So, car or motorhome for British Columbia?
How do we decide this? Well for starters it would be wise to come to a decision as to when you would like to travel to Canada. Do you really want to spend two weeks freezing your tits off in a motorhome in the middle of Winter? Probably not. I think I would pass on that as well. On an extra point to that, motorhome companies will usually only open for eight months of the year. Missing out the time from mid-November to mid-March. When we hired in March I think we were one of the first motorhomes to be hired.
If you love the idea in March time then it is good fun, but it is still cold. We had generator use so we were able to put the heater on. We had all the thermals with us so we could just put those on to sleep in. If you are a couple you have an extra body to keep you warm as well. If you are in the same sleeping bag I can imagine that gets quite toasty. Car hire may be your preference, so you’d have a lodge or hotel to go to at the end of the day of skiing or Winter activities. People like this option to be able to dry off and warm up after a cold day.
In the Summer though? This is the trickier time to decide. Which do you go for? There are a few things to think about with both. It may be worth making a bit more of a rough price plan, or spreadsheet if you are like me, to help you decide.
Right, car hire in the Summer. What sort of route are you taking? Are you flying into Vancouver, but out of Calgary (or vice versa)? Or are you taking the Victoria clipper, so you will be picking a car hire up in Victoria instead of a major city? Are there one-way fees you need to take into account? Is it more cost effective to drive West to East or East to West? If you are to pick a car up from a small depot; are you strapped for time, depending on the opening times of the depot? Or are you not able to pick up the size car you would like? Have a think about all these questions.
These questions can also be applied to the motorhome hire as well. You won’t be able to pick a motorhome up at smaller places so you may only be strapped to Vancouver or Calgary. Therefore, you’ll need to plan your route according to this. Motorhomes will come in all shapes and sizes. We used ‘CruiseCanada’ for ours and got a five berth motorhome so there were three separate beds for the three of us. This is a C25 which is twenty-five metres long and it was very easy to navigate. Considering I hadn’t driven anything larger than a small van before. One-way fees will also apply to motorhomes as well, have a look to see if one way driving would be more cost effective than the other in total. The one-way fees can make a huge difference. Also ask the company about special offers. Whether by moving your holiday a week or so forward or back you may be able to get a special offer applied, or no one-way fee?
The extras for both need to be considered but you also need to look at the bigger picture and the total outcome of the cost of the holiday at the end. With a car you will be paying more upfront of course to secure your accommodation on the way round. You will then be paying for all your meals on top of this as well locally, so what is that going to cost? With a motorhome in peak season, you will still need to pay for the campgrounds but food on top will be a lot more cost effective. Same as a normal weekly food shop at home I guess?
Both with a car and motorhome in Summer peak school holiday season, everywhere is going to be busy so you will have limited availability to choose from if you book late either way. With the motorhome you can’t just free camp on the side of the road, another thing to bear in mind.
Don’t forget the possibility of doing a mix of both! Car hire on Vancouver Island then motorhome the Rocky Mountains? All things are possible.
If you have any further questions or still need help deciding between the two just let me know and I’ll be happy to give you a hand.
LEAH HANCOX 