Campervan Relocation Deals in Australia: How Do They Work?

What is a campervan relocation?

Hire companies need vans in the right place. When more travellers finish their trip in one city than start there, vans pile up at that depot and run short somewhere else. Moving them with a paid driver is expensive, so companies offer the trip to travellers instead.

You get the van for a very low daily rate, often $1 a day, and in return you agree to drive it from one depot to another within a set number of days.

How relocation deals work

• Pick-up and drop-off locations are fixed by the hire company.
• You get a set number of days to complete the trip, often with the option to buy extra days.
• The daily rate is very low, commonly from $1 a day.
• Some deals include a fuel allowance or a ferry ticket, but many don't.
• Deals are often listed at short notice, sometimes only days before pick-up.

Relocation deals change constantly and are often only available for a few days. If your dates are flexible, ask us whether any of the operators we work with have told us about vans that need moving on your route.

What you still have to pay for

The $1 a day covers the vehicle hire. You'll usually still need to budget for:

• Fuel, unless a fuel allowance is included
• Campsites, holiday parks and any national park fees
• Tolls, if your route goes through Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane
• A bond on your credit card, and the standard excess if something goes wrong
• Excess reduction, if you want lower risk
• Extra days beyond the allowed number
• Getting back to where you started, if the drop-off city isn't where you want to finish

Our campervan insurance guide explains the excess and bond side in more detail.

The catches

Relocations are a great deal for the right trip. They're less good if you need certainty.

Fixed dates

A typical relocation gives you just enough time to drive the route, not to explore it. If the drive is 1,700 km and you've got four days, that's a lot of time behind the wheel and very little at the beach.

Fixed route

You can't choose where you start or finish. If the deal goes from Melbourne to Sydney and you wanted to finish in Brisbane, it isn't for you.

Limited choice

You take the vehicle that needs moving. That might be a two-berth van when you wanted a motorhome, or the other way round.

Short notice

Deals appear and disappear quickly, so they're hard to plan a big trip around.

Who relocation deals suit best

• Backpackers with flexible dates who want to get from one city to another cheaply
• Travellers who like driving and don't mind long days on the road
• People already in a depot city who can leave within a few days
• Anyone who'd otherwise pay for a flight or bus between the same two cities

Can you find a relocation through Australian Backpackers?

Relocation deals aren't something we generally offer. Our focus is comparing normal campervan and motorhome hire, so you can choose your own dates, route and vehicle.

That said, the operators we work with sometimes let us know when they have vans that need moving. If you're flexible and a relocation sounds like your kind of trip, get in touch. We'll tell you if we've heard about anything on your route, and if not, we can compare one way hire for the same trip.

Relocation vs one way campervan hire

If you want time to stop, choose your own dates or pick a particular vehicle, a normal one way hire is usually the better choice. You pay more per day, but you plan the trip around what you want to see rather than around the van's schedule.

One way hires sometimes come with a one way fee, and that fee varies a lot between companies and routes. Comparing several suppliers for the same dates is the easiest way to find a good one way price.

Frequently Asked Questions