Cheapest tropical vacation ever

[Primm]

I found out recently about motorhome relocations. I never even knew such things existed! Seriously, they are god's gift to budget-conscious travellers.

I'm on 3 weeks holiday at the moment, and I had a week at the beach planned for the third week but nothing else (hubby is going down for work, I'm tagging along because free transport and accommodation...). I don't even remember where I read about the relocations, but I'm now a massive fan.

How it works for those who don't know is that major motorhome rental companies end up with too many vehicles in the wrong spot, and it's cheaper to drive them down than to put them on a back of a truck. But they don't have the personnel to move them. The solution? Rent them out for basically nothing and get people to move them for free!

There are time and distance restrictions. They give you the time it would take for one person to drive the distance, plus 2 days. So my 2,000km trip allowed 5 days/4 nights. They also tack on 550km extra to the distance from one point to the next so you can do some side trips.

I picked up a camper in Cairns and drove it to Brisbane. Halfway down the east coast of Australia, along the Great Barrier Reef. There is a charge. $5 per day. We're talking luxury motorhomes, some with shower and toilet (mine didn't). The charge is to cover you for insurance, because only employees and renters are covered. Now you're a renter. Oh, and they reimburse fuel!

It took me 5 days (from Tuesday morning to Saturday afternoon) to drive the distance. I stopped off at some seriously cool tropical locations on the way. Snorkelled with the fish on the Great Barrier Reef, ate dragon fruit out of the skin from a roadside stall, watched a cassowary run up the beach. Overall an unforgettable experience, and all I paid for was food. Oh, and two entries to public swimming pools along the way ($3.50 and $4) to use their shower. I free-camped, which only failed one night when a storm hit so I pulled up in a "quiet" street, only to discover an hour later that my location was smack-bang next to a major railway line with diesel coal trains running past every hour or so, and it was storming so I couldn't move, and I couldn't open my windows because of the rain. So that was a sleepless night, but the sunrise over the Pacific ocean the next morning (I got up and moved on at 4:30am when the rain and wind stopped, primarily so I could hit the air conditioner!) was well and truly worth it. That's where I saw the cassowary.

I don't know if such a thing exists everywhere. I know it happens in Australia and New Zealand, and I highly recommend it.

[Lukon]

This honestly sounds amazing!

Thank you for sharing.

I aim to come explore Australia/New Zealand once I'm on my feet financially, and this sounds like a great way to do so..

[kpd905]

Nice find, there are some good deals like this in the US too.  I get deals sent to me from Cruise America.  They need new RVs sent from factories to different parts of the country.

Right now they have deals from Chicago to either Boston, San Francisco or LA for $19/night.

[deborah]

Nice find, there are some good deals like this in the US too.  I get deals sent to me from Cruise America.  They need new RVs sent from factories to different parts of the country.

Right now they have deals from Chicago to either Boston, San Francisco or LA for $19/night.

Yes, I'll be going from Seattle to Anchorage in one. It's not as good a deal as the one OP got, but I have the RV for twice as long as the trip needs to take, and it means I only get to go one way - not drive back the way I came.

[deborah]

The one I looked at here said you had to have a AUS/NZ drivers licence to take advantage of the deal. There are many others, but I haven't looked at them.

[Primm]

I used THL, which is the parent company for the big 4 (Britz, Maui, KEA and Mighty). According to their T&Cs, you need:

DRIVERS LICENCE:
One of the following must be provided at the time of collection:
A valid, Full Australian driving licence.
B. A valid, Full Domestic licence, accompanied by an International driver’s permit in English and passport.

To me that reads as a Domestic licence from any country or an Aus drivers licence.

Their website is here.

[Rosy]

Now that's a fantastic find. I had no idea - not, that I would be driving a motor home myself, ever. But I am a good map reader:) and companion, well trained in handing over bite size snacks or capping drinks for you:)
I bet my son would love to try this out on his next vacation.

[Inaya]

So cool! We're near a factory distribution center, so definitely looking into the new-RV transfer.

Here's a dumb question though. After you've delivered the RV, how do you get back home? Plane ticket expense defeats the purpose a bit, doesn't it? (Although I'd adore driving Chicago to L.A. then Amtrak back, hubs would go nuts stuck on a train that long. He can barely handle 30 minutes on the subway. And it would cost even more than a flight.)

[Primm]

So cool! We're near a factory distribution center, so definitely looking into the new-RV transfer.

Here's a dumb question though. After you've delivered the RV, how do you get back home? Plane ticket expense defeats the purpose a bit, doesn't it? (Although I'd adore driving Chicago to L.A. then Amtrak back, hubs would go nuts stuck on a train that long. He can barely handle 30 minutes on the subway. And it would cost even more than a flight.)

For me, I use a credit card with frequent flyer points for purchases and I have trouble taking them all due to a husband with a chronic illness meaning I can't be away from home for too long or too frequently. So mine were freebies.

Sometimes you can coordinate return trips (the company needs a 2 berth in another location but needs a 6 berth brought back to where you are for example).

Realistically a sub-$100 flight is still far cheaper for a 5-7 day holiday than paying for accommodation though, so even if you have to pay to fly back it still makes it cheaper, just not quite almost-free.

[Inaya]

So cool! We're near a factory distribution center, so definitely looking into the new-RV transfer.

Here's a dumb question though. After you've delivered the RV, how do you get back home? Plane ticket expense defeats the purpose a bit, doesn't it? (Although I'd adore driving Chicago to L.A. then Amtrak back, hubs would go nuts stuck on a train that long. He can barely handle 30 minutes on the subway. And it would cost even more than a flight.)

For me, I use a credit card with frequent flyer points for purchases and I have trouble taking them all due to a husband with a chronic illness meaning I can't be away from home for too long or too frequently. So mine were freebies.

Sometimes you can coordinate return trips (the company needs a 2 berth in another location but needs a 6 berth brought back to where you are for example).

Realistically a sub-$100 flight is still far cheaper for a 5-7 day holiday than paying for accommodation though, so even if you have to pay to fly back it still makes it cheaper, just not quite almost-free.

Oh frequent flyer miles! That's brilliant. I don't travel much, so I use cash back cards exclusively--miles cards aren't even on my radar. I might have to go churn some miles offers. Thanks!!

[Gerard]

At a hostel last month, I got to talking with a woman who (along with her husband) does this for a living. In North America, a lot of people want their RVs to follow them, but don't want the hassle of driving them. So companies charge them to move them and maintain a pool of licensed drivers (you don't need a special driver's license).

So, better than free!  I imagine there are some downsides... like, everybody wants their RV moved south in the fall and north in the spring, so you need cheap ways to do the other half of those trips. Maybe auto driveaway companies would work for some trips?