How to Hire a Campervan for Your First Camping Trip

Going camping is always fun and exciting for everyone, especially since you’ll get to experience the great outdoors.

However, if you’d like to go on an adventure without leaving out of comfort, then travelling in a campervan would surely be a great idea. This way, you can be comfortable during your trip with all the basic things you’ll ever need, such as a toilet and a bed. You can always set up a tent outdoors, but you’re free to sleep inside your van.

Travelling in a campervan doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to own one, especially since plenty of rental options are available on the market.

If this is something new to you, then this guide will help you find the best one that suits your needs. Below are steps you can take to hire a campervan for your first camping trip.

8 Tips for Planning a Campervan Trip

1 – Select Your Trip Date

As you decide when you’d like to go out for your first camping trip, check out campervan rental services to see if there are available campervans or motorhomes for you to rent.

If you’re renting during the camping season, usually around summer, you’ll need to book early as most campervans would be sold out on most dates, especially during weekends or holidays.

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2 – Decide How Many People Will Be Travelling

Campervans come in different models and sizes. Depending on the size of the campervan, it can accommodate two to six people comfortably inside. Anything more than that, it is highly suggested that you rent a second vehicle for comfort.

After confirming how many people will be coming for your camping trip, you can now decide what kind of campervan you’ll be renting. But if you have plenty of budgets, you can always hire the biggest one, even if you’re travelling as a couple. This’ll surely give you all the comfort and space you need for the trip.

3 – Check The Campervan Features

Just because a campervan is large enough doesn’t automatically translate to complete features. Before renting one, you need to confirm what amenities the campervan includes.

In most cases, a standard campervan doesn’t have any toilet, making it a bit uncomfortable for first-time campers, especially when they need to use the bathroom.

You also need to check if it has enough kitchen utilities, such as a fridge and a sink. You can also check the bed size and see if it’s comfortable enough for you to sleep in. In most cases, beds can be on the smaller side than what you’re used to, causing discomfort for tall people.

4 – Look For A Rental Near You

Camping can be exhausting. The last thing you’d want to happen after returning from your trip is driving all the way around to return the rented campervan. This can also be costly as you need to travel back from the rental company to your home, especially if it’s miles away.

To save yourself the hassle, you should look for a rental company near you to make transportation easier. This can help you save time and energy in getting and bringing the campervan back.

Additionally, it can help maximise your rental since it’ll feel like a point-to-point trip and you don’t have to go very far just to return the campervan.

5 – Ask About Car Seat Installation

If you’re planning to bring an infant or child, putting them in a child safety seat is necessary. That’ll help to keep them secure while also ensuring you’re following the law on child safety in a vehicle.

With this in mind, ask the rental company if the campervan has child-friendly features, such as an ISOFIX child safety seat.

You should also check if the car seats include a seatbelt. However, most seats in campervans have a seatbelt attached to them.

6 – Confirm If It’s Pet-Friendly

Unfortunately, not every campervan welcomes pets, especially since they can get messy inside the van. This can be due to their fur, scratching skills, or missed potty training.

Before bringing along your pets for a camping trip, confirm with the rental company first if they can accommodate your four-legged friends.

Alternatively, they might offer some pet-friendly campervan options you can choose from. While the search might be a bit trickier, you have to live by the owner’s rules.

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7 – Check How The Cooling Or Heating Works

A campervan should have proper cooling or heating to ensure comfort for the passengers. If you’re travelling in summer, look for a campervan with a cooling system to keep you comfortable.

For camping during winter, heating is a necessary feature. However, choosing a campervan that has both allows you to adjust the temperature conveniently, especially when there’s a sudden temperature change at night.

Moreover, you also need to ask how the cooling or heating feature is powered. Is it through fuel or solar energy? If through fuel, how much do you need for the entire trip? And for solar energy, does the campervan have built-in solar panels?

8 – Check The Trip Inclusions

When you rent a campervan, you’re not just renting a vehicle—you’re also paying for its features and inclusions. Depending on the rental package, some might include free fuel to help you get started, cooking essentials to help you cook delicious camping foods, etc.

While you can bring your own tools and supplies, having them as inclusions in the rental package will save you space and effort as you don’t have to pack them yourself.

In most cases, a campervan includes utensils, such as plates, spoons, forks, and mugs. It might also have a fresh bedding set, a camper table, and a chair that you can place outside if you want to relax. If you plan on exploring, some might include a bike rack, which allows you to store your bike conveniently without bringing them inside the campervan.

When planning your first campervan trip, it’s a must that you make it as perfect as possible. With a bit of research, you should be able to find the ideal campervan that suits your needs.

Knowing what type of campervan you need and its features and inclusions will help you make the right decision.

While the search process might be pretty lengthy, finding the most suitable vehicle will make everything worth it and ensure a fun-filled trip.

Have a safe trip and drive carefully!

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