Sar shan? (How are you?) This is Atchin Tan in English Romani: English with Romani words, the way many families talk. We do our best with the translation, using words from lists made with Romanichal speakers. Families say and spell words differently, and legal and safety words stay in English so nothing is misunderstood. Can you help us get it right? Get in touch.
How Atchin Tan will work
The app is still being built. This is what we are making, and how we plan to keep it accurate, safe and respectful.
Finding a stop, in a few taps
- Open the map. It starts where you are, or where you last looked.
- Pick what you need. Choose big buttons such as transit, number of vardas, pani or electric.
- Tap a place. You see what kind of place it is, how it was checked and when it was last confirmed.
- Call or get directions. One button rings the site, another opens your phone's maps.
You can browse without making an account.
The kinds of place on the map
Every place has its own shape and label, so you never have to guess from colour alone.
Council residential site
A permanent council or housing association site. These usually have a waiting list, so they are shown for information and are not a place to turn up.
Council transit site
A council site for short stays. You usually need to phone ahead, and there may be a maximum stay and a fee.
Temporary stopping place
Basic land a council has set aside for short stops. Facilities can be limited, so check what is there before you travel.
Private authorised site
Privately owned land with planning permission for caravans. The owner decides who can stay, so always contact them first.
Accepting caravan park
A commercial park whose owner has told us they welcome Travelling families. Book it the way you would book any other park.
Pani and waste point
Somewhere to get fresh pani or get rid of chemical waste, recycling and general rammel. These are not places to stop.
How we check what is on the map
Anyone signed in can suggest a new place or an update. A suggestion does not appear on the map until a person has checked it.
- OfficialThe information comes from a council list or straight from the owner.
- Community verifiedA moderator, or several trusted users, have confirmed it.
- UnverifiedSomeone suggested it but nobody has confirmed it yet. These are hidden unless you ask to see them, with a warning.
Every place shows when it was last confirmed. If nobody has confirmed a place for 12 months, we flag it as possibly out of date and ask for it to be rechecked. You can report anything that is wrong or closed with one tap.
Works with a weak signal
Download the area you travel in and the map and site details work with no signal. Photos only load when you tap them, and a data saver setting keeps usage low.
What is nearby
Each place shows what is close by, with distances: shops and supermarkets, fuel, public toilets, pani points, libraries, community centres, council offices, and GP surgeries, pharmacies and hospitals. Police stations are included too, further down the list.
This comes from open map data from OpenStreetMap, so it is only as complete as the map is in that area.
Leave it tidy
The map has a layer for fresh pani, chemical waste, recycling and general waste. Every place also has a short, practical "leave it tidy" note. The reason is simple: a place that is left clean is a place that stays open to the next family.
What Atchin Tan will not do
- List land you have no permission to use, or encourage stopping without permission.
- Put a private site on the map without the owner agreeing to it.
- Track where you go, sell your data or show ads.
- Promise there is a pitch waiting. Always contact the site before you travel.
- Give legal advice.
Want to be told when the app is ready? Send us a quick email and we will add you to the list.