In August 2023 we opened up an Aire on our farm in South Wales and to be honest, we wished we’d done it a lot sooner! Since we received our official licence, we’ve had 30 separate bookings (as of December 2023) which isn’t bad considering that we missed the main summer months.
We’ve really enjoyed having people to stay on our Aire, so we thought we’d provide some information on how we got our set up and how its going to be profitable.
What is an Aire?
An Aire is an approved space to stay for one or two nights, but it’s very different to a campsite. Only motorhomes or campervans are allowed (no tents or caravans), and Aires very in what facilities are provided. We first came across Aires on our campervan trips through France. These were often public parking areas on the outskirts of pretty towns where you could park up safely and enjoy the local surroundings.
Why an Aire?
We’ve been looking into several different farm diversification ideas to protect the long term future of the farm. This was one idea that we knew we could set up quickly and cheaply so we went for it. To be honest, it’s not a huge money-earner for us but it ticks over nicely.
What does an Aire look like?
Every Aire is different. Ours is a hardstanding area, relatively flat, with no services; no water refill, no grey / black waste dumping and no toilet / shower facilities. Other Aires might have all of the above services or a mixture, and some might be on grass whilst others might be on hard standing or on a tarmac car park. There are no hard and fast rules on what you should or shouldn’t provide.
What facilities should I offer?
This is entirely up to you, but bear in mind that any new developments (e.g. installing a waste disposal point) might need planning permission. This is why we stuck to a no-service Aire so we could get going straight away and test the market. If you’ve read our blog on 5 Big Ideas For Farm Diversification, you’ll know that we plan to install Glamping Pods here in the future. When that’s done, we’ll be able to add water to the Aire services we provide. We’re currently on a spring and to get our water tested for public consumption will cost approximately £1500 so it wasn’t worth doing just for the Aire.
How do I apply to become an Aire owner?
You’ll need a licence to operate an Aire and there are only a few organisations in the UK that can issue them. Personally, we recommend connecting with the Campaign for Real Aires (CAMpRA) to do this. CAMpRA is run by a group of passionate volunteers who are keen to set up a network of Aires across the UK. Their website is packed full of advice, guidance, case studies and suggestions on how much to charge.
It’s super-easy to apply for a licence. All you need to do (when you’ve got your parking spaces sorted) is to fill out a form and have a visit from a local person to check out what you’re offering in the way of services. The local person will also be a volunteer who is part of the CAMpRA network.
How much can you charge for an Aire?
From our experience, Aires charge anything up to approximately £15 per night per van, depending on the services offered. We charge £10 a night which our guests have found really reasonable. Our guests either pay through our AirBnB listing (see below) or cash on arrival if they’ve booked with us through WhatsApp.
How many motorhomes can I have on an Aire?
An Aire licence entitles you to have a maximun of 5 vans staying overnight. The number of vans will obviously be dependent on the size of your space. We have decided to keep our maximum to 2 vans due to the size of the space we have. Obviously, this limits income for us but we hope to identify a larger space in the future.
Where can I advertise my Aire?
Marketing your Aire well is important if you want people to find you. When we set ours up, we asked for advice on the Motorhome & Campervan Aire and Stopover Owners Group UK on Facebook. Thanks to their advice, we have added our listing to the following Apps which has all been free to do:
We also highly recommend getting your Aire listed on Google (check out our example here) which is completely free, Search for Google My Business to get started. If you use Facebook regularly, you’ll find lots of vanlife communities which you can become members of and post about your Aire there. Having a Facebook page is also free and a great way to connect with the vanlife community on there. Similarly with Instagram, if you search for the #vanlife hashtag you’ll find a whole host of campervan and motorhome communities that you can connect with.
Should I allow people to book in advance?
The spirit of Aires is normally that they shouldn’t be able to be booked in advance, but this seems to be changing. We decided to offer the option to book ahead via AirBnB so that vans can guarantee a space. Have a look at our listing to get some inspiration. We also use WhatsApp so that people can message either on the day, the night before or a few nights ahead to check availability. This has worked brilliantly for us.
Something to note with using AirBnB is that whilst you don’t get charged for posting a listing, there is a small fee added on to guest bookings. Bear this in mind when you are setting your prices.
What feedback have you had about your Aire?
We’ve had fantastic feedback so far which we’re really proud of. You can see guest comments on our Google Page listing and also on our AirBnB listing.
What next for our Aire?
We plan to keep going as we are for now. Hopefully, we’ll start to get more bookings in through spring and summer so that we can see what a full year of operation looks like.
Want to ask any questions?
Feel free to connect with us on social media using any of the links below:
We would also LOVE to hear about your own farm diversification ideas so please do reach out and say hi!