Post date: Jul 25, 2011 12:47:52 PM
Austerity-hit holidaymakers are flocking to a new website which offers some of Europe's cheapest accommodation. Campinginmygarden puts campers in touch with families willing to rent out their back gardens at a fraction of the cost of a professional camp-site.
UK-GARDEN CAMPING - Naomi and Rachel Forshaw have tickets for one of the UK's top summer sports events - the Henley Royal rowing Regatta.
It's an upmarket event and local hotel accommodation is beyond their means so instead they're camping in a stranger's back garden - for a small fee.
Rachel and Naomi, campers, saying:
"The price here is £12 a night which is really good value and I think during the Regatta time as well the kind of public campsites that might be closer to the centre or even not as close to this are kind of much more expensive. Probably double the price."
The website Campinmygarden matches campers with home owners.
It targets festival goers like Rachel and Naomi - who want somewhere cheap to stay close to an event.
Kirsty Macintyre lives a short drive from Henley.
Kirsty Macintyre, customer of CampinmyGarden, saying:
"I think it's a very nice idea I think we have to share this beautiful view with other people and to give others the opportunity to maybe come to places that they don't normally see and I think what's interesting is the range of gardens."
Henley Regatta attracts thousands of visitors every year.
Vicky Webbon is one of them - and it gave her the idea for CampinmyGarden.
The site began as a hobby until Vicky lost her job as a surveyor.
Now she works full-time on the business.
Vicky Webbon, founder of CampinMyGadren, saying:
"The uptake's been amazing, it's been surprising really we have about 2,500 members on the website at the moment and about 250 gardens but we're getting approximately 15 new gardens every day and a lot more members than that."
Home owners aren't going to get rich by renting out their gardens.
But some events can be quite lucrative.
Rachel Webbon, founder of CampinMyGadren, saying:
"Obviously the Olympics is an area that I think people will be looking to make some money, gardens for the Olympics might be up to about £40 per person per night if they're very close to the Olympic location."
Vicky isn't charging for the service - yet.
But that could be set to change.
The concept has been so successful she has already had interest from home owners in the rest of Europe and is planning to expand the service worldwide.
Hayley Platt Reuters.