Explore overseas on a motorhome dream tour

Helen Werin's travels down under

In Australia, the most basic campervan worked best for us because, with a couple of exceptions, we used campsites. ‘Wild’/’freedom’ camping is illegal in many places in Australia, with big fines. Australian and NZ commercial sites all have decent, equipped kitchens. Knowing therefore that we would only use our stove in Australia when brewing up between sites, or on national park campsites, also shaped our layout decisions.

Perhaps I should say here that, at Australian national parks, there are at least toilets, typically of the ‘drop’ variety. Just hope the previous user has put the lid down because of flies!

I’m especially glad that we hired in Australia rather than export our motorhome because all that dust gets in everything.

I must say here that, at times, there were four adults travelling in the Jucy Condo in Queensland (two sleeping in a tent), yet we managed to fit everything in comfortably. We weren’t planning to drive on dirt roads in either country as this is not usually permitted with many models by hire companies, something crucial to factor in when plotting off-the-beaten-track adventures.

What would I do differently? Check fuel consumptions. Our Jucy Condo out of Sydney was a shocking gas guzzler. I also wrongly assumed, it being the same model as our Queensland campervan, that it would have the same layout. It didn’t have a food cupboard, so we ended up with boxes where the passengers would have sat.

I would also aim to totally avoid public and school holidays when hire charges (and campsite prices) shoot up.

Sue Mather swaps her motorhome

Initially, I messaged about six people whose motorhomes we liked the look of, and who looked as though they’d look after ours! Yes, our motorhome is our baby and, at first, Charlie was a bit reticent. We eventually started an email chat with Lyn and Pete, who live on the coast about two hours south of Auckland and eventually we agreed to be ‘swapees’.

There’s a few things to agree on, like insurance cover, breakdown cover and, of course, dates. We discovered that our insurer (LV) will insure named drivers, subject to a questionnaire, for 42 days (six weeks). Many won’t but it is worth phoning around.

It was easy for us going to New Zealand as Lyn and Pete were able just add us to their insurance. Lyn arranged for us, as overseas visitors, to buy specific breakdown cover for a 3.5-tonne motorhome with AA NZ for NZ$154 (about £85).

It’s easier not to arrange a direct dates swap as then you can host each other, so we hosted Lyn and Pete at the end of June 2023 for their six weeks in UK and Northern Europe.

We certainly had a trip of a lifetime… five weeks of the most stunning scenery, from fiords and waterfalls, snow-capped mountains, rivers, aquamarine lakes, extensive beaches, camping amongst the beach dunes, and zooming across Lake Wakatipu (Queenstown) in an aqua taxi.

Vivien Ogden exports her campervan to the USA

We settled on exporting our own demountable campervan because to rent would cost as much in two months as return shipping. Buying a vehicle is difficult in the US unless you are a resident. There is an option to set up a limited liability company that circumvents this requirement, but there are ongoing costs and storage to consider.

To mitigate the expense, we wanted to go for longer than the three-month ESTA visa allowed so applied online for a B-2 tourist visa. This entailed an appointment at the US embassy in London; the B-2 visa allows six months in the US at a time for up to 10 years; there is no specified time to be out of the US between each six-month period. It cost £280 per person and took four months.

The total one-way cost from Southampton to Charleston South Carolina came to £3,500, this included roro (roll-on roll-off) crossing, marine insurance and agent fees for customs paperwork. The crossings can only be booked one way a maximum of 6-8 weeks ahead so booking the return voyage had to be done towards the end of our trip, and cost £3,085 (total £6,585).

To import a vehicle to the US a TIP (Temporary Import) document is required from US border control. I was put in touch with the US agent and this was completed online and included Canada and Mexico.

Our foreign vehicle had the added advantage of creating a talking point and we met many interesting people because of it. I have to say, despite everything involved with international shipping, it is one of best decisions we have made to tour the USA in the comfort of our own vehicle.