We have been dreaming about living out of a campervan for a while. When we had two unplanned weeks in Australia, we decided that it was the perfect time to test it out. Renting a campervan was the perfect way to try it without making a huge commitment, plus we could see more of the country this way. It was a dream come true to road trip through the Outback and the southern coast of Australia. Traveling by campervan is an incredibly unique experience and we would recommend and encourage trying it.
Australia isn’t the only perfect destination for this kind of travel. New Zealand, the United States and Canada would all be incredible options as well. If you’ve been thinking about renting a campervan for any of your upcoming travels, we wanted to lay out some information to help make your decision.
Renting a Campervan – Where to Begin?
As with any adventure, you need to have a plan. You need to have at least a rough idea of where you want to go and what kind of budget you have. Establishing a route will allow you to come up with a timeline for renting a campervan as well as your estimates for gas and food. After you come up with a rough itinerary you can begin pricing out your options. Check out our Australia page for some ideas.
Let’s take a look at some of the expenses.
Price of Campervan Rental
To be honest, it wasn’t as cheap as we thought it would be. There are four factors you should take into consideration when pricing out your trip. Our two weeks in the van was more expensive than if we would have just stayed in Melbourne in an AirBnB for two weeks, but we were able to see a lot more by going this route. It was worth the money to us since we don’t know when or if we will be back to Australia.
The Van Itself
Ours worked out to be about US$95 per day for the rental. This was well more than we were spending on our lodging each night, so we had to sacrifice a little in other parts of our trip to make this work. You can save on this price if you book further in advance and if you take advantage of promotions. The best way to find out about these is to sign up for email newsletters for the different campervan companies and use this site to compare prices and get the best deal.
Insurance
I would recommend two types of insurance for this trip. You should always have regular travel insurance to protect the trip itself as well as your luggage and your health (we recommend this provider for that). On top of that, you need to have insurance for the vehicle. We used the insurance provided by Maui because the price was good and it covered what we wanted. Just read through all the options and make the decision you feel the most comfortable with.
Fuel
Gas is expensive in Australia, but it gets outrageous once you reach the middle of the country. Plan for high prices when you are visiting the remote areas. The price ran about 40% higher once you reached the Outback. To be safe, we recommend filling up as often as you see a place. Nothing worse than being stuck in the middle of nowhere with an empty tank.
Campsites
There are so many free places to camp in Australia which makes it a great place to explore with a camper van. The times we paid for a camp site were when we needed to recharge and if we needed to sleep with the heater running at night. Depending on where you are, you can find powered sites for as little as $10/night, but some places were a lot higher – like national parks and ocean front spots. Our van came with a discount card for some of the chain parks and we used that a few times for a few dollars off.
Companies
There are a lot of different companies to rent a camper van from in Australia. To find the best one for you, just make a quick list of the things that are most important. If price is at the top of the list, you may sacrifice a little comfort, but there is a match for all travelers.
Great rates on Campervan hire – click this link to use the discovery site to compare different companies and rates.
We picked Maui camper vans for a few reasons. They were at the lower end of the price range, the reviews were incredible, the van was equipped with everything we needed and they sent us a discount code when we were shopping around that dropped the price even more. On top of that, we ended up getting a van that was brand new which was a great perk.
Options for the Campervan
When renting a campervan, you will find many different options for sizes and styles to select from.
Manual or Automatic
Remember, you are driving on the left side of the road. If you get a manual, you may end up shifting with the opposite hand and it’s a little tricky. Fortunately for Justin, he didn’t have to learn this skill until Africa.
Number of Beds
If you are traveling with more than yourself and one other person, make sure you understand the bed layouts. Some vans have a bunk bed situation and others have smaller beds in different parts of the van. Choose what is comfortable for you.
Kitchen Options
Your cooking space will be limited no matter what kind of van you get, so if you’re used to making four course meals with tons of prep – think again. Some vans have just an LP bottle with a screw on burner for boiling water and cooking. Many that we looked at had a grill that pulled out from the side that you can make different things on. Be sure to read and understand what’s included if you are going to plan your meals ahead of time. Some vans may look like they are outfitted with something you are expecting and they may not actually have something. Ask your provider if there is something you need so you are sure it is there.
Ours came with a pretty standard van kitchen. It had a small fridge, a two burner stove, a microwave and a toaster. We used it every day and it was all we needed.
Bathroom Options
There are usually three options for a bathroom in a campervan. The first is no bathroom at all. You will need to find public restrooms along the route and use shower facilities at campgrounds. The second option is a toilet (usually with little privacy) so you are able to camp without a bathroom, but will need to still locate showers when necessary. The third is a self contained camper which has a tiny wet bath that includes a shower and a toilet. We opted for the third choice so we could freedom camp anywhere and go off grid. You will need to dump your toilet and fill your water, but you can stay anywhere and have what you need.
The Overall Size
Before you click “reserve” on that van, make sure you understand the size of the vehicle. If you have only ever driven a Mini Cooper and you are renting a van that sleeps 6 with a full bathroom, you probably need to reassess your options. Safety is important and you need to feel comfortable backing in to campsites and driving through bigger cities with the vehicle. The winds can also get pretty crazy in the Outback and the bigger vans will be harder to control.
The height of a full-size van can act as a sail in the wind and it’s scary when facing large trucks coming at you on two-lane roads.
Other Important Things to Note when Renting a Campervan
Internet & Cell Signal
It is really easy to be off the grid here because the WiFi is scarce and slow. If you are a digital nomad, I would recommend doing a lot of research on your options before choosing this adventure. We used WiFi at some of the small town road houses, but it was given to us 0.5 GB at a time and was very slow.
Alcohol Sales
In parts of the Northern Territory, there are strict rules about alcohol sales. They limit the amount you can purchase and the times. If you are someone that really loves their campfire beers, make sure to google info before you go. We found that it was different in each town, but the locals were always helpful.
Campfires
Anyone watching the news in 2020 so far is well aware of the fires in Australia. No matter what time of year you are visiting, make sure you are aware of the fire restrictions. It is a very dry country and it is extremely important to follow the rules. We visited in September and there were no fires allowed in a few places that we camped.
Local Friends (aka Wildlife)
Be aware of the different local wildlife you may encounter on your adventure. We read up on the snakes of Australia to know which to watch for and what to do if we stumbled across one. Aside from bugs and snakes, we also made sure to never leave any food outside for long. Dingoes were very common in the campgrounds near the Red Center and we watched one take food right off our neighbor’s grill for a nice dinner. They look just like dogs, but are not pets and should not be approached.
Planning Your Route
I don’t think it can really be understood until you drive there but Australia is massive. Looking at a map online to see how it compares to Europe or the U.S. doesn’t really even begin to show you. The roads in some places take much longer than you expect them to. When you are planning your route, you’ll want to ensure that you have enough time to get where you’re going. And obviously enough time to get back.
We didn’t really worry about timing as much but our plan was to drive as far away as possible and slowly work our way back. This way we were sure to get as far as we wanted and still have time to slowly travel back. We left Melbourne and drove straight out to Alice Springs. On Google Maps, this is a 24 hour drive. Plan on longer. We made it in 3 days and boon docked along the way. Had we not gone straight out, we likely wouldn’t have made it. Once we reached Alice we were free to slowly work our way back and take in all the sites we marked on the way up.
Planning is everything when taking on a trip like this so establish a route that works for your timing and stick to it. If you’re lucky enough to have extended or endless time then you may not need to adhere as much to this rule.
The best advice we got was to download Wikicamps. It helped us find campsites both free and paid. It also included landmarks, dumpsites, water and free wifi spots. Click here to get the app – it is worth the couple dollars.
What We Loved about Renting a Campervan
It’s All Here
We had spent months traveling by the time we embarked on this phase of the journey so we were accustomed to having all of our things with us, including each other. But the convenience of that all got amplified when we moved into the van. Not only having your things with you but also a portable bathroom, full kitchen and bed made for a really filling experience. We are by no means the first people to have their home with them on wheels. But we’ve known some people who don’t love it. The ones who didn’t couldn’t adjust to the space or wanted “permanence” somewhere. For us, having everything with us in tow just made each place seem more like home.
Pick Your View
This is arguably each of our favorite things about living in the van. What’s your desired landscape tonight? Oh, desert? I’ve got just the place. You want to see oceans out of the back window? Perfect, we’re off to a secret little surf spot I know. Anything you can possibly want to look at or camp by is available in Australia. You just need to drive, park and open up the doors.
The Freedom
This is what it’s all about. The whole idea of renting a campervan is about exploration and the ability to go where you want when you want. With a country like Australia, you have to have time. Just flying into Sydney or Melbourne for a day or two isn’t enough. Road tripping is the way to do it. It allows you to spend time in small towns and get off the radar. You’ll meet people you’d otherwise miss in cities. The freedom to do all of this that the van provides is why we elected to do it in the first place. There is no doubt in my mind why #vanlife took off in the first place. It’s the freedom!
A Campervan Full Tour
What are you waiting for?
Of the many experiences we’ve had over this past year, our time spent renting a campervan down under is one that stands near the top. This escapade was one of a kind and is something I think everyone could enjoy. I highly recommend picking one up and hitting the road. If you can’t get down to Australia, give it a go in your home country. There’s a lot to see out there and the best way to see it is on the open road.
Pin this for your future road trip adventure!
