Free Caravan Membership

Joining is quick, since you only need an email address.

1. First, go to Join Free and type your name, email and a password of at least 8 characters.
2. Press Join free. We then send you an email with a link in it.
3. Then click the link within 48 hours to confirm your email. If you can't see it, check your spam folder.
4. Then log in. Tick Keep me logged in on this device if it is your own phone or computer.
5. Forgotten your password? Use the Forgotten your password? link and we will email you a link to choose a new one.

Once you are logged in, you go straight to My Adventures. Log out at any time with the Log out link at the top.

Your profile tells other members a little about your touring. It stays private until you share it.

1. First, open the Profile tab in My Adventures.
2. Then add a profile picture and a pitch picture. Large phone photos are fine, because we make them smaller for you.
3. Under What do you tour in?, tick caravan, motorhome or campervan. Then add the make and model.
4. After that, fill in My favourites, such as your favourite campsite, area, touring style and time of year.
5. To let other members see it, tick Share my profile with other members and confirm you are 18 or over.
6. Finally, press Save profile.

We check new pictures before anyone else sees them. However, you can see them straight away.

My Adventures opens on your Overview. It shows the most useful things first:

• Your Next Trip, with a countdown and the campsite card.
• The Holiday Cost Calculator, as well as your saved costings.
• Your recent Ellie questions, as well as your quiz results.
• Coming Up, with anything due on your caravan in the next 8 weeks.
• Your saved campsites and a way into the Community.

The tabs along the top then take you to everything else. These are Profile, My Caravan, Saved Campsites, Trip Plans, Booked Stays, Checklists, Touring Log, Shared with me, Photos, Videos and My Account. On a phone, the tabs simply wrap onto more lines.

The My Caravan tab keeps your service, MOT and insurance dates in one place. It is called My Motorhome or My Campervan if that is what you tour in.

1. First, tell us what you tour in on the Profile tab.
2. Then open My Caravan and add the dates you know, such as your service, insurance and breakdown cover.
3. For tyres and gas parts, add the date they were fitted. We then tell you when they are due for replacing.
4. Finally, press Save my dates.

We email you 4 weeks and 1 week before each date. When it is done, press Done and the date moves on a year. Anything coming up in the next 8 weeks also shows on your Overview.

There are two ways to save a campsite, and both go to the same place.

1. First, on any of our campsite reviews, tap the heart that says Save this campsite.
2. Alternatively, tap ☆ Save on any campsite card in Ask Ellie. You can save up to 20 this way.
3. Then open the Saved Campsites tab to see them all.
4. Then tap View Campsite Card to open the full card right there, with its map and buttons.
5. Changed your mind? Simply press Remove.

Because your saves are kept on your account, they appear on your phone, tablet and computer.

Ellie's trip planner works out the drives, costs and weather for you.

1. On Ask Ellie, press Plan a trip, or tap + Trip on a campsite card.
2. Choose One base for a single campsite, or Touring route for up to 10 campsites.
3. Then add where you are starting from, your first night and the nights at each stop.
4. Then press Plan my trip to see the route, drive times, fuel, dates and weather.
5. Finally, press ★ Save this trip. It then appears in your Trip Plans tab.

From Trip Plans you can open a trip in Ellie again or share it with a member. You can also add each stop to your Booked Stays.

Booked Stays keeps every booking in one list, with the soonest at the top.

1. First, open the Booked Stays tab.
2. Under Add a stay, start typing the campsite name, town or postcode. Then pick it from the list.
3. Then add your arriving and leaving dates. You can also add a booking reference and notes.
4. Finally, press Add stay.

Is the campsite missing? Tick My campsite isn't in the list – suggest it. We check it and add it to Ellie, so other tourers can find it too. Each stay also has Plan the drive, which opens it in Ellie's trip planner.

Every booked stay and trip plan has its own checklists, so nothing gets left behind.

1. First, press Checklist under a booked stay or trip plan.
2. Then tick items off on your phone as you go. Each tick saves straight away.
3. After that, use Add your own item for anything else you always take.

There are four lists: Packing, Before You Leave Home, Arriving on Site and Leaving Site. Your own items stay on your lists for every trip, while each new trip starts unticked.

Your Touring Log shows everywhere you have stayed, on a map of your own.

1. First, open the Touring Log tab. Stays move in once their leaving date has passed.
2. Then add older trips in Booked Stays with their dates, so they count too.
3. Finally, tick Show my totals, badges and map on my profile if you would like other members to see them.

You also see your nights away, campsites and counties for this year and all time. Badges are earned along the way, such as 10 Nights Away and All Four Seasons.

Sharing a trip lets a friend know where you will be. However, both of you need to have shared your profiles first.

1. First, under any booked stay or trip plan, open Share this trip.
2. Then start typing the member's name and pick them from the list.
3. Finally, add a short note if you like and press Share trip.

They then see the campsite, dates and your note in their Shared with me tab. However, your booking reference, notes and starting place are never shared. You can also remove, block or report anything shared with you. If you would rather not receive trips, tick Don't let other members share trips with me in your profile.

The Holiday Cost Calculator sits on your Overview and uses the same sums as Ellie.

1. First, under Where to?, pick one of your booked stays. Or choose Another campsite… and type its name.
2. Then add your starting town or postcode, your fuel type and your MPG when towing.
3. If you know them, add the pitch cost per night and any tolls or ferry costs.
4. Finally, press Calculate Holiday Costs.

Then you will see the distance, fuel, pitch cost and total. Press Save this costing to keep it, or Start again to clear the form. Your starting place, fuel and MPG are also remembered for next time.

Show other members your favourite pitches and places.

1. First, open the Photos tab and press Choose photos. You can also pick several at once.
2. Then add a caption if you like and add them. You can have up to 24 photos.
3. For videos, open the Videos tab and paste a YouTube link. Your video must be Public or Unlisted on YouTube.

Each one shows Waiting for approval until we have checked it. After that, members can see it on your profile, as long as you share your profile. Please only share your own photos, and don't show other people without their permission.

Two handy lists sit on your Overview.

• Your Recent Ellie Questions keeps the last 20 questions you asked while logged in. Tap Ask again to repeat one.
• You can also Clear them, or press Don't keep my questions to switch this off.
• Your Quiz Results shows your last 10 scores from The Caravan Knowledge Challenge.

However, only you can see these lists. So, take the quiz while logged in and see how your score improves.

The Community page is where members meet. As a member you can see:

• Other members, as well as their latest photos and touring videos.
• Where members are heading in the next 30 days.
• The campsites members save most, and the top Ellie searches this month.
• Top rated campsites and the most popular blogs.

Tap View Campsite Card on any campsite to open its full card in place. You can even choose which sections you see with Customise what I see.

You stay in control of your account.

• Your email, saved campsites and stays are always private.
• Other members only see your profile when you share it. However, visitors never see it.
• In My Account, press Download my data for a copy of everything we keep.
• You can also unblock members there, or delete your account and everything in it.

The ICO explains your right to have your data deleted. Our Privacy Policy has the details.