Our guide to planning the perfect camping road trip

How to plan a camping road trip

The enduring appeal of a road trip is its spontaneity – grabbing the car keys, jabbing a finger aimlessly at a map and heading there with carefree abandon.

It sounds a bit too good to be true.

For most of us, with pesky commitments and even peskier children, dropping everything at a moment’s notice isn’t an option. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a fantastic camping road trip, though – you’ll just need to plan it in advance.

This is also the best way to maximise your time and budget, as well as guaranteeing seeing the best sights along the way. It’s very romantic to imagine stumbling across incredible vistas but planning them into your route means you know that you’ll see them, possibly at the best time of day if you’ve planned it in advance.

Don't be put off by the thought of researching and preparing a trip, though. Planning is all part of the adventure, and for some people it's the best bit!

Where should you go on your camping road trip?

Well, where do you want to explore the most?

For the most part, your road trip should be dictated by the sights and areas that you want to visit, finding campsites to stop at along the way, rather than the other way around. So if you really want to explore the wild west coast of Scotland, make that the focal point of your camping road trip – there will definitely be campsites along the way that you can stop at.

You could always pick a recognised route from the ones listed below or build your own itinerary. While that might take a bit more planning on your part, it will also result in a more personalised experience.

When should you go on your camping road trip?

This will partly be influenced by where you’re going – anyone who has been driven out of Scotland by midges will attest to that.

As tempting as it might be to take your road trip in the height of summer when the weather is likely to be at its best, it's worth considering earlier or later in the season.

Popular routes, such as the North Coast 500, can be extremely busy throughout the summer, which makes driving far less enjoyable, especially on the sort of back roads that make up many of these routes.

Campsites are also quieter and cheaper in spring and early autumn, which is another very good reason for avoiding the peak times.

When you're deciding when to travel, make sure to check whether there are any big events planned to take place when you want to go. Get the timing wrong, and a music festival, for example, could unexpectedly turn that sleepy Suffolk A-road into something that resembles central Birmingham at rush hour.

How much will a camping road trip cost?

How long is a piece of string?

You could save up a substantial budget and disappear for weeks, exploring all over the UK and abroad. Equally, you could travel for a long weekend on a modest budget and have just as memorable an experience.

Budgets for a road trip will vary and ultimately will be decided by how much you can afford and what you choose to spend.

But to keep costs under control and make sure you don't run out of money, we would recommend first working out roughly how much it will cost for fuel and accommodation, then setting a daily budget for food and drink and any other miscellaneous costs, eg visitor attraction entry fees.

One of the attractions of a road trip is that you might find a cheap little café that serves up hearty food at a fraction of the cost of a city-centre restaurant.

These are the places that can make a trip and it's always worth taking a chance on somewhere that might look unlikely, in the hope that it turns out to be a hidden gem.

Although many retailers now insist on card payments, in places off the beaten track, you might still find that cash is the only way to pay, so make sure you have some to hand. If you're abroad, always have some local currency on you in case of emergencies.

Camping road trip packing essentials

For a regular camping trip, you’ll likely end up filling the car and a roof box, maybe even a trailer, with all the camping essentials imaginable: tent, airbeds, sleeping bags, camping stove, gas bottles, coolbox, camping chairs, table…

For a road trip, though, less is more.

By definition, you’ll be travelling from campsite to campsite, setting up and dismantling your tent each time. You’ll want to pack enough camping kit to be comfortable and no more, which means you’ll only really need:

• The smallest tent you can pack for your group
• A single-burner stove
• Sleeping bags
• Sleeping mats rather than airbeds
• Camping chairs

Aside from clothes and a bit of food, that’s really about it.

Leave any camping furniture at home and forget the bulky bedding – you won’t be spending much time on a campsite, so it’s best to be light and make packing away as easy as possible. After all, that’s the best way to see as many sights as possible!

Picking a tent for your camping road trip

The one piece of kit that you should still take some time to really consider is your tent. After all, you might not be spending much time there but you still want to be comfortable and feel secure.

Focus on taking a smaller tent that is easier to fit in the boot of the car and can be pitched and packed away quickly – and for faster pitching, you should consider an inflatable tent. Time saved pitching means you have more to spend on enjoying the holiday.

A smaller tent will almost certainly mean sacrificing living space and sometimes some headroom but it’s really a trade-off between space and freedom.

The actual capacity of tent you take will depend on how many of you are camping. If you are touring as a family, you will obviously need more space than a couple or a solo camper.

Perhaps the best option is a smaller tunnel tent for three, four or five people; these will usually give you some limited living space in addition to your sleeping area but have a smaller overall footprint than a large family model.

Look out for tent with a front porch, which is useful for cooking and eating. A windbreak can extend your outdoor living space, as well as doing the job it’s designed for.

Another option which is becoming more popular, especially for solo travellers or couples, is a roof tent. This is basically a pop-up tent inside a roof box, which is attached to the top of your car. It only takes a few minutes to set up and allows you to pitch up pretty much anywhere.

Packing for a camping road trip

When you are packing the car, try to ensure that the last thing you put in the boot is the first thing you will need on the campsite – that will usually be your tent. This will make setting up camp much easier and by the end of a week-long road trip you’ll have it down to a fine art.

Tough plastic boxes with lids, like the Really Useful range, are great for transporting camping accessories like cooking and eating gear.

Soft luggage makes even more sense when touring and space is at a premium. With a smaller tent, it may well be that your car becomes a wardrobe or storage cupboard.

If you do find you need to take more gear with you, or you want to leave some spare capacity in the boot for souvenirs of your trip, then consider a roof box.

Tempting though it is to squeeze in equipment around passengers, do not do it. All that kit will be converted into missiles in the event of an accident or sharp braking.

Our top tips for a road trip

With everything packed, you're nearly ready to set off – just make sure you've followed these top tips for a smooth, laid-back journey.

Driving on a road trip

It's likely you'll be covering a lot of miles, so before setting off, make sure your car is up to the job. Get the tyres checked, check oil levels and generally give everything a once-over. If you're going abroad, remember to get all your paperwork in order.

Breakdown cover is vital and make sure you have a spare tyre on board. You should also plan ahead for comfort breaks if public toilets are not widely available along the route. As well as public conveniences, some filling stations will have toilets, as well as cafés, pubs and restaurants.

Most of what we've covered here applies equally whether you are driving in the UK or overseas, but there are some important things you'll need to consider when you're travelling through mainland Europe. You'll find more information about driving abroad here.

A sat-nav certainly makes life a lot easier, but on a road trip you need to be flexible, so don’t follow it religiously. Take a traditional road atlas as well, as they can give you a better overview of the area than the electronic map on the sat-nav.

Don’t be afraid to deviate from the main “official” route to see more interesting places. Take your time and you will get more out of a road trip. Make time to stop and soak in the views. 

The best road trip destinations in the UK

While you can plan your own camping road trip itinerary and use it as a chance to visit places you’ve always wanted to, there are some classic road trip destinations people flock to year after year.

One of the most iconic road trip destinations in the UK is the North Coast 500.

Clocking in at just over 500 miles (516m, to be precise), this route circumnavigates the northern half of mainland Scotland, following the coast for most of its route and visiting some truly stunning locations. You’ll visit white sandy beaches, rugged cliffs and remote coastal villages, with plenty of activities along the way, like stunning golf courses and sea kayaking. Some people choose to cycle the route but plenty head there in vehicles, too, with loads of campsites along the way.

If 500 miles is a bit too much, check out the South West Coastal 300 route, exploring Scotland's southwest coast.

In Northern Ireland, the Causeway Coastal Route tracks along, well, the coast of Northern Ireland, which is world famous for its spectacular cliffs and the Giant’s Causeway World Heritage Site.

This stretch of coastline attracts thousands of visitors each year thanks to its epic natural scenery, which really is epic – it was chosen as a filming location for Game of Thrones as a result. Stay at campsites like Skerries Holiday Park on the outskirts of Portrush.

Another epic coastal road trip route is along the Pembrokeshire Coast 200 in south Wales, designed by CaravanCloud to take in a superb array of beaches, historic locations and brilliant campsites along the way. Explore beautiful locations like Ramsey Island, Tenby and Whitesands Bay over the course of three to five days. Similarly, the Wales Coastal Way provided an epic adventure for Camping Editor, Iain Duff.

For an inland route, explore the Lake District over the course of a few days, stopping to bag a few summits and enjoy stunning views across the fells.

There’s no single recognised route but the gravity-defying roads of Hardknott Pass are a popular draw, leading to Langdale Valley from Eskdale, close to popular stops at Wasdale Head and Coniston. From Langdale, it’s a short hop across to Ambleside and north past Thirlmere to Keswick, with plenty of opportunities to get out of the car and explore, as well as campsites aplenty.

Our final recommendation lies in Norfolk, specifically along its north coast. From Sandringham Estate, you can take a leisurely route along the coastline, stopping regularly at beaches, nature reserves and cosy villages, all the way to Cromer (though the Norfolk Coast protect area continues on to Paston).

There is a huge array of campsites along this popular coastline, from large holiday parks like Pinewoods in Wells to glamping sites like Hunstanton Camping and Glamping.

If you're feeling adventurous, try a camping road trip in Europe, too.

Time to hit the road

With a destination in mind, a plan of where to visit and campsites to stay at, and your camping essentials packed, it’s time to get out there and enjoy your camping road trip!

For last-minute details, make sure you find the right campsites on Campsite Finder and pick up your camping accessories at the Out & About Shop.