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$1 Standby Cars and Campervans One Way

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$1 Standby Cars and Campervans One Way
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neil on 02/02/2009 - 14:54 standbyrelocs.com (8513 clicks)
Last edited 02/02/2009 - 16:15

This is a great way to explore Australia. $1/day +$25 booking fee + they give you a fuel rebate up to a certain amount. These guys contract out for the bigger caravan/car rental companies (Britz, Kea Campers) that need to relocate cars back to their proper location. So you are getting the same vehicles you would if you went to the big companies and rented.

Was about to rent a caravan via Britz for a few days but glad I found this site. Would have cost me over $1000. I found this site via Buckscoop (sorry Ozbargain, I cheated on you) as the second highest voted deal on their site. So I called them up and made a booking, no problems at all. I got a cheap flight up to QLD, then driving down the coast for $35 bucks. Can't beat that.

This is the only page that shows the cheap deals, the other site buttons listed Standbycars, standbymotorhomes are just booking engines to other sites.

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closed Comments

  • OwenNein on 02/02/2009 - 16:07

    This is awesome! I'm definitely bookmarking this, and will plan an around Australia trip using this! Cheers for posting this!

  • clandestino on 02/02/2009 - 16:10

    This is a bargain!

  • ShortyX on 02/02/2009 - 17:21

    You pretty much have to plan your holiday around what's available but good find!

  • andy2 on 02/02/2009 - 17:28

    Awesome deal! was looking at hiring one for long weekend great find! thanks!

  • am03fj on 02/02/2009 - 17:30

    I knew another site yrs ago just like this one. One of my frd from holland came to OZ and travel around with that caravan.

  • busterbubble on 02/02/2009 - 22:32
    +2

    Yes its a great site,we used it to a relocation from Christchurch to Auckland for $1 per day over 7 days.

    The car ferry between North and South Island of New Zealand is also included as well.

    Some tips :-

    Plan your trip,don't leave all the driving till the end days.Camper vans are big slow vehicles and you want to see the scenery,not the arse end of trucks !.

    Insurance - strongly recommend you take the extra insurance offered with the vehicle or make sure your travel insurance covers vehicle excesses.We got hit by a rock on the road,only a small bullet hole but a new windscreen required.$657 later,luckily our travel insurance covered all but $100 excess.

    To save extra money don't park in van parks,save up to $40 a night.Just pick the right spot and it pays for itself.

    Booking - ring them or email them with ALL of your travel plans.Get to know them by name,treat them with respect and the reps will help you.Be flexible with your plans.

    Get some music for the journey or if you have a DVD player get some DVD's.

    At Parks/van sites socialise with other vanner's,after all its about the road less traveled.

    Oh and along the way buy fresh local produce and dont forget the teab bags,nothing like a cuppa overlooking some of the best scenery in the world.

    Any other questions please post.

    Enjoy.

    • neil on 02/02/2009 - 23:11

      Those are some great tips buster.

      Any tips for driving down the east coast? What do you mean by don't park in van parks? Do you mean find a place on the side of the road?

      • busterbubble on 03/02/2009 - 20:30

        Normally you are returning the vehicles in reverse of the hiring season ie the majority are hired in Auckland and dropped off in Christchurch.The reloc deals are v cheap way for the hire company to move vehicles.

        I believe you have to be flexible in your plans ie ready to go when it suits the company.Always have a backup plan.Not all hire companies are covered by Standby Cars.We noticed in Christchurch there were a few "backpacker" type rental companies offering vehicles to be returned for next to nothing.

        We basically picked up the van in Christchurch,drove straight to Picton and sailed to the North Island.Then we had 7 days to get to Auckland (no drama's).We visited friends in Wellington,Rotorua,Tauranga and Auckland

        Another time we drove from Wellington to Auckland via Napier,Gisborne and Tauranga up the east coast,beautiful !.Worth going.

        You can park almost anywhere,you just have to way up the benefits versus a van park.The vans are normally self powered and can last a few days without being charged.The fridges can run on gas and the stove is gas.Some have heating which may drain the batteries.

        In the van parks you have power (e you "plug" into the mains,recharge batteries,normal lighting,TV (if that's what you enjoy).Pluses are you have access to bigger kitchens, toilet facilities and the general camaraderie of the other travelers.Also decent SHOWERS ! Some vans have showers but imagine trying to soap up in a small wardrobe whilst someone pours tepid water over you !.

        Part of the appeal is trying something new,roughing it,meeting new people.Visiting places less touristy.

        Enjoy !

    • WaywardOne on 03/02/2009 - 09:11

      Yeh I reckon the insurance cost and "days allowed" could be deal breakers for me. Don't get me wrong; if you needed to travel (by car) between two major cities at a certain date and you didn't mind ignoring the scenery — good deal. For everyone else I'd guess it is an average deal.

      • neil on 03/02/2009 - 09:19

        You can add on more days for the regular rental price for the company you use. In my case, a 2 berth campervan from Kea Campers cost $180/day if I want to add more days. As for KMs, you can go 150KM over the limit and then will be charged $.50 per KM.

        Check out the FAQ here

  • T Man on 02/02/2009 - 23:04

    heh, awesome

  • neil on 03/02/2009 - 11:18

    Heh, I found this on Buckscoop, posted it here, and now they've seen it on Ozbargain and reposted the deal back on Buckscoop.

    The cycle continues…

    • scotty on 03/02/2009 - 11:51

      That will surely provide an unlimited source of bargains even during the global economy crisis! :)

  • ShortyX on 03/02/2009 - 11:48

    Can someone give some examples for the vehicle type codes?

    • neil on 03/02/2009 - 11:50

      It's in the FAQ:

      What is the difference between ST, PT, FT and HT?

      ST means that the campervan/motorhome has a shower and a toilet

      PT means the campervan is a Pop-Top (roof pushes up when you want to stand up in the rear)

      FT means Flip-Top (roof pushes up from one side when you want to stand up in the rear)
      HT means Hi -Top (vehicle has a fixed high roof so there is standing room in the rear)
      Please be aware that if none of the codes above are listed against a vehicle, then you are not able to stand up straight inside the vehicle.

      Which campervans have showers or toilets?

      If you see the code ST beside a vehicle, it will have Shower and Toilet facilities.

      How many people can travel/sleep in the campervan/motorhome/4WD?

      2 Berth PT: 2

      2 Berth ST: 2

      4 Berth ST 4

      6 Berth ST: 6
      4WD FT: 2

      Check out Kea Campers for what you get,
      http://keacampers.com.au/

      • ShortyX on 03/02/2009 - 18:09

        Cheers - just saw that!

  • auMouth on 03/02/2009 - 13:13

    Travel insurance is mandatory!! I had a relocation motorhome booked for last week, Mon to Fri, Brisbane to Melb. Flights booked and paid for, leave approved at work.
    They rang me at 4:30pm on the Sat (1½ days beforehand) and cancelled, saying only that they no longer required the vehicle in Melb and wouldn't/couldn't say why. Only alternative offered was for me to take a full priced rental of $1,300+ dollars.

    • neil on 03/02/2009 - 13:17

      Hmm… So would travel insurance pay for the $1300 rental?

  • albanywa on 04/02/2009 - 10:07

    They look like a good way to get from A to B for a group but most require that you cover about 400 kms per day, not my idea of a holiday.

  • chloden on 04/02/2009 - 16:58
    +1

    This is a good deal (infact I am wondering why I didn't post myself) My husband and I have been doing this for a couple of years now and we have found that you are much better off to book with the rental company direct. Standby actually charge a fee for relocations, so if you are getting reimbursed for you expenses you will be less their fee. We book direct with Britz and they are very good to deal with. We did have a small problem dealing with Standby and that is how we found out that you can bypass them. You can ring Britz on 1800 331 454 and ask them do they have any reclocations or you can check the Standby website and then call Britz. I think Standby are using another rental comnpany as well now which we have not dealt with. I hope this helps, we have don't this approx 10-15 times and have no problems at all so far.

  • guy84 on 10/02/2009 - 15:44

    interesting!

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