Calendar Month vs. Rolling Month Camping Bookings

Calendar month vs rolling month camping bookings can sometimes be an issue for long-term campers although most campers don’t know it exists.

But, why is that?

In South Africa, and indeed globally, two common systems exist: monthly bookings and rolling month bookings.

Monthly Bookings: Calendar-Based Camping Bookings

Monthly bookings, or calendar month bookings, in camping resorts refer to the system where campsites are booked from the first day to the last day of a particular month.

This system follows the Gregorian calendar, meaning the start and end dates of your camping trip are predetermined by the standard months – January through December.

The length of your stay under this booking system can vary from 28 to 31 days, depending on the specific month.

For example, if you book a camping site for the month of March, your booking would typically start on March 1st and end on March 31st. Similarly, a February booking would start on February 1st and conclude on February 28th – or February 29th in a leap year.

The monthly booking system is straightforward and aligns with many people’s understanding of calendar months, making it easy to plan around fixed dates.

It’s particularly suitable for campers who prefer to align their camping trips with specific calendar months due to work schedules, school holidays, or other personal reasons.

Many long-term campers who follow the seasons, book their campsites by calendar month which corresponds with the seasons.

Individual retired campers as well as groups such as the Swaeltjies who move to the North of South Africa during the winter, book May, June and July, the main winter months.

Other campers move to the coast in the spring and summer months of September to February.

There is also a growing group of long-term campers who do not keep to calendar months.

Some examples are campers who plan their itinerary around events such as annual visits to doctors, periodic services of vehicles or unplanned events such as diagnosis of serious conditions.

A camper who are diagnosed with cancer or a heart irregularity may need to visit health facilities or doctors on different dates and different months.

If you need to be at a health facility, doctor or physiotherapist in the middle of the month, and you are booked at a camping ground that only accepts calendar month campers, you need to book for the whole month even if you may be free to move on after your health visit on an “odd” date such as the 7th of the month.

This puts limits on how you camp unless you are willing to pay for a month and only stay a week.

The limitation exists in the rigidity of dates which makes it less flexible for those looking to start their camping trip in the middle of a month or extend beyond the traditional end-of-month boundaries.

Rolling Month Bookings: Flexible Duration Camping

On the other hand, rolling month bookings offer a different approach, allowing campers to book sites from any chosen start date to the same date in the following month.

This system provides a more flexible arrangement, accommodating campers who wish to start their camping on any given day, regardless of the calendar month.

For instance, if you opt for a rolling month booking starting on March 15th, your reservation would end on April 15th, providing you with a full month’s stay.

This flexibility is ideal for travelers with more fluid schedules or those seeking to avoid peak times that might align with the beginning or end of standard months.

Rolling month bookings can particularly appeal to full-time campers, digital nomads, and individuals with flexible work arrangements, as it allows for more personalized scheduling. This system also ensures that each booking covers an entire month, irrespective of the varying number of days in different calendar months.

Regardless of the system a camping ground uses, long-term campers have the additional factor to keep in mind and that is that they only get long-term camping rates if they stay for a month – regardless of whether it is a calendar or a rolling month. This could complicate your planning.

Choosing the Right Booking System for Your Camping Needs

When deciding between calendar and rolling month bookings, consider your personal schedule, flexibility, and camping preferences.

Monthly bookings may suit those who prefer structure and can align their trips with the standard calendar.

In contrast, rolling month bookings offer more flexibility and may be better suited for those with less predictable schedules or those seeking to avoid the more crowded times at the beginning and end of each month.

What Booking System Does the Campsite Use?

When you are on the long-term camping trail it is wise to find out what booking system the different camping venues use.

But be prepared that the staff may at first not know what you mean by “rolling month”!

We had the experience that we had to book extra days at the end of the month at one campsite so we could have the caravan serviced and had to book individual days at the end of the next month to wait for a long weekend to pass so we could get the standard long-term camping rates at another campsite.

That left us with 5 days at individual day rates and an amount of around R1500, which was about 40% of a month’s camping rate when camping long-term.

Some camping grounds may offer both types of bookings, while others might stick to one system. Understanding the policies in advance can help prevent any surprises and ensure a smoother camping experience.

Regardless of the booking type, always plan ahead, especially during peak seasons or holidays when campsites can fill up quickly.

When to arrive and when to leave a campsite

When to arrive and when to leave a campsite is another aspect to keep in mind.

This depends on whether the campground charges per day or per night.

• At a campsite that charges per night it means that you book from a date and can occupy your campsite on that date. If you book per night from the first of the month, you can occupy your site on the first (usually after 14:00). It works the same with campsites that book per day.
• When you have to leave is different when you book per day and per night.
• If you book per day, and you are booked to the last day of the month, you have to leave on the last day of the month.
• If the campground takes bookings per night, you pay and can stay the last night of the month. You then leave on the first day of the following month (usually before 10:00).

It is usually not a big problem but it is good to inform yourself of how the campground apply the system, because moving between two campsites that use different systems may mean that you have to pay for an additional single day at day rates at one of the sites.

In addition some camping grounds consider a month as 30 days which may also give a problem when you have a 31st day hanging in the air.

Make it easy on yourself and find out if the camping ground’s bookings work per calendar or rolling month and if they charge per day or per night.

In that way you will avoid small, irritating surprises.