We became aware of the VanSite app at the beginning of the year and just wanted to find out what the app is like and whether the pitches are any good 😊
What is VanSite?
To put it bluntly, VanSite is like AirBnB, only for camping. The system is set up so that you can find pitches with hosts.
Search, book, chat, pay, rate, everything runs via your account, where you create your own profile.
You can rate pitches afterwards and also receive ratings from your hosts.
Pitches
… can be found via the tiller on the map. Alternatively, you can also enter a location and browse through the list.
You can view pictures and a description of each pitch.
There is also information on services, the surrounding area and your potential host, as well as reviews of the site.
How spontaneous is VanSite?
So we sometimes change our plan up to three times a day 😅
No problem in principle with a motorhome, but can VanSite keep up?
Yes and no!
There are actually places with an immediate booking option. 👍 Top, suits us perfectly!
Unfortunately, most places require your host to confirm your booking…
Are you planning a few days in
advance, this is of course not a problem. Unfortunately, it has already happened to us that the host was not spontaneous enough for us and the answer only came when we were already at his place… that is of course bad luck 🤷♀️ we then simply asked him to refuse the request and organized a place for us elsewhere…
How much is the fun?
Each host sets their own price. VanSite charges a fee of 30 percent to operate the platform.
You can book pitches from as little as 6.50 euros per night.
There seems to be no upper limit… who pays sooo much for a parking space? 🤔
Here is the resolution 😅 probably everyone with an annual pass 😎
The JahresPass
With the Annual Pass, you can use VanSite free of charge for one year, subject to a few small conditions:
You can only make four future bookings at the same time, you are entitled to three no-shows, you may stay a maximum of three nights per booking and you may make a maximum of seven bookings with one host.
The AnnualPass currently costs 189 euros, but 👀 up! There are also regular promotions where you can even buy it at a reduced price. For example, there was a spring promotion where you could book the Annual Pass for just 145 euros.
And how do we find all this?
The best thing about VanSite?
No matter how many campers are on the road on public holidays, for example, you are guaranteed a place where you don’t have to jostle for space with others and can simply arrive later in the day without having to worry about having to drive further…
The best way to use VanSite is to be self-sufficient and not rely on electricity, water or even sanitary facilities! Many hosts even require a toilet ☝️
But well, that’s also the idea behind VanSite: to make the feeling of not being allowed to camp in the wild possible with pitches close to nature.
However, you have to take a closer look at some places:
We don’t like to camp on a driveway. And we prefer to be alone anyway and have no neighbors. At some campsites, it is not always immediately clear how secluded the campsite actually is, whether you can do a self check-in or whether you even have to rely on your host to reach the campsite.
The app itself seems a little cumbersome in some places, but it’s definitely usable and you get used to it ☺️👍
