Campervan holiday on the cheap

Are you keen on road tripping and exploring the country but don't have the right vehicle to help you do so? This unique option might be just the solution.

For four nights over the Easter long weekend, I explored Tasmania with my husband in a campervan. We slept under the stars in Freycinet National Park, wandered the stunning beaches in the Bay of Fires and rode the iconic chair lift over Cataract Gorge. 

The 'van, a luxurious six-metre long Apollo Euro Tourer came complete with a shower and toilet, a full kitchen and a comfy double bed, and all up, it cost just $270.

Yep, that was the total campervan hire cost for four nights including the ferry ride from Tasmania to Melbourne with the van on the Spirit of Tasmania. This bargain price was thanks to a little known deal called ‘one-way relocations’.

Keep reading to find out how you can take advantage of these deals too.

Campervan rental companies have huge fleets of vehicles that need to be moved around Australia to fulfil bookings and seasonal demands. So while they can pay staff and trucks to move them, it’s actually much cheaper for them to ask the general public to get involved as the drivers.

In return for very cheap rental prices, you just need to get the vehicle from A to B at the requested time.

The prices vary for one-way relocations, but the majority offer a rate between $0-$15 per day, depending on the type of vehicle and time, which is dramatically cheaper than the normal rate.

While most relocations will have a fairly strict, and short rental period, you may be able to pay for additional days at a higher cost of around $50-$80 per day. There will also normally be a kilometre inclusion based on the average trip distance, and a nominal fee per kilometre if you exceed that.

As my relocation was from Hobart to Melbourne, the offer included the ticket on the Spirit of Tasmania for the van and one person. So we just had to buy one additional passenger ticket.

While sometimes companies may offer fuel vouchers for $100-$200 for longer drivers such as Perth to Adelaide, in general, you are responsible for paying all fuel costs.

Then of course there are insurance costs, which can be between $25-$50 depending on the level of cover you choose.

And most campervan rentals will include a linen pack and cooking utensils, but you will need to pay for any extras you want to hire such as table and chairs, cleaning products or gas bottles.

Many rental companies have a page on their website that lists relocation offers. For example: Apollo and Jucy.

But there are also sites that list offers from various companies, and you can sign up to their database to get notified about new offers: Transfercar and Imoova.

There are no catches or tricks to one-way relocations, but there are certainly some things to keep in mind.

The deals are usually offered quite last minute (within a month), so they work best if you are flexible around dates and times. They also do get snapped up pretty quickly, so if you are interested, it’s best to book as soon as possible.

The booking fee is usually non-refundable, and obviously dates can’t be changed.

It’s a good idea to call the rental company directly a few days before your trip, just to confirm everything is still locked in.

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