6 Tips For Planning A Budget-Friendly Campervan Adventure Around Christchurch
Setting up to explore the mysteriously beautiful and magical land of Christchurch, New Zealand? Why not pick up a budget-friendly campervan? For many, the idea of travelling or taking a holiday is often brought to a halt by a small budget. When done the right way and with careful planning, you can experience the joy of travel even on a tight budget. Travelling on a budget isn’t as difficult as you might think, and there are some extremely budget-friendly options available if you just do a little more research.
In this article, we’re going to take a look at planning a road trip in and around New Zealand on a budget and why hiring a campervan is an essential part of this.
1. Plan your adventure wisely
The first step to planning a budget-friendly adventure in Zealand is to plan the trip effectively. This means planning where you’re going to go and choosing the most affordable route possible. This includes routes that avoid tolls, ferry crossings, or higher fuel costs due to excessive traffic.
Tools like Ways or Google Maps are invaluable for this kind of planning. Also, plan your destinations and possible campsites where you can park your van when you’re not travelling. Getting an estimate of fees for these sites will give you a good idea of which sites to go for and which ones to avoid.
2. Hire a campervan
There are a few benefits to hiring a campervan, but the main one is freedom. With a campervan, you have the freedom to explore without the need to book hotels or Airbnb. All you need is fuel and a destination, and then the possibilities are endless. With a campervan, there’s no need to rush from one point to the next. You have the time to see and fully enjoy the sites on your trip.
Campervans are also super convenient. There’s no need to carry around tents or excessive equipment to set up at a campsite when you settle in for the evening. All you need to do is park, and you’re all set.
When finding budget campervan hire in Christchurch, it’s not all about the price because there are so many other factors you need to consider. So, you need to find the budget campervan that meets all your needs. You don’t want a vehicle that’s going to cause issues while you travel, so we’d suggest checking what campervans are available first before hiring one. Some factors that we’d suggest you consider when choosing a campervan are:
How many passengers do you have
What storage space do you require
If you have kids or not
What roads will you take
Transmission type
What licences do you need
The mileage on the van
3. Packing Smart
Packing smart when you hire a campervan is essential and can save a lot of time and money. For instance, say you want to have a BBQ but didn’t pack any supplies or equipment for it. You’d have to go spend unnecessarily. So, ensure that you pack everything you need, from cooking equipment to chargers for electronic devices. If you really want to go all out, you can even get some night vision cameras to ensure your safety while you’re parked.
4. Chooses suitable accommodation
When it comes to travelling, the actual travelling bit isn’t always the most costly, but the accommodation fees are. So, if you can deal with this issue by finding more affordable accommodation, ns then you can decrease your expenses.
With a campervan, your accommodation is with you wherever you go, but you still need a place to park it at night when you’re not travelling. This is where taking advantage of free campsites comes in. Research some of these free campsite areas around New Zealand and centre your travel arrangements around moving from campsite to site. By doing this, you’ll essentially only be paying for your fuel and the camper's rental fee.
5. Avoid eating out – it’s a killer on the budget
For those of you who are planning a relatively long road trip, just keep in mind that if you are planning on eating out for every meal, your expenses are going to stack up pretty fast. A better solution is to prepare your own meals.
This is generally quite easy if your campervan has a gas hob and fridge in it so you can store and cook your own meals. If not, you can purchase a small camping stove and bring some cookware along with you. Stop off at a local store and get some food. Planning your meals is also an effective way of budgeting. By planning, you’ll avoid unnecessary trips to shops.
6. Look out for specials
This is a tip that can be applied to everyday life, but, look out for specials and promotions. Often campervan rental agencies will run discounts or specials if you’re planning a long trip. Taking advantage of these specials can cut costs significantly and might come with some extras that you didn’t even factor in like a higher model campervan or exclusive entrance to certain campsites.
Final Thoughts
You’ll be absolutely blown away by the beautiful landscapes of New Zealand. So why not plan your budget-friendly trip to New Zealand now and take it to the road with a campervan? That’ll be one thing ticked off of your bucket list.
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