Are you looking for something a bit different from the average city break or package tour? Tired of queuing at the airport? If you’ve never hired a camper van before, perhaps now is the time to give it a spin. Please Click Here >>
You can start looking for a camper rental straight away by selecting ‘search’ from the main menu but before you do, we recommend reading the guidance below.
Why camper van hiring is a popular activity
There are many advantages to campervan rental. Here are just a few of them:
No more queues. If you’ve ever flown out of Heathrow airport, you probably will have regarded the experience as a necessary evil rather than a highlight of your trip. With camper van rental, your holiday literally starts as soon as you turn the keys in the ignition.
Make the most of your time. If you are an active family, you can plan a road trip that enables you to indulge all of your passions. Load up your bicycles, canoes, paddle-boards, climbing gear and a sturdy pair of hiking boots and pick out the perfect venues for each activity.
Pace yourself. On the other hand, you may want to balance fun activities and intensive city shopping with some time relaxing on the beach or maybe even parked up in a secluded forest somewhere. With a package holiday, you have to fit your activity levels with the itinerary. With camper van rental you are free to sync with your mood.
Enjoy family.Camper van rental is perfect for family bonding. Travelling from one exciting destination to another will give you the time to talk about your experiences and discuss what you would like to do next. With no pre-determined activities menu to stick to, the mood is likely to be more relaxed than the average package holiday. This will make for a more rewarding experience all round.
Enjoy festivals. One of the worst things about camping at festivals is an uncomfortable bed. With a campervan, you and your family will each have a comfy bed to come back to at the end of the day.
Planning your campervan adventure
The first decision you will need to make is where to go! Many first-time campervan renters cut their teeth with a relatively short and local holiday. For example, you could pick three or four experiences you’ve been meaning to try and create a basic itinerary over a week. Keep things varied with a mixture of activities that cater for all of the family’s interests. For example, if you live on the outskirts of London, you could plan in a London city trip, a canoe trip along the Thames, some walking in the Kent Downs and a day by the seaside in Brighton.
After you have grown in confidence, it could be time to travel more widely around the UK, perhaps taking in Scotland, Wales or Ireland.
Eventually, you will probably want to take your rental vehicle on to the train to the European mainland and even further afield. The good news is that you can take a van that’s less than 18m long on the Eurostar train.
The best way to get an idea of rental costs is to browse some motorhome renting sites, including our own. As a guide, the most expensive rentals are the large Winnebago-style ‘Class A’ motorhomes. These camper vans look like coaches and are designed for large families who intend to do a lot of driving on motorways and A roads. You can expect to pay between £135 and £215 per night for one of these monsters and you will also need a special license to drive it. ‘Class C’ motorhomes have much in common with the Class A vans but are usually shorter in length and rentals cost between £115 and £165 per night on average.
‘Class B’ motorhomes are those most of us associate with the word ‘camper van.’ They include the much-loved Volkswagen T2 (or ‘hippie bus’) of the 60s. You can drive one of these vans on a standard license and should be able to find one for less than £100 per night.
There are plenty of other variations on motorhome rentals, including caravans and other towed vehicles.
In addition to the headline cost of your camping van hire, make sure you factor in deposits, excess mileage costs and fuel. Insurance and recovery is often included in the price of motorhome rental but be sure to check.
Choosing where to hire a campervan from
There are basically three ways you can get your hands on a camper van without actually buying one.
Many people go straight to one of the national camper van rental companies. While this is convenient way to hire a camper, prices can be high and the choice of camper vans to hire is often limited. Some campers rent from a private buyer. You are likely to get a good deal that way but it is important to check the vans thoroughly to make sure they are roadworthy. It is best to start your search early if you are hiring privately as finding the ideal camper van can be time consuming.
The third way is using a user friendly peer-to-peer sharing platform like Outdoorsy. This combines the benefits of the first two by offering the convenience and consumer protection of a national motorhome rental firm while giving you access to a vast range of vehicles.
If you are interested in trying the Outdoorsy process, go to our ‘search’ page (on the main menu) and enter your location in the search box provided.