By Lancaster Insurance Services |
10th January, 2020
Owning a motorhome enables you to get away from it all. But did you know it can also provide you with a whole new community?
By joining a motorhome club, you can share your enthusiasm for life on four wheels with others around the country – or even the world.
Read on for our guide to eight top clubs where you can make new friends and swap tips on everything from campsites to motorhome insurance.
1. Camping and Caravanning Club
With more than 700,000 members in the UK, this is the world's largest – and oldest – club for all forms of camping. Its focus is on running and certifying campsites around the UK.
Membership gives you the right to stay at its sites in picturesque locations around the country, with excellent facilities and friendly managers.
Temporary membership is on offer for overseas visitors, making this a welcoming club where you're bound to make new friends from around the world.
2. Caravan and Motorhome Club
Another organisation that certifies sites across the UK, this club is for caravans, motorhomes and camper vans only. Some of its sites, however, do welcome tents, which is handy if you’re travelling in a group.
Membership entitles you to discounts at its network of 2,700 sites in the UK and Europe, plus savings at various tourist attractions and on some ferry lines.
Formerly known as the Caravan Club, this organisation has been around for more than 110 years. It rebranded itself to include motorhomes in 2017 and is now branching out into glamping and worldwide travel.
Why not hop into your motorhome and get travelling? Make sure you’ve got motorhome insurance to keep you covered during your voyages.
3. Freedom Camping Club
This family orientated club believes that camping and caravanning can help you tear your kids away from their screens, get them making memories outdoors and building family social bonds.
The club states that it’s run by the people for the people, and its aim is to bring campers together with campsite owners. It licenses campsites across the UK, from the most basic provisions to fully fledged glamping sites.
Best of all – membership is free and entitles you to one free night’s caravanning per year.
4. International Caravanning Association
If you are looking for a social club for motorhome owners, look no further!
Unlike bigger clubs, the ICA doesn’t license or certify sites. Instead, it organises events for motorhome owners: rallies and meet-ups around the UK, and longer trips further afield.
All motorhome owners aged 18+ are welcome, though the club is more geared towards those who are spending their retirements exploring the UK – and the world – in their motorhomes. If this includes you, make sure your motorhome insurance covers you for trips abroad before you set off!
The ICA prides itself on being small enough to have a friendly feel. It is run on a voluntary basis by members, so there are plenty of opportunities for you to get involved in shaping its busy programme of events.
5. Historic Caravan Club
Most people love their motorhomes for all their mod cons. Some, however, prefer the traditional way of life.
This club is for fans of all vintage caravans made before 1960, including horse-drawn models. It puts on displays at vintage shows and also holds social rallies.
You don’t actually need to own a historic caravan to join this club – just have an appreciation for them. So you can stay in your own luxurious van while admiring other people’s picturesque but basic models – a win-win situation.
If you are thinking of purchasing a vintage caravan, this is the place to find models for sale plus advice on restoring and maintaining them.
6. Club Motorhome
This club is a relative newbie, having been around for just a decade. Whereas many clubs hark back to a pre-screen age, Club Motorhome embraces the web and all it has to offer.
Members can access the detailed directory of stopovers, which features reviews and photos of places to take a break in the UK and Europe, from pubs to wild parking locations. The directory is downloadable as an e-book in case your travels take you out of reach of Wi-Fi.
The website also features a forum where members can exchange tips or post queries, plus a ‘Magazine’ section featuring blogs, reviews and news for motorhome owners.
7. Motor Caravanners Club
Another club with the focus on socialising, this well-established club organises over 500 events per year in the UK and Spain.
It’s organised into 26 regional groups, with each hosting several social events each year. Most are weekend gatherings, making this club accessible for those who work.
Perhaps most useful are its publications: a monthly magazine, plus an annual handbook of certified locations and ‘night stops’ where you will find budget places to stay throughout the UK and beyond. Just remember to make sure you’re fully covered with motorhome insurance before you set off on your adventures.
8. Motorhome Facts
Need something to keep you going when you’re stuck in your boring old non-mobile home? This online-only community has 93,000 registered members chatting all things motorhome-related, day and night, all year round.
The website receives around 230,000 visits over the summer months alone, so you’re bound to find plenty of people who can answer your queries, swap tips, and just generally share your enthusiasm for your vans. And if you do wish to meet in person, there’s a rally group too.
Get a quote for motorhome insurance today
Clubs can often offer advice on motorhome problems – but they’re no replacement for specialist insurance.
Lancaster Insurance offers cover for your vehicle and its contents as you enjoy your leisure time exploring the country.
Cover up to specified limits is included as standard for windscreens, personal effects, awnings, gas bottles and camping equipment, and audio.
You can even get cover for EU travel for a whole year for an additional premium, while breakdown cover is available from £49.95.
Contact Lancaster Insurance today to start your motorhome adventures!
