{"id":3227,"date":"2018-10-12T15:26:03","date_gmt":"2018-10-12T02:26:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/travellingk.com\/?page_id=3227"},"modified":"2018-10-17T08:59:16","modified_gmt":"2018-10-16T19:59:16","slug":"test-caravan-lifestyle-before-you-buy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/travellingk.com\/resources\/test-caravan-lifestyle-before-you-buy\/","title":{"rendered":"Test Caravan Lifestyle Before You Buy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">This is something I should have done before buying my caravan &#8211; hire a caravan for a short holiday. I knew absolutely nothing when I bought mine! At the time, I could only find expensive motorhomes to hire and decided to save my money for the caravan instead.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">I\u2019ve found some options below that you can actually try before you buy your caravan.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">GO Glamper | From GO Rentals<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">They have an unusual looking camper trailer that came out at the end of 2017. I was silly excited when I saw it at the last Covi Supershow. I was able to go to their rental company and have a decent look around it. It\u2019s quite a narrow caravan and I think it would be a lot easier to tow. It has a basic kitchen and good sized bed with the option of setting up an awning to sit outside. There is a toilet accessed from outside with built in fresh water and grey water tanks. It\u2019s also self contained, so you can stay at the freedom camping areas. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">The similarities between the Go Glamper and my UK caravan:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li3\"><span class=\"s1\">You get to experience towing and try out reversing<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li3\"><span class=\"s1\">The toilet set-up is the same, with a small toilet cassette<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li3\"><span class=\"s1\">There\u2019s water inside and a small kitchen<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li3\"><span class=\"s1\">You can lower the stabilising legs<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li3\"><span class=\"s1\">You\u2019ll get a feel for what staying at a campground or freedom camping site is like<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p3\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">The differences between a Go Glamper to my UK caravan:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li3\"><span class=\"s1\">It\u2019s a lot narrower and has a pop-top so will be easier to tow<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li3\"><span class=\"s1\">There is no shower<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li3\"><span class=\"s1\">It\u2019s set-up to experience nature more, with more doors and on outside seating area<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li3\"><span class=\"s1\">There are no proper power plugs &#8211; just a cigarette lighter<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li3\"><span class=\"s1\">You cook outside on a camping stove<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p3\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">The main pluses with this option is:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li3\"><span class=\"s1\">If you don\u2019t own a towing car yet, you can also hire the car at the same place. <\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li3\"><span class=\"s1\">You can hire it from the 3 main New Zealand cities. <\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li3\"><span class=\"s1\">They supply all the cutlery and bedding as it\u2019s designed for tourists who have just flown in.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">And I\u2019ve talked to Go Rental and managed to get a 10% discount for you! Go to this web page for more details. &lt; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gorentals.co.nz\/promotion\/promotionlandingpage.aspx?promotioncode=travellingk\"><span class=\"s2\">https:\/\/www.gorentals.co.nz\/promotion\/promotionlandingpage.aspx?promotioncode=travellingk<\/span><\/a>&gt;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">(It\u2019s an affiliate link so I get a small perk too).<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 class=\"p9\"><span class=\"s1\">SHAREaCAMPER | rent a locals caravan<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p11\"><span class=\"s1\">New Zealand caravan owners can rent out their caravans or motorhomes on this website. The website has a lot of second hand UK caravans to hire so you could really experience the liftstyle. Having a look at the areas around New Zealand, it looks like most caravans for hire are in Christchurch, then Auckland.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p11\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">The advantages of hiring through SHAREaCAMPER:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li11\"><span class=\"s1\">You could find a very similar caravan to the one you\u2019re thinking of buying<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li11\"><span class=\"s1\">They can be hired near the main cities<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li11\"><span class=\"s1\">You will meet the owner and could ask them questions<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p11\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">The disadvantages of hiring through SHAREaCAMPER:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li11\"><span class=\"s1\">You\u2019ll need your own towing vehicle<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li11\"><span class=\"s1\">There is a cleaning fee, a booking fee and a large bond for the owners safety. It would probably work out better to hire it for a week or 2.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p11\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>Our vision is to bring the joy of campervan travel to as many people as possible in an affordable, safe and easy way.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s4\">To see more, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shareacamper.co.nz\/\"><span class=\"s5\">https:\/\/www.shareacamper.co.nz\/<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 class=\"p9\"><span class=\"s1\">Small Businesses Offering Caravan Rentals<\/span><\/h3>\n<h4 class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Kina Caravan Hire NZ<\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">They are Moutere based, near Nelson at the top of the South Island. They rent out UK caravans and some are as little as $40 per day. Caravans can be delivered and set up. All cultery and bedding included.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s6\"><a href=\"http:\/\/kinacampers.co.nz\/\">http:\/\/kinacampers.co.nz\/<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p9\"><span class=\"s1\">Top of the South Caravan Hire Ltd<\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p11\"><span class=\"s1\">They are based in Marlborough, at the top of the South Island. They hire out kiwi classic caravans and the main advantage is they can deliver the caravan to your chosen site, which is great if you don\u2019t own a tow vehicle yet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s1\">https:\/\/topofthesouthcaravanhire.co.nz\/<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p9\"><span class=\"s1\">Hamilton Caravan Hire<\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p11\"><span class=\"s1\">They are Hamilton based, in the middle of the North Island. I need to check with them, but they seem to mainly hire out kiwi classic caravans and they can also deliver the caravan to your chosen site. It\u2019s your choice if it has a shower or not. Some have small ovens and fridges. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s6\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hamiltoncaravanhire.co.nz\/\">https:\/\/www.hamiltoncaravanhire.co.nz\/<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 class=\"p9\"><span class=\"s1\">Off the Beaten Track | Stay at an idyllic location<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p11\"><span class=\"s1\">For something slightly different. They have approached farmers to see if they want to open up their farm to travellers. You can stay in these amazing rural areas in a variety of accomodation. One option is in the cutest caravan based in Saint Bathans, Otago, South Island.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p11\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">It\u2019s description:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p11\"><span class=\"s1\">Small Caravan @ Rugged Retreat Small caravan sleeps 2, gas cooker, no electric, bring sleeping bags or own sheets, secluded site, with forest surround and swing seat. Park on road or just inside gate. $20 per person \/ per night.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p11\"><span class=\"s1\">This would be more about the enjoyment of being in nature while sitting inside and is one of my favourite parts of caravanning.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p11\"><span class=\"s1\">To see more details, visit: <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s6\"><a href=\"https:\/\/offthebeatentrack.co.nz\/index.php?p=listing&amp;listingCode=2plzrk6fsq\">https:\/\/offthebeatentrack.co.nz\/index.php?p=listing&amp;listingCode=2plzrk6fsq<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p class=\"p11\"><span class=\"s1\">So I hope you have found this list helpful. I wish I had known about these options before I went ahead and bought my caravan. It would have given me a head start in knowing how everything worked in a caravan and would have reassured me that I was doing the right thing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p11\"><span class=\"s1\">If you know of another option I have missed, please let me know. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This is something I should have done before buying my caravan &#8211; hire a caravan for a short holiday. I knew absolutely nothing when I bought<span class=\"excerpt-hellip\"> [\u2026]<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":3239,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v15.2.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Test Caravan Lifestyle Before You Buy - Travelling K<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Since living in my caravan, I\u2019ve heard about some caravan hiring options and I want to share them with you. 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