Bus vs Campervan Hire
Australia is a big country…bigger then all of Europe. Travelling from Sydney to Darwin to Perth is like travelling from Istanbul to Oslo to Lisbon. What a journey, what an adventure!!!
If you really want to get the most of your experience in Australia, you’ve got to try camping through hiring a campervan vs. taking a bus tour. Australia has the climate and the most unbelievable range of campsites available: from totally wild to incredibly free or those with 5 million star creature comforts.
And as Australia is so big the best way to see the country is by campervan renting/buying vs. bus tours – you will experience the ultimate freedom in Australia. Often people think “WOW, a campervan – that must be expensive”…it really isn’t. Don’t forget with the bus tour comes also extra costs such as accommodation & tours….
Let’s compare bus tours vs. campervan hire costs through some samples…
SAMPLE 1: Sydney to Cairns 28 days – 2 people
| BUS TOURS | CAMPERVAN HIRE | ||
| 2*bus tickets | $960 | Chubby Camper $55/day | $1540 |
| 8 dorm room $18/night for 28 nights | $1008 | Petrol | $350 |
| Extra tour costs not included… | $0 | Camping | $0* |
| TOTAL COST: $1968 or $984/person | TOTAL COST: $1890 or $945/person | ||
SAMPLE 1: Sydney to Cairns 28 days – 2 people
| BUS TOURS | |
| 2*bus tickets | $960 |
| 8 dorm room $18/night for 28 nights | $1008 |
| Extra tour costs not included… | $0 |
| TOTAL COST: | $1968 or $984/person |
| CAMPERVAN HIRE | |
| Chubby Camper $55/day | $1540 |
| Petrol | $350 |
| Camping | $0* |
| TOTAL COST: | $1890 or $945/person |
For a two people the campervan is already cheaper… imagine if you are three or four… savings will be much higher. Of course, if you are travelling on your own we recommend the bus… just more fun!
SAMPLE 2: Brisbane to Melbourne 21 days – 4 people
| BUS TOURS | CAMPERVAN HIRE | ||
| 4*bus tickets | $1100 | Stationwagon $39/day | $819 |
| 8 dorm room $18/night for 21 nights | $1512 | Petrol | $220 |
| Extra tour costs not included… | $0 | Camping | $0* |
| TOTAL COST: $2612 or $623/person | TOTAL COST: $1039 or $260/person | ||
SAMPLE 2: Brisbane to Melbourne 21 days – 4 people
| BUS TOURS | |
| 4*bus tickets | $1100 |
| 8 dorm room $18/night for 21 nights | $1512 |
| Extra tour costs not included… | $0 |
| TOTAL COST: | $2612 or $623/person |
| CAMPERVAN HIRE | |
| Stationwagon $39/day | $819 |
| Petrol | $220 |
| Camping | $0* |
| TOTAL COST: | $1039 or $260/person |
BIG SAVINGS in this sample…
SAMPLE 3: Perth to Darwin 35 days – 3 people
| BUS TOURS | CAMPERVAN HIRE | ||
| 3*bus tickets | $2500 | Kuga Camper $69/day | $2415 |
| 8 dorm room $18/night for 35 nights | $1900 | Petrol | $700 |
| Extra tour costs not included… | $0 | Camping | $0* |
| TOTAL COST: $4400 or $1466/person | TOTAL COST: $3115 or $1038 | ||
SAMPLE 3: Perth to Darwin 35 days – 3 people
| BUS TOURS | |
| 3*bus tickets | $2500 |
| 8 dorm room $18/night for 35 nights | $1900 |
| Extra tour costs not included… | $0 |
| TOTAL COST: | $4400 or $1466/person |
| CAMPERVAN HIRE | |
| Kuga Camper $69/day | $2415 |
| Petrol | $700 |
| Camping | $0* |
| TOTAL COST: | $3115 or $1038 |
Another big saving taking one of our newer campervans, the Kuga campervan, for 35 days…
So, don’t be afraid of the costs of a campervan – calculated it properly and you will see the savings you can make! *Remember, all of Travellers Autobarn vehicles come also with the famous CAMPS6 booklet which will advise you of all the FREE legal campsites you can park! And as you can see in our calculations there is still room to spend money on camp grounds – just like you would need to spend some money on extra tours/public transport taking the bus!