.
According to data from AirCamp (a website and app that helps you search and book campsites around Australia), getting on the road in November can result in up to 40 percent off campsite prices, compared to peak travel times of December to February.
#2 Plan ahead
I know planning ahead and the freedom of hitting the road don’t really seem to go together. To be honest, I’ve always found that travelling completely on a whim is a luxury for those who can afford to pay a higher price (or don’t mind sleeping on the side of the road) if nothing works out.
Don’t get me wrong, I like a balance of both, but whether it’s back packing around the world, or road tripping around Australia, if you plan in advance you’re more likely to find good deals to take advantage of.
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#3 Book more than one night
As with hotels, campsites will often offer better deals the longer you plan to stay with them — think five-nights-for-three, and three-nights-for-two kind of vibes. It’s all about slow travel anyway, right?
#4 Book directly with the campsite
Once again, as with hotels, booking directly through the website of your chosen place to camp will often mean you can take advantage of special discount codes or offers that a third party platform won’t have access too.
Having said that, very occasionally those third parties will have their own deal going, so definitely check both before you pay.
#5 Join a loyalty program
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Personally, I prefer to find unique gems, like 1770 Campground where we got to stay right on the water *kissy fingers*. However, Australia has a bunch of camping and caravanning chains that offer loyalty programs with discounted prices that can be really worth it if you’re planning on using them a whole bunch. Try places like G’Day Parks and Big4 Holiday Parks.
(Lead Image: Unsplash / Patrick Hendry )
