by naomi fiddes-baron

Are you thinking about hiring a camper van for an awesome road trip adventure holiday?  Maybe you’re about to pick up an awesome rolling home, and still have a few questions before you hit the road.  For many people, renting a camper van is the first step before owning your very own; for others it is the start of a full-blown love affair with embracing the free spirit of wanderlust without the added financial burden of owning and maintaining your own campervan.  Whatever your reason is for renting a quirky camper, it’s normal to be a little nervous before you get behind the wheel.  In this blog, we look at the 5 most common fears about renting a camper van.

1. How do I Choose the Perfect Camper?!

We’re not going to lie – picking one quirky camper to take away out of the beautiful bunch we’ve got listed on our site is going to be one of the most difficult things about renting a camper van!  The trick here, is to really think about what you’re going to use it for.  If you need a spacious camper for all the family then sure, go large!  However, if this is your first time driving a larger vehicle and there’s just two of you, maybe consider something a little smaller which will ease you into the vanlife. 

Make sure you use our handy filter options on the campervan hire page to make sure you pick a van with all the facilities that you want.

2. Will I be able to Drive the Campervan?!

Don’t worry – this is a common fear with renting a camper van.  It can be daunting going from a sports car to a panel van, but it doesn’t need to be a worrying driving experience.  After all, half the fun of a campervan holiday is the freedom of the open road, and enjoying that experience.

First of all, check out our top tips for first time campervan drivers. Secondly, remember that a campervan road trip is about taking life easy and slowing down.  So, you don’t need to rush your journey; you’re not on a rush hour commute on the M25!  So long as you remember that you’re in a larger vehicle than you’re used to, you’ll be amazed how quickly you settle into driving something a little different.

3. Will I be able to Find Somewhere to Park?

Parking a camper van often needs a little bit more thought and planning than tucking your car into a parking spot in a supermarket car park.  For smaller campervans, even the long wheel base models will fit length ways into a regular car park space.  Larger camper vans such as a Peugeot Boxer or a FIAT Ducato might need a little extra nose or bottom room so bear this in mind.

You’ll also encounter more height barriers than you may have noticed in your daily vehicle.  If in doubt, don’t risk it!  It’s always a better option to get out and check your camper is going to go through a barrier or under a low bridge than to figure that it doesn’t fit when you’re halfway under it!   

You might find that you need to park a little further away from the places you want to see, but actually in our experience, the great benefit of this is that you are also more likely to find free parking that you otherwise wouldn’t have used – bonus!

4. Do I Have to Plan Where I Stay?

One of the great attractions about renting a camper van is the ability to wild camp, and stay overnight in beautiful, remote, and free locations.  Of course, there are some absolute rules you should follow when it comes to wild camping in your camper van, but we think going to sleep under the stars and waking up to a totally secluded sunrise is something that should be on everyone’s bucket list.

We’ve already written up 5 easy ways to find the best campervan camping spots. Most importantly, you need to remember that there are so many options of places to stay, that this isn’t something you need to get worried about.  If you want to have a super planned itinerary with all your park ups pre-booked, that’s great!  If you’d rather leave it to fate where you end up staying the night, it’s just as easy to do that.  Just remember, a campervan holiday can give you total freedom – it’s up to you how wild and free you want to be!

5. Will it be Expensive?

Often when you go to book a holiday, the initial price can soon rocket with added extras and hidden fees.  When you rent a quirky camper, the price advertised is the price that you will pay, and this includes the fully comprehensive insurance.  Daily prices for campervan rental vary by campervan, booking length, season and day of the week.  The easiest way to get an instant price is to hit the “book now” button on any individual campervan page. 

Most of our campervans have optional extras which you can add onto your booking at the relevant fee.  These vary from yoga mats to hammocks, portaloos to pop up showers, bike racks to kayaks and bedding to morning breakfast hampers to make your holiday that little bit more luxurious and special.

Ready to book? Take a look at our full range of campervans for hire.