Contents

1 Motorhome holidays

Motorhome holidays

Tips for renting a motorhome

As the saying goes: book your camper as early as possible, then you’ll have a better chance of getting a lower price. When exactly is early?

Booking early is usually one of the most important factors in a successful campervan holiday. Significantly lower prices are just one consideration. The choice is another. The type of motorhome is particularly important for families. Putting up with a mediocre camper is a shame because the perfect models are fully booked. Little things like the bed, which is always set up so that the kids can have a quick lie down and nap, or the position of the seats are things that make the holidaymaker’s life a little easier every day and make a big difference in the long run. That’s why we recommend booking a year in advance. You can give yourself more time in Europe, especially New Zealand, where early booking is important. We are now recommending a year and a half in advance as supply has been reduced due to the Crown. Some companies are fully booked very early. Even a year ahead you don’t have a free choice anymore.

What do you recommend for long journeys and motorhome trips – book the flight first or the camper first?

We usually recommend that you book the camper first. This is because hire companies are keen to fill their vehicles as fully as possible. If the camper was available two days before I landed, the landlord would have been better off rejecting my booking and waiting for a more suitable enquiry. We have insight into many companies’ accommodation plans and can identify such gaps during the consultation. If our clients are flexible, we can move the travel dates by two days, increasing the likelihood of the booking being accepted. Of course, you will have to weigh everything up when you come across an offer of super cheap flight tickets.

However, you can usually book a flight without any problems. Ultimately, it almost doesn’t matter if you spend 1, 2 or 3 days in Auckland or Christchurch. You can pick up right after your flight or sleep off the jet lag in your room. If you have more time, you can take wonderful day trips from Christchurch that you wouldn’t otherwise do. The same applies to Auckland.

How much does a motorhome holiday cost?

It’s really arbitrary, but can you give me a house number in which neighbourhood the mobile home rentals fluctuate?

Anything from €40 to €400 per day is possible. But there are also completely different products that you can compare. A small sleeping van, which is no different in size to a large car with a mattress, simply cannot compare to a fully equipped mobile home. Often only the initial outlay is visible. However, with a very basic camper, the subsequent costs will be much higher as you don’t cook for yourself and depend on campsites with good facilities.

Everything about motorhomes and campers is on the rise. Motorhome hire prices have gone up in many countries. A look into the crystal ball: will high prices remain stable or will goods soon become cheaper again?

We guess that prices in New Zealand and Australia will recover slightly as rental companies expand their fleet again after it was sometimes severely reduced due to the Crown. Last season, there was just a huge gap between supply and demand and, at the same time, empty coffers for rental companies who had to take the opportunity to increase prices to survive and be able to service loans taken out during the pandemic. A lot of new equipment has been ordered here, so supply should relax somewhat. In Europe, we won’t see price reductions next year.

Essentially, you get acceptable quality even with cheap cars. However, companies will clearly feel the impact of inflation and will have higher costs across the board – whether it’s extra warehousing costs, vehicle maintenance, parts prices or staff costs. You can’t help but factor these costs into your calculations. At the same time, we are experiencing increased competition, especially in Europe. Individuals have bought many mobile homes, but camper companies are also growing like mushrooms. It remains to be seen whether the camper boom will continue on this scale or whether a slowdown or even a downward trend will lead to more competition and more favourable offers.

Tips for motorhome holidays with children

Those travelling with school children usually don’t have much flexibility. Which motorhome holiday destinations are popular during the summer holidays?

We see from our customer feedback that travelling from Germany is very popular. Many people book a motorhome near home and can load it up at home. Classic holiday destinations such as France and Italy are on the agenda, while tours to Slovenia and Croatia are also becoming increasingly popular.

The advantage of a motorhome is that you don’t have to decide which direction to go when you book.

Sweden and Portugal are also very popular. It depends on where you live, whether you rent a motorhome in Germany, travel by plane or train, and only pick up the vehicle in the country you are travelling to.

Many people are also excited about Iceland. Our employee Jim has been there, too, and loved it. Iceland is the perfect place for a road trip. It is reasonably sized and extremely versatile, so it is best explored on a circuitous tour.

However, we also found that you can negotiate an extended Christmas holiday through good contact with the school and have a good summer in New Zealand. But this, of course, depends on the school and the children’s age. The easiest way to do this is in primary school.

Many families are travelling in campervans with young children. Is it possible to rent locally approved child seats for travelling long distances such as New Zealand, Australia or the USA? If not, what solution would you recommend to your clients to get the journey started quickly and safely?

Child seats are always a topic of training and advice for our staff. Most hire companies offer child seats. However, there are reviews that they do not always meet parents’ quality requirements.

There are a few other things to consider. On the one hand, each country has slightly different rules about what type of seat is allowed. On the other hand, it is not easy to predict how tall, heavy and developed the child will be when travelling, especially when booked in advance.

From a safety point of view, it is useless if a child from the age of six months no longer has to use a child seat in the country they are travelling to, but is allowed to sit upright if they are not yet able to do so. . Parents, especially with their first child, don’t realise that not all one-year-old babies are able to crawl and sit upright on their own. Sitting upright in a baby seat for several hours is allowed, but is bad for the back.

When choosing a car, you should also pay attention to how many belt attachment points the car has for what type of seat. If you have several children, it is sometimes difficult to find a legally clean layout that suits their development. Our tips will help you find a good solution. If you book your child’s own seat on the plane anyway (you don’t have to do this if you’re under two, but it’s much safer as many studies show), you’ll need your own seat, and then you can use it in the motorhome even if you sit in it, you need to look at whether the certificate is recognised in the country of travel.

If not, you book a seat with a provider but don’t rule out the option of buying something yourself locally if you’re unsure of the solution on offer. Many countries also have shops that sell second-hand travel gear for babies and young children. As for baby seats, it’s not recommended to buy used, but they are often seats that other families have only used for a few weeks on holiday, and the rental company’s seats aren’t new either.

In New Zealand, you can rent baby seats from Baby on the Move from shops in Christchurch and Auckland. They are legally approved, have a wide selection, and are well-cleaned and well-maintained.

Many parents are surprised that they always have to install child seats themselves. For insurance reasons, the landlord does not do this or help.

Choosing the right model of vehicle can be a daunting task for first-timers, given the wide range of options now available. Let’s put together some great motorhome models for a family of 4 (we’ll only take ourselves: 2 adults, 2 teenagers):

For two adults and two teenagers, I would recommend a motorhome.

There are different versions for 4-6 people in Australia. The main difference is that in 6-person motorhomes you can often build a third bed. A good example is the Journey to 6 Bed from Let’s Go Motorhomes (link to exact model)*. This vehicle has a fixed bed at the rear and an alcove. These are two high-quality double beds. This means adults can sleep in the back and two teenagers can sit comfortably in the alcove. You also have the option of fitting a third bed in the dining area. Alternatively, you could also consider a Hitop camper for 4 people. This will be significantly cheaper overall. However, the vehicles offer much less storage and space in the car.
The same assessment applies to both New Zealand and Australia. In addition to classic motorhomes with and without niches, there are also innovative alternatives such as the Koru Star 4 ST Freedom from Wendekreisen* . The vehicle is usually a little cheaper than many motorhome alternatives and, like motorhomes, still offers a shower, toilet, extra heater and kitchenette.
The US is bigger! This is especially noticeable when comparing motorhomes. Let’s take the Road Bear company as an example. There is a small version with a length of up to 7.70 metres. The following versions are sometimes 10 metres or more in length. Motorhomes in the USA are also more fully equipped and often have, for example, a retractable system. The problem here is not space. Companies like to remain silent about consumption. This should not be underestimated. I recommend a C-class 26-28 ft* for a family like yours.

Rental camper insurance

Insurance terms are probably regulated differently in each country. In some cases, standard contracts contain huge deductibles. Can additional insurance packages reduce these? Is it worth it?

It is difficult to answer in general terms. In most cases, we recommend choosing the highest level of provider insurance, which often has no or very low deductible. This means that you are always safe.

With external deductible insurance (SBAV) you need to be very careful about what you are insuring. Does the insurance cover only one or all losses during the policy period? Are only the deductible or other expenses insured? The deductible only applies to damage that is covered by the basic insurance. However, many damages are not insured at all. You then pay for all the damage, whether you have destroyed the SBAW or not. In New Zealand and Australia, there are only a few cases where SBAV is a viable alternative to comprehensive provider insurance. This is not the case in Europe. SBAV can definitely be useful.

But what about damage to rented campervans? We had a chipping and a flat tyre on a trip down the west coast of Australia, and we easily sorted everything out. What kind of damage most often accompanies you?

Rockfalls are a classic, followed by tyres. If someone underestimates the size of the car, worn mirrors or small dents can occur, as can damage to the underbody, which can happen quickly due to bumps on rough roads. In addition, mould can quickly appear in a campervan due to improper ventilation, which surprises inexperienced campers.

Have there been any unusual damages to the rented motorhomes?

A renter misjudged the height of his large motorhome with a niche and ripped the roof off the vehicle at the entrance to a subway. The car was then stuck under the subway, a very expensive total loss. Not only did the vehicle have to be completely replaced, but the rent was also subsequently reflected in this.

These so-called downtime costs can be very high, as the landlord incurs them due to the motorhome’s breakdown. The landlord has no replacement for subsequent customers, especially during high season, and cannot purchase a new vehicle for a few days or weeks.

The question of whose fault the accident was and whether the damage would be insured was a non-trivial issue. The client then called Cola (Camper Oase’s manager) in the middle of the night to discuss the case. As per the terms and conditions, the landlord made it clear to him that such an incident was not insured. However, the hirer was unwilling to indemnify because the paperwork for the car indicated a height of 2.8 metres, but in fact, the car was taller, and at 2.80 metres, it could well have fit under the subway.

After this evidence was sent to Kohl’s via WhatsApp, Kohl’s personally called the head of the company and defended the client’s position to the company’s owner, he said that a typo cannot be the deciding factor here and that one should be able to estimate the height at 2.8. Kolya, who regularly travelled with his high-roof camper, pointed out that he always checked exactly what height the camper was at before passing the critical point. You just have to stick to the paperwork because estimating that height is difficult. After a long discussion, the landlord recognised the relevance of this misinformation and took up the matter himself.