If deciding to rent a motorhome
or take a campervan holiday, you need to remember it is very
different to renting a car. When you are thinking of taking
a campervan holiday or you would like to rent a motorhome,
be aware that motorhomes and campervans come in a variety
of shapes and sizes but usually fit into one of three categories
that are used in the hire industry.
The smallest and cheapest are your campervan hire units.
Typical examples include the Toyota Hiace or VW campervan.
These come as either high roofs or pop tops. The Hiace is
often the vehicle of choice for a campervan, but it does
suffer the disadvantage (when compared to a VW campervan)
of not having a "walk through" from the driver's
cab, and not being able to swivel the driver and passenger
seats around for extra seating.
Campervans are certainly the easiest to drive in terms of
external size and ease of parking, but suffer from only offering
a small amount of internal space... In most, the bed has
to be set up each night. However, even then, there
are degrees of difficulty - some manufacturers have a seat
with their campervans that simply folds out with the flick
of one lever, and in other campervans it's a case of removing
tables, fitting
the
base
and
lifting and fitting cushions together... If you are planning
some serious long term travel, a campervan might be the cheapest
way to do it, but making the bed up every night might become
irritating.
Motorhomes and campervans become larger in size when they
are built on Mercedes Benz Sprinters, Ford Transits, or Fiat
Ducatos.
With these
larger, mostly high roof vans, the definition of campervan
or motorhome becomes blurred... Generally, the industry
adopts the position that if the unit has a shower and toilet
cubicle, then it's a motorhome... Many people like
this size of vehicle because they are large enough to be
comfortable and small enough to be easy to drive. In some
motorhomes, the bed has to be set up every night, but in
others (usually with front swiveling seats) it can be left
made
up... In some of the campervans and smaller motorhomes, there
is sometimes a choice of motor - either petrol or turbo diesel.
In larger rigs, it's turbo diesel or nothing. When there's
a choice though, and if you are planning on putting a few
miles on the clock, then turbo diesel is probably the preferred
option.
'B' and 'C' class motorhomes
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'B' class motorhomes |
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'C' class motorhomes |
These are built on cab chassis units like Mercedes Benz Sprinters,
Ford Transits, Ivecos, Fiat Ducatos and Isuzus... Known
as 'B' and 'C' class units, they are a very popular type.
- 'C' class motorhomes have the bed over the driver's cab
in the Luton Peak. These motorhomes often have a day/night
lounge in addition to the cabover bed. Location of the
shower/cubicle varies too. It can either be in the rear
or along one side.
- 'B' class motorhomes usually have double or single beds
in the rear and have a more streamlined look at the front.
'B' and 'C' class motorhomes mostly come with front or rear
side door entry, side or rear kitchen and usually side or
rear dinette. A few motorhomes feature a front dinette in
conjunction with driver and passenger swiveling seats.
Layout of motorhomes and campervans
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Maui campervans |
Apollo motorhome |
When reviewing the layout of motorhomes and campervans in
this website, think about how you will live while travelling...
Go through the motions of living - cooking, eating, making
up the bed and keeping clean. (if there is an onboard shower)...
Is the kitchen fitted out to your satisfaction?... Will
the bed be easy enough to climb into and make up?... Are
there enough storage compartments, and will everything
that is required regularly be easy enough to get at?...
Most campervans are unlikely to have a shower or toilet
cubicle on board, but if they do, they are likely to be
quite compact. However, that will not be a problem if you
plan on using the amenities blocks in caravan parks and
just want to use the on-board facilities occasionally...
It's often items like the main bed which settle the decision
on design... In most campervans, the bed has to be made
up every night. In 'C' class motorhomes, the only double
bed is often over the driver's cab - out of the way but
a clamber up every night, and in some designs there is
not much headroom... Curiously smaller motorhomes based
on a Toyota Hilux often have a good roof height above the
bed, which is often easy to climb into... If the double
bed is in the main part of the motorhome, it is much easier
to get into but takes up more space!
A feature in motorhomes that has become much more common
with the advent of Euro trucks, given their "flat floor" design,
is the "walk through" from the driver's cab to
the rear of the motorhome. It's a very convenient feature
to have and many people like the security aspect of it...
Some motorhomes allow the driver and passenger seats to swivel
around, so they double as lounge chairs and that is an effective
use of space... Slide-outs, often only 300mm wide, make a
big difference to the internal space of a motorhome but have
generally only been available on some larger 'A' class units.
In recent times, though, a couple of manufacturers have installed
slide-outs in 'C' and 'B' class motorhomes and campervans.
Finally
Renting a campervan or motorhome for an Australian holiday
should not be rushed. Like so many things in life, it should
be done in an informed manner. From the above, it can be
seen that there are quite a few things to consider...
Holidays Allover operates a centralised motorhomes and campervans
booking service for all Australian residents and international
visitors
wanting
to rent a motorhome or take a campervan holiday and our service
is FREE...
Please visit our motorhomes and campervans
directory. If you have any problems finding the motorhomes
or campervans you want, or need advice on which vehicle
is the best for your needs, or which Australian destinations
you should visit, by all means contact
us... You will find that we reply to e-mails promptly...
If you phone, there is always a real live human on the
other end, no numbers to punch!... We will offer you freely
our knowledge and experience to help you decide which size
motorhome or campervan is best for you, which places to
visit, and answer any other questions you may have... and
when you arrive to pick up your motorhome or campervan,
there won't be any surprise extras you have to pay for
as this would have been fully covered beforehand.
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Motoring & outback
travel 
;)
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