Most folks join The Caravan and Motorhome Club or The Camping and Caravanning Club to access the relevant site network, but did you know both clubs offer significant member savings?

Discounted site nights are an obvious saving, but member benefits include savings on ferry travel, days out, leisure vehicle equipment, etc. For example, just one ferry trip recouped my annual membership fee and a battery retailer’s discount scheme extended to motorcycle batteries, allowing me to save a fiver when treating an elderly Honda to a new battery.

As for days out, using Beaulieu as an example, members are eligible for ticket discounts as high as 33%. Before buying or booking anything, check if a relevant deal is available via one of the clubs.

Many leisure vehicle insurance providers offer discounts for security devices, and with some items attracting a 10% premium discount, it’s worth checking security arrangements with your insurance company or broker.

Many caravanners are aware that approved alarms, trackers, and wheel locks can attract savings, but did you know that certain tyre pressure monitoring systems, storage arrangements, trailer control systems (such as ALKO’s ATC), reversing cameras, or other security arrangements (such as VIN Chip) may also attract a discount? Querying available discounts only takes a few minutes and can save a tidy sum upon renewal.

Per-night prices at caravan sites remain good value, although further savings can be had if you know where to look. Both clubs offer member savings of up to 30%, a discount that’s automatically applied to member bookings. However, both clubs – The Caravan and Motorhome Club and The Camping and Caravanning Club – have a 5-site network that offers incredible value for money.

Certified Locations (CL) and Certified Sites (CS) are privately owned and plentiful in number. Each venue has a limit of just five caravans or motorhomes, and although prices have increased slightly in recent years, some sites still offer per-night fees of less than £10.

Facilities vary, with some offering hardstanding pitches and a wash block to rival the fanciest club site, but the individuality of these CL and CS sites must be admired. Prices also vary and usually reflect each site’s investment, although most of these smaller sites are an absolute bargain.

Rallying is almost as old as the earliest caravan and comes in many guises, from Clubfest and the Torchlight Festival to District Association get-togethers and Owner’s club rallies.

Usually organised by a crack team of volunteers, these events cover various locations and interests. As a family, we have attended The Caravan and Motorhome Club’s Clubfest, The Camping and Caravanning Club’s Torchlight Festival, The Bailey Owner’s Club Rally, plus several other rallies that include panto visits, etc.

Without exception, the organisers and attendees have been some of the nicest people we’ve ever met, and with some of the smaller events having per-night costs of just a few pounds, it’s a great way to keep costs down while meeting new people. If you’ve yet to try a rally, and own a Bailey caravan or motorhome, get in touch with the Bailey Owner’s Club.

Buying a caravan or motorhome is the first step to limitless holidays, although taking the plunge can seem like a big step.

This may sound a bit leftfield, but splitting the purchase cost between family members can make a lot of sense, as the timetable of retired folk is often different to younger family members, especially those with jobs and children.

As an experiment a few years ago, I towed our caravan to a site one Friday evening and spent the weekend with my wife and children. With my working week beckoning, my in-laws spent Monday to Friday at the caravan until we returned once more the following Friday. Again, we had a great weekend and towed the caravan home on Sunday evening. If you have a family member whose schedules complement yours, it can be a great way to offset costs.

Leisure vehicle owners contribute approximately £6 billion to the UK economy each year, with many food & drink establishments relying on our annual spend. However, our budget only allows us to eat out once per trip, and we try to make additional savings by transferring the contents of our fridge at home to the fridge in our caravan. Also, rustling up a sandwich en route instead of searching for the Golden Arches at a service station is cheaper and healthier.

Following the correct servicing and maintenance schedule for your car, caravan, or motorhome not only keeps the warranty in check but also improves efficiency. Between service intervals, simple tyre pressure checks not only make travel safer, the reduction in rolling resistance rewards you with more miles per gallon.

Propane and butane gas prices have spiralled recently, with limited supply exacerbating the problem. The double-whammy of supply and demand has seen increased numbers of caravanners and motorhomers looking at refillable bottles to solve the problem.

Once purchased, these bottles can be refilled at service stations across the UK and Europe with an LPG point. With 7kg butane and 6kg propane Calor being UK-only, a refillable gas system also makes extended European tours easier due to an LPG network that stretches far and wide.

Gaslow and Safefill are popular options, and having used a Gaslow system on the Arctic Adventure and Bristanbul trips; they are straightforward to use. The up-front cost is an investment, with most users reporting that significantly cheaper refill costs recoup the initial outlay.

Significant savings can be had if you can travel outside of peak periods. You may think this restricts savings to retired folk or parents with pre-school children, but I’ve often taken advantage of mid-week discounts.

Both my children are in full-time education but booking a seaside site less than an hour from home allowed us to commute to and from the caravan, feeling the sand between our toes less than an hour after school pick-up. Keep an eye out for 50% midweek savings or off-peak bookings where kids stay for free.

With orders fulfilled by Prima Leisure, Caravan and Motorhome Club members can save up to 10% on a wide range of leisure vehicle essentials. For example, the 5% Avtex sat-nav discount saves a whopping £19, and even toilet chemicals are discounted. It’s worth visiting The Caravan and Motorhome Club Shop  if you need anything for your next trip.

The petrolprices.com app (and website) allows users to find cheaper fuel locally or when away in their caravan or motorhome. When travelling further afield, or enjoying an extended tour, a few pence per litre adds up.

Another app/plug-in worthy of mention is Honey. It automatically scans the web for discount codes and applies them at checkout. Best of all, the service is free, and colossal savings can be had. For example, during a recent off-grid trip to the Isle of Wight, my leisure battery conked out. Finding a replacement during a Bank Holiday weekend was cheaper than expected as Honey found and successfully applied a 25% discount code.

If you have a refillable gas system and want to know your nearest LPG filling point, the Autogas website lists location and pricing.