Passions
These are relatively new schemes where people with properties allow motorhomes to stay overnight without cost. These can be farms, vineyards, wineries, orchards etc. There is one requirement for staying there you say hello and make yourself known and when you leave say goodbye. When someone is there they usually direct you to where you can stay. We have stopped on sites where the people were away and there were directions showing where the parking site are.
Cost
To stay on these sites you need to purchase a book which contains a window sticker for your motorhome. Apart from the cost of the book which varies depending on the country the sites are free.
Facilities
There are none. You must be self-contained, for example own water, shower and toilet. Do not expect to fill your water tanks or empty grey or black water. They provide the parking area which is very generous of them.
How to find sites
The book contains the locations of the sites with additional information. The recent books have GPS co-ordinates. The France site has a GPS download available to members who have purchased the book. This download can be install on your sat-nav or mapping program.
Restrictions
Read the information in the books carefully as there may be some restrictions on some of the sites which you should abide by. For example some sites have time restrictions as to when you can arrive, remember you are staying on someone’s front yards so to speak and their privacy should be respected. Some restrictions include days or weeks when their sites are unavailable. It is important to read the information before heading off to a site.
Our Obligations
Apart from buying the book, saying hello and goodbye you are not obliged to buy their products, but I think a bottle of wine or some good cheese for a nights stay is a good trade off. I should not have to mention this but I will, you are guests on their property and should not leave the site with rubbish or be a nuisance eg: playing loud music and staying up late partying.
Countries with this scheme
The one’s that I know of are France, Italy, Spain and England. For more information the following links might be useful.
Vicarious Books sell the books for France, Italy and Spain
Visit these sites for loads more information.
Below is a slide show of some of the places we have stayed. You can see that they are all quiet and most of the time we are the only motorhomers on the property. We have been overwhelmed by the hospitality of the French people in all of the Passion places that we have stayed.
[The advice given is our opinion only .We are not experts and are still learning as we go. Seek other sources of information to get other opinions. If we have made any mistakes or if you have something to add please let us know. Ewout and Jenny]