Have you ever thought of renting a campervan? Neither had I, until my recent trip to Exmouth with a 12-people group of friends. There were some highlights and lowlights that I mentioned in the previous article about renting a campervan and I’m here to share with you all.
Where can I book a campervan?
Our campervan was from Britz, which is a business under THL, a tourism company based in New Zealand. They also have two other companies available in Australia, Maui and Mighty. Depending on your needs, the company provides several options for customers to choose. We chose the 6 Berth Frontier because that was our only option. The van includes everything, toilet, shower, oven, stove and more.
How much does it cost to hire a campervan?
It really depends on the time you book and the offers they have at the moment. As you can see below, they have deals occasionally so make sure to keep an eye on them if you are interested. Our trip was from 14-19 June and it costed us $2022 a van ( $337 per person).
Plus, you need to remember that fuel costs money as well. Our van runs on diesel which is relatively more expensive. It cost the van an extra $600 for fuel and the fuel tank wasn’t really that big so we had to stop for fuel quite often.
Where to find campervan accommodation
We stayed at RAC resorts and caravans which provided power to plug into the van. It is best to look for a powered site so you can use the AC and other things. Most of these sites do provide communal kitchens so you don’t always have to cook in your van which can make your whole van smell. For us, the cost for staying at a powered site ranged from $80 to $110 a night.
Liabilities of renting a campervan
There are several packages you can choose from for your liabilities, the more you pay, the less liabilities you have. If you decide to not pay any extra for liabilities, you need to deposit another several thousand dollars. And you are liable for another several thousand dollars depending on the vehicle. I would suggest at least choose the option that your liability is reduced to $0.
The Little Incident From Our Trip.
If you have already read the 5 Day Road Trip in Western Australia: Perth to Exmouth article, then you’ll know that we had a little incident when we were at Exmouth Town Beach, so now I’m here to tell you the story.
Basically, after we were done chilling at the beach, we divided to go back to the campsite. But right as we decided to start going, the driver realised that the gear was stuck in “park”, he couldn’t shift gears at all.
We tried restarting the car over and over again but it still wasn’t working. This is when we decided to call the number the campervan agency provided on the key. We tried to call but we couldn’t reach them as it kept on saying that the number wasn’t available so we tried another number they provided in the van. But it wasn’t working either so we started to panic. While we were trying to call the numbers again, there was a light flashing on the dashboard indicating that there were some issues with the engine. One of our friends suggested calling the number he used to enquire about the payment and thank God a staff picked up. The staff help us to find solutions and got in contact with their branch in Exmouth. However, the tow truck could only come during the day that means the campervan would be stuck there overnight. Obviously, we didn’t really like the idea so the staff continued to look for other solutions. BUT, as we were waiting, we tried to shift the gears again and it actually worked. We were so confused about how did that even happen but also glad that we can finally head back and have dinner.
Things you should know before travelling with a campervan.
1. Plan your stops before taking off
It’s really important to plan before your trip, especially if you’re going with a big group. Plan out where you’re going to fuel the van, and how you’re going to spend at that stop. What I’ve learnt from this trip was that it’s better to agree on a time like 20 minutes where everyone comes back to the van after their break. Otherwise, people will come back whenever they want which causes delays in the trip, affecting our check-in times.
2. Only book a campervan if you’re using all the features
One thing I regretted the most is that we didn’t get to make full use of the campervan. We didn’t use the bathroom, we didn’t use the oven and stove; basically, we only slept in the van. The reason why we didn’t use most of the facilities is that we were too lazy to clean after using them. As in the agreement, we are responsible to clean the wastewater tank and all the stovetops before handing the van back to the agency.
3. Be prepared for the unexpected
After the little incident from our trip, I’ve learnt to be prepared for any uncertainties. It was such a hassle for us to reach out for help cause the phone number on the keys were not actually available. To prevent these kind of things from happening again, stay calm and make sure that the emergency number they provide is actually legit.
4. Download offline maps
Make sure to download offline maps whenever you have an internet connection. In case you lose connection in the middle of nowhere, at least you’ll have the map to guide you to your next destination.
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