Selecting the Best Campervan for your Roadtrip…
Before even considering whether to Hire or Buy a Campervan, you need to think about where you are going. You need to consider factors such as:
Road Surface: Will you be driving for long distances on unsealed or sandy roads? If so, then you will need a 4WD Camper. In Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA, no campervan hire company will let you drive on unsealed roads in a 2WD Vehicle. In Namibia, however, most rental agencies will let you take 2WD cars and campers on unsealed roads. So do some research and check road quality before selecting a vehicle.
Budget: Just because you’re livin’ on dog food, doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy the Van Life. Our team have done campervan roadtrips for less than $10 a day. If you don’t have a lot of money, you need to keep your expectations in check. In Australia and New Zealand there are numerous budget backpacker campervan rental companies – Jucy, Travellers Autobarn, Awesome Campers etc, who often have hire rates as low as $19 per day. Aside from renting with budget companies, it pays to research and avoid busy rental periods – like Easter & Christmas Holidays, music festivals and long-weekends. Want to know when is the Cheapest times of year to hire a campervan? Just grab a quote on our website and you’ll get a good idea of rental costs year-round!
How Long will you be travelling?: If you’re gonna be on the road for a while (3+ months), you should probably just buy a campervan or 4WD camper. It will work out far cheaper in the long run. Motorhomes, on the other hand are very expensive to buy – and it makes sense just to rent those magnificent beasts.
Campervan Specifics: If you can’t drive manual campers, then you need to keep this in mind when buying or renting a campervan. If you hate the heat – then make sure your campervan has air conditioning. If you have explosive bowel disorder, you might want to consider a campervan with a toilet – to avoid the need for roadside power-squats.
Hi-Top Campervans: If you’re going on a long roadtrip, you need to remember that it’s not always going to be sunny and warm with unicorns floating past the windows. There’s times (particularly in Australia), when it can rain relentlessly, and times (particularly in Melbourne & the Great Ocean Road), when the temperature can plummit in a few hours. This is when you will truly appreciate having a little more room to move around inside the campervan. A hi-top campervan generally means you can cook inside, chill inside and move around without having to re-organise your whole life. It means you still have a place to relax when the rain is bucketing down. If you are on a long roadtrip, you need to think about your campervan like a studio apartment – it’s your bedroom, your kitchen and your lounge room.
