Road trip for less

by Christine Long | 27 Aug 2019

How helping companies relocate their mobile homes can save you thousands with rentals as cheap as $1.

Wondering if the campervanning life is for you? There’s a great way to put it to the test for next to nothing and see a slice of Australia’s magnificence into the bargain.

Campervan relocations can cost you as little as $1 a day and, with the best deals, fuel is thrown in for free too.

These deals are a way for campervan hire companies to get their vans from point A to point B.

Here’s how it works: the company allocates a maximum number of days and kilometres for the trip and a timeframe for when the van needs to be picked up and when it needs to arrive at its destination.

Sometimes there’s scope to add a few extra days for a reduced cost too.

For instance, at the time of writing Imoova.com had a last-minute relocation from Darwin to Perth listed, with six days allocated to complete the trip, for $1 a day. That deal offers the possibility of tacking on an extra day if you want seven days to complete the trip. There’s $250 free fuel thrown in as long as you provide receipts.

There are also deals listed with plenty of room to plan. For instance, in late July a deal is listed to relocate a 12-seater van from Darwin to Melbourne anytime between September 20 and December 10. You have 10 days to complete the trip with an option of adding an extra five if you want to take it at a more leisurely pace. In this case the allocated days are charged at $5 per day and there’s a $300 fuel voucher included.

Apart from the daily cost, the site charges a small administration fee and you can choose to pay a little extra per day to reduce the insurance excess payable if you run into a spot of bother on the road.

And if you’re dreaming of trying out the van life somewhere other than Australia there are similar listings for campervan relocations in New Zealand, Europe, and North America.

A few things to be aware of:

• The bigger the van the higher the fuel costs so check the type of vehicle as well as the locations and distance. Vehicles can vary from a two-berth hi-top to a six-berth motorhome.
• The best deals are likely to be last-minute.
• Not all deals are listed. If you particularly want to relocate a van from Melbourne to Adelaide so you can see the Great Ocean Road, for instance, you can request to be contacted when a relocation opportunity arises. The advantage of putting in a request is you’re at the head of the queue.
• The kilometre allowances are reasonable. They usually allow you some spare kilometres to do a few small detours along the way. But if you exceed the allowance you’ll pay the extra cost of a per kilometre charge.
• The first and last day of the trip you’ll need to allow time to pick up the van and return it full of fuel so plan on doing fewer kilometres on those days and the bulk in between.

But with this in mind you can still hit the road for as little as $1. Check it out.