Camping: How does private camper-sharing work?

Camping vacations are trendy. However, campers are expensive, both to rent and to own. But now there are various ways to keep costs down with private camper-sharing.

Just hitting the road, having everything with you, not having to pitch a tent and still being able to spend the night in nature - these are enough reasons for many people to buy a camper. In recent years, there has been a real hype around the so-called vanlife, and the vehicles are becoming more and more expensive. In 2022, there were still around 756,000 camper vehicles according to the German Motor Transport Authority, and this number increased to about 838,000 last year. The demand is seemingly endless.

In 2023, a study by the platform Yescapa, a private RV rental service, showed that 84 percent of respondents' campers just sit around unused for ten months of the year. Only 14 percent use their RV for more than two months a year and 2 percent even weekly.

For the survey, 500 campers were interviewed. Of these, 256 owned their own camper vehicle, the other half rented one. And this is no longer only possible through traditional rental companies.

The platforms Goboony and Yescapa were two independent platforms for motorhome rentals before their merger was announced in August 2023. This merger now forms, according to their statements, the largest camper-sharing platform in Europe with about 30,000 private motorhomes. The service is available in over ten countries, including Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, Switzerland, and United Kingdom.

Despite the merger, both platforms will continue to exist, the company informs on inquiry by bettercities.net. There will be no merger of the websites before 2026.

Another platform is PaulCamper, a camper rental platform from Berlin. Here, people can also rent out their camper or choose one for their next trip. The offer is available for all 16 federal states in Germany as well as in Spain, the Netherlands, and Austria, and the vehicles can also be used outside the country. With the exception of the following, you can travel to all EU countries: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Republic of Macedonia, Monaco, Montenegro, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland, as well as Serbia and Kosovo. In these countries, insurance coverage does not apply.

Other platforms with similar functions are Indiecampers and Campanda.

First, enter your travel dates and location on the rental site of your choice. Once you've found a vehicle that suits your needs, send a request to the owners. Once the request is accepted, you can pay and confirm the reservation. When your travel time starts, you pick up the camper from the renters, who will give you a few tips and handling information. Upon return, a return protocol is filled out and that's it.

You can also arrange a test drive before traveling to see if the camper really suits you. What if you have an accident or the vehicle gets damaged while on the road? Usually, there is specific insurance coverage for this. For example, with Yescapa and Goboony, every rental includes insurance tailored to this type of renting. This rental insurance replaces the landlord's insurance for the period in which the camper is booked. Thus, renters and landlords are insured during the travel period.

This also works with PaulCamper: The platform offers insurance through Allianz if the landlord does not have their own rental insurance. The price for this is included in the rent and includes comprehensive insurance, partial coverage, liability insurance, a protection certificate, and interior protection. With PaulCamper, you must be at least 23 years old and have held your driver's license for at least three years. The maximum age to rent a camper is 75 years. However, some landlords have their own requirements.

The prices vary greatly and, of course, it depends on how large the camper is and what equipment it has. If you want to bring a pet, you should check whether it is allowed in the listing and discuss it with the landlord.

First, create a free account and enter your camper's details. Beautiful photos are important so that the rental ad is appealing to interested parties. Additionally, you must submit the vehicle registration certificate and a valid proof of the last main inspection.

Owning a camper is a romantic idea for many. However, on one hand, the acquisition costs are currently very high, and on the other hand, it mostly just sits at the parking lot or in the garage. With camper-sharing, you can recoup the acquisition costs and your vehicle will be used more frequently.

'Depending on the model and season, those who share their motorhome can earn between 500 and 1,500 euros per week,' says Gwendolyn Behnke, Germany Manager at Goboony and Yescapa. In North Rhine-Westphalia, for example, the number of landlords has increased by more than 55 percent in recent years. This is mainly due to its proximity to the Netherlands. 'Many Dutch people prefer to book a camper directly in Germany, while tourists from NRW often head to the coast in the neighboring country with the rental camper,' Behnke knows.

Tom Notermans from Cologne, on the other hand, thinks his two campers are too valuable to just sit around for 49 weeks a year. 'They are too expensive for that. Sharing them makes sense, also for the sake of the environment.' According to Behnke, camper-sharing is indeed the right step for the climate: 'According to a study, many motorhomes stand still for an average of ten months or more a year, only about one percent is shared.' This is not very sustainable in view of the resource consumption for the new production of campers. Behnke expects the proportion of shared motorhomes to increase significantly in the coming years.

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