Campervan-Motorhome Hire Or Rental Car? - Which is the Best Option?
The question is relevant to travel in any country.
So read on and your decision should be easy.
I would suggest you sit down with pencil and paper and spend some time drawing up a blue print of your trip.
Ask your self - oWhere do I want to go? oHow long have I got to achieve this? oHow many of us will be travelling together? oWhat is our budget for this trip? oDo we need a toilet and shower? oWhat are the roads like where we are going? oAre our driving skills suitable for a bigger vehicle? oWhat is the price of car rental? oWhat is the price alternatively of campervan/motorhome hire? oHow much can we budget per night for accommodation? oHow much are we budgeting per day for meals? oAre there plenty of camping grounds? oIs freedom camping OK? oHow good are we in a confined living space? Price -add up the cost of : oA suitable rental car + accommodation + meals which will mostly be eaten out.
Be sure to check out and include insurance costs, whether you will be charged mileage, petrol costs, and realistic meal costs.
oCampervans / Motorhomes - add the rental + camping ground fees for at least 50 - 75 % of nights, or 100% if your van has no bathroom facilities,+ food - which should be cheaper as most meals you can prepare yourselves + insurance + mileage if applicable.
Note -In both cases if you are travelling around New Zealand, you will need to look at the cost of crossing Cook Strait on the ferry.
Pros' of a Campervan / Motorhome in New Zealand or Elsewhere oA campervan gives you a degree of flexibility you don't have with a car.
oIf you have a family, it should work out to be cheaper than a car plus accommodation, which can add up for a family where more than one room will be required.
oYou KNOW you have a roof over your head each night.
oYou are able to stop and start when you want.
oHave meals when you want - and eating should be much cheaper.
oYoung ones can be put to sleep anytime.
oA camper is easier for breaks in wet weather.
oIf you are needing somewhere to stay for the night, you can if really necessary, stop almostanywhere, although ideally you will want a camping ground, most nights.
oNew Zealand has an abundance of camping grounds including DOC camps which are run by the Department of Conservation.
These are very cheap, and usually in lovely locations, invariably by a beach.
They will not have hot showers, but will have toilets and cold showers.
Usually full in the peak holiday season, they are easy to get into at other times of the year.
oExpensive to hire, especially in the peak season.
Con's of a Campervan oYou need to pack everything up securely to go anywhere in your vehicle.
oThere may be some roads not suitable for a campervan.
oLiving quarters are confined oYou may need to erect beds etc each night oPetrol costs are likely to be higher than a car as you will not do as many kilometres to the litre as a car.
oParking may be difficult.
Pro's of a Car and Accommodation oEasy driving anywhere oAlmost certainly able to travel at a faster speed.
oEasy parking oIt is easy to sightsee, you can go down almost all roads, big or small, sealed or unsealed.
oYou can stay in a range and variety of accommodations.
oPetrol consumption will be much better than a campervan.
Con's of Car Rental oYou will need to buy most meals.
oYoung children will not have room to sleep.
oYou will need to find accommodation each night - which is not always easy, especially in the peak seasons.
Pre-booked means less flexibility with your schedule.
oAccommodation and eating out could become expensive.
oIf it is wet you have nowhere to go, other than a public place.
oMore cramped than a campervan when travelling.
Tips oCampervans are a very popular mode of camping for New Zealander's.
If you are coming to New Zealand in the peak season you will find campervans or motorhomes expensive to hire.
You can look out for some good deals on the internet.
At certain times they will offer an extra free day, or discounted rentals.
You can also hire for a very cheap price to return the vehicle to a main centre such as Wellington, Auckland or Christchurch.
However, these deals are usually for travelling fairly directly door to door.
oRental cars have similar deals.
oBe aware that many rental companies will not allow you to take the vehicle across Cook Strait.
They provide you with another vehicle on the other side.
This can be a nuisance.
It is more likely to apply to car rentals.
Shop around, the smaller companies usually allow you to take the ferry.
For further information re rentals of campervans and cars, and requirements go to: http://www.
holidays-in-newzealand.
com/transport-options.
html Once you have answered these questions you will know quite clearly whether a campervan/ motorhome versus a car and accommodation is the best option for you
So read on and your decision should be easy.
I would suggest you sit down with pencil and paper and spend some time drawing up a blue print of your trip.
Ask your self - oWhere do I want to go? oHow long have I got to achieve this? oHow many of us will be travelling together? oWhat is our budget for this trip? oDo we need a toilet and shower? oWhat are the roads like where we are going? oAre our driving skills suitable for a bigger vehicle? oWhat is the price of car rental? oWhat is the price alternatively of campervan/motorhome hire? oHow much can we budget per night for accommodation? oHow much are we budgeting per day for meals? oAre there plenty of camping grounds? oIs freedom camping OK? oHow good are we in a confined living space? Price -add up the cost of : oA suitable rental car + accommodation + meals which will mostly be eaten out.
Be sure to check out and include insurance costs, whether you will be charged mileage, petrol costs, and realistic meal costs.
oCampervans / Motorhomes - add the rental + camping ground fees for at least 50 - 75 % of nights, or 100% if your van has no bathroom facilities,+ food - which should be cheaper as most meals you can prepare yourselves + insurance + mileage if applicable.
Note -In both cases if you are travelling around New Zealand, you will need to look at the cost of crossing Cook Strait on the ferry.
Pros' of a Campervan / Motorhome in New Zealand or Elsewhere oA campervan gives you a degree of flexibility you don't have with a car.
oIf you have a family, it should work out to be cheaper than a car plus accommodation, which can add up for a family where more than one room will be required.
oYou KNOW you have a roof over your head each night.
oYou are able to stop and start when you want.
oHave meals when you want - and eating should be much cheaper.
oYoung ones can be put to sleep anytime.
oA camper is easier for breaks in wet weather.
oIf you are needing somewhere to stay for the night, you can if really necessary, stop almostanywhere, although ideally you will want a camping ground, most nights.
oNew Zealand has an abundance of camping grounds including DOC camps which are run by the Department of Conservation.
These are very cheap, and usually in lovely locations, invariably by a beach.
They will not have hot showers, but will have toilets and cold showers.
Usually full in the peak holiday season, they are easy to get into at other times of the year.
oExpensive to hire, especially in the peak season.
Con's of a Campervan oYou need to pack everything up securely to go anywhere in your vehicle.
oThere may be some roads not suitable for a campervan.
oLiving quarters are confined oYou may need to erect beds etc each night oPetrol costs are likely to be higher than a car as you will not do as many kilometres to the litre as a car.
oParking may be difficult.
Pro's of a Car and Accommodation oEasy driving anywhere oAlmost certainly able to travel at a faster speed.
oEasy parking oIt is easy to sightsee, you can go down almost all roads, big or small, sealed or unsealed.
oYou can stay in a range and variety of accommodations.
oPetrol consumption will be much better than a campervan.
Con's of Car Rental oYou will need to buy most meals.
oYoung children will not have room to sleep.
oYou will need to find accommodation each night - which is not always easy, especially in the peak seasons.
Pre-booked means less flexibility with your schedule.
oAccommodation and eating out could become expensive.
oIf it is wet you have nowhere to go, other than a public place.
oMore cramped than a campervan when travelling.
Tips oCampervans are a very popular mode of camping for New Zealander's.
If you are coming to New Zealand in the peak season you will find campervans or motorhomes expensive to hire.
You can look out for some good deals on the internet.
At certain times they will offer an extra free day, or discounted rentals.
You can also hire for a very cheap price to return the vehicle to a main centre such as Wellington, Auckland or Christchurch.
However, these deals are usually for travelling fairly directly door to door.
oRental cars have similar deals.
oBe aware that many rental companies will not allow you to take the vehicle across Cook Strait.
They provide you with another vehicle on the other side.
This can be a nuisance.
It is more likely to apply to car rentals.
Shop around, the smaller companies usually allow you to take the ferry.
For further information re rentals of campervans and cars, and requirements go to: http://www.
holidays-in-newzealand.
com/transport-options.
html Once you have answered these questions you will know quite clearly whether a campervan/ motorhome versus a car and accommodation is the best option for you
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