Buying a campsite in France

Many people dream of giving up the daily grind of their lives in the UK and moving to France for a better quality of life.

One of the problems that prevent them from realising this dream is the thorny question of earning a living. To live in France you need an income – that is unless you’re independently wealthy or retired with a good pension, and this is increasingly rare these days!

Fluent French speakers may be lucky enough to find employment, but this is the exception rather than the rule, so the majority of ex-pats have to set up their own businesses to finance their new lives.

For a long time, the best option was to buy or create gîtes (holiday homes to let out), or to run Chambres d'Hotes (B&B businesses). This can still be done, of course, and many do still find it an ideal solution.

However, increasing numbers of people are finding that the gîte market is somewhat oversubscribed, and that they are not able to let their properties for enough months of the year to bring in a full living. B&Bs too are suffering from over popularity and can no longer, in most cases, be relied upon to create enough income for a good standard of living in France.

So what else can you do to create an income?

Working in the holiday industry dealing with other English speaking people is certainly the easiest way forward, and to do this you can buy and run a campsite in France. The British, Irish, Dutch, Belgians and many other nationalities love camping, and the pleasant climate in summertime makes it an ideal venture for anyone with enough initial capital, enthusiasm and determination to make it a success.

Clients are becoming more discerning and there is little doubt that the ‘hotel de plein air’ is the camping of the future – ie, chalets or mobile homes, fully equipped in an attractive setting, with access to natural attractions.

A growing number of campers rent a permanent pitch on a campsite for their own caravan, mobile home or chalets and visit more than once a year. By giving the management/rental of their caravan to the campsite they generate an income to cover costs.

We believe that leisure is one of the safest investments for people looking for a change of lifestyle and an income.

However, knowledge of French and some management experience is essential.

The prime factor in buying any business is finance, and our role is to ensure that our clients have sufficient resources to purchase, improve and live on the business they buy.

Visiting a selection of properties is the only way to decide if such a venture is viable or suitable; our office will help plan your trip once we’ve confirmed dates.

We’re happy to discuss your project at any time by telephone. We suggest that you keep in touch with our website, which is updated regularly, and when ready let us have your dates and we’ll organise the visits to selected properties. To start things moving, please contact our English-speaking office on 0033 251 741 770.

We’ll tell you everything you need to know about buying a campsite in France – the facts, the figures, the lot! With our wide experience and local knowledge of the areas we’re selling campsites in we can quickly smooth your path to owning a French business and property.

So good luck with your property ambitions, we look forward to helping you achieve them!