Stop dreaming and Hire a Campervan.
Find the camper of your dreams with Peer 2 peer Camper Van Hire
So my own camper ownership journey started not long ago, after years of dreaming of owning my own home on wheels.
This also included constantly boring my family with talk about Campervans. Nothing has changed there! In fact, I think I talk more about campers more now that I own one.
Owning my own camper always seemed like a pipe dream rather than something that would ever become a reality. However, when April of 2017 rolled around I finally made the decision to stop dreaming about owning a camper and find a way to make it a reality.
Before we got our own van and converted it into a Campervan we decided to hire one out. We thought it would be a good way to do some research and help us figure out which kind of camper was right for us. By hiring a camper before buying one we discovered that a pop-top Campervan was not a good fit for us. We needed something that was warm; something that offered the ability to stand without having to pop the top.
In hindsight, I wish I had hired more than just one Camper. I wish I had hired a few different types, models and sizes. Don’t get me wrong. I am really happy with our T5 high top camper. However, I would really like to have tried a larger camper just to see what it would be like with the extra storage and see how we got on with parking, etc.
You might be considering buying a Campervan or converting a van to a camper. If so, I recommend you hire a Camper before you splash out on your own. Hiring out a camper will allow you to make key decisions about what kind of layout is right for your needs and see the things that do and don’t work for you.
It might be that you simply want to hire a camper for an upcoming trip to combine your travel/accommodation budget and save on the total cost of your trip. Campervans can be great for holidays where you do not plan to stay in one place for long, as that means you can take your home and your stuff with you. We often use our camper as a place to sleep and break up long journeys when we go see family and friends.
Back in 2017, when we were looking to hire out a camper, there were hardly any websites offering campers for hire. I only managed to find a handful and we ended up hiring ours from someone on eBay. That’s not the ideal way to hire out a campervan. I remember having to go through a long arduous process of filling out paperwork proving my identity and wishing there was an Airbnb campervan for hire.
Well, guess what? Now there is an Airbnb campervan for hire. In fact, there is more than one! A number of websites have appeared on the scene in the last 12 months that specialise in peer-2-peer campervan hire, which streamline many of the usual headaches with hiring a campervan or car. Many of these platforms take care of the insurance and handle security deposits, similar to Airbnb.
So here they are..
Goboony.com
Goboony is focused on providing peer-2-peer motorhomes from local owners, but they also have campervans for hire. The Goboony website is Airbnb-style functionality and location-specific international websites in Germany, Italy, Netherlands, United Kingdom and Belgium. We recently signed up to rent our own van with goboony!
Yescapa.com
Yescapa is much like goboony and has Airbnb-style functionality. We rent out our own campervan through Yescapa. One of the reasons we like them is that they take care of all the insurance for both owners and hirers. The Yescapa website’s functionality is similar to Airbnb in the way that it is very easy to navigate and you can also contact a campervan owner to check availability and ask questions before you hire. The only thing I would change with Yescapa is to have the security deposit automated.
Fatlama.com
A new upcoming marketplace for hiring anything, not just campervans. Fatlama has a very slick app and website, and the ease of use makes it one of my favorite places to hire stuff online. In fact, you can hire just about anything on Fatlama — drones, camera gear, camping toilets, etc. Aside from allowing you to hire just about anything, you can also rent out your own stuff. Fatlama has their own dedicated team for campervan hire.
Camperbug.co.uk
Now, Camperbug has been around for awhile and was one of the first websites to offer camper hire. I have actually listed our own van on here. Camperbug provides a pay-as-you-go insurance service. The downside to Camperbug is that the website could do with an update, as the site can be slow to load. So, if Camberbug is reading this: Time to update the website. That being said, there are lots of good quality campervans to be found on Camperbug, and you can search by locations and check availability.
Camptoo.com
I recently discovered Camptoo while browsing on Instagram. Camptoo also has Airbnb-style features. Camptoo is also peer-2-peer and provides caravan rental in addition to motorhome and campervans. There are two ways to contact the owner of a motorhome or caravan via Camptoo.
You can start a conversation by clicking the “send message” button in the ad or you can directly “request a reservation”. If you’re still looking around, it’s best to use the “send message” option. Once you have decided which motorhome or caravan you want to use for your holidays, it is best to “request a reservation”.
The owner can then accept or reject your reservation. Even after the owner accepted your reservation request, you can still request other vehicles or even cancel the reservation. The reservation is only complete and final once you have made a payment.
Camplify
Camplify is Australia’s largest peer-to-peer caravan hire and RV sharing community. Camplify connects owners of touring caravans, static caravans, motorhomes and campervans with people looking to go on a holiday. Camplify is available in both Australia and the UK. (https://www.camplify.co.uk/ or https://www.camplify.com.au/)
Airbnb.
Did someone mention Airbnb? Surprisingly you can also rent campervans or even caravans on Airbnb. That’s handy if you already use Airbnb, as you already have an account set up and know how Airbnb works. Just set your search for campervans using the advanced filter in the area where you want to stay.
Or better still, set the location to the place where you want to pick up the campervan. Note that some campervans on Airbnb are restricted to the location where you hire them.
So, over to you. Check these out and let me know which one you would use. Or get in touch if you have already hired through any of the platforms above.
Also, if you are interested in converting your own van into a camper. I have created a free tool called “I AM VAN BOT”, which helps you figure out which van to purchase to convert into your own campervan. Take Van Bot for spin here >
