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Travelling with children? Choosing the right campervan is essential for a happy campervan holiday in New Zealand. Besides the obvious challenges you may face when travelling with children, the campervan hire vehicle choice has the potential to make or break your entire experience. This article highlights some important factors to consider before booking your family campervan hire vehicle for your adventure in New Zealand.

 

Campervan Layout

The layout is critical as to how the campervan performs as your family home away from home. Having your children within reach while driving is essential. Many 4 Berth style campervans only provide two seats in the front, for the driver and passenger, and two seats in the rear of the vehicle. This means your family is split up and you won’t be able to share experiences as they unfold while driving through the picturesque New Zealand scenery.

Without walk-through access between the driver’s cabin and the living area, the vehicle needs to be stopped in order to reach the back seats through the side door. This is very inconvenient if you need to get to your children urgently. (Seated in the far back of the vehicle, motion sickness can be more frequently experienced.)

The ideal family campervan layout should have unobstructed access between the driver’s cabin and passenger seats. A small selection of 2+1 and 4 Berth campervans have their additional seats positioned directly behind the driver’s cabin or in the centre of the campervan. If no such vehicle is available for your travel details or you are travelling with more than 4 people, your best choice may be a 6 Berth campervan.

 

Sleeping Configuration

Children generally love the double bed above the driver’s cabin, however, make sure a security net is included for safety reasons! Most rear beds double as a dining area during the day. If you have the option of choosing a campervan in which you can leave the rear bed permanent, I would highly recommend it. Not only does it save you from configuring the bed twice a day, but also gives you the option to get up and go with ease.

Compact campervans usually feature bunk beds. Although they provide little comfort and tight spaces, they still work well if you prefer a smaller, more budget-friendly campervan. Both beds usually need to be broken down prior to driving the vehicle but perhaps this could be a fun bonding exercise for you and your children.

 

Campervan Heating & Water Heating

Children (and adults alike) are not happy when they are cold and with New Zealand’s chilly southerly changes, there is always the possibility of some cold weather. Although a powered campsite works the electric heating in your campervan, it is much more convenient if your campervan features it’s own independent gas or diesel central heating system. Keep in mind that powered campsites are expensive and not always available.

Having a functioning central heating system also comes in useful when you need to dry wet clothing or after your children had a water gun fight with the campervan as their battle field ...

To keep all your family members comfortable, make sure your campervan hire includes gas or diesel heating. Along with this, the water heating should also run of gas and not electricity, otherwise you will have to frequently re-charge your house batteries at powered campsites

 

Campervan Storage Space

Storage space is worth considering, especially for a one-way campervan hire between Auckland and Christchurch. You want to make sure your campervan offers plenty of space for your baby stroller, portable cot, suitcases, sun umbrella, boogie boards and all your other bits and pieces.

If possible, try and travel with soft, foldable bags, instead of suitcases as they can take up a lot of room in your campervan. Some campervan hire companies offer free storage for your empty suitcases during your hire, as long as you pick up and drop off at the same location.

 

I hope you find some of these pointers useful for your New Zealand campervan hire holiday planning.

Please feel free to add a comment below - I would love to hear your thoughts!

 

ProCamper Limited has been operating since 2010 and specializes in Campervan Hire for clients visiting New Zealand and Australia. Regular campervan inspections and valuable industry knowledge enables ProCamper to provide ideal solutions for campervan holidays, combined with excellent customer service and competitive rates.

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Posted by Gigi - 22 November, 2014 at 10:03 pm, Posted in Campervan Hire New Zealand | Motorhome Rental New Zealand