Berlin, Februar 2023

Cheap spring holidays - 7 tips for your 1 Euro camper trip!

Inflation remains high and many people are wondering if they can afford a nice holiday trip this year. Fortunately, there are some ways to go easy on the wallet and still have an unforgettable trip. Already last year, transfer trips in a motorhome were able to establish themselves as a creative savings tip. In this article, we show you 7 tips on how you can book camper vans for just 1 euro via the platform of the Berlin start-up Movacar – and what you should bear in mind.

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Whether as a couple or with friends – a camper trip promises adventure and is easy on the travel budget!

1. transfer trips without a hook: drive one way for 1€.


If you want to rent a motorhome, you normally have to expect to pay up to around €100 per day. An alternative are transfer rides, where the one-way rental is almost free. On its app and website, the Berlin-based company Movacar offers such transfer trips from well-known motorhome rental companies for the symbolic rental price of just 1 euro. And it works like this: Travellers book the vehicle and route online with Movacar and then pick up the camper at the provider’s pick-up station. From there, they transfer the motorhome within the agreed time (e.g. three or four days) to the drop-off location, e.g. Barcelona, Paris, Rome or many other destinations in Europe.

Included with every journey are inclusive kilometres that generously cover the distance to the destination. Likewise, the costs for a tank of petrol are covered. The other conditions such as insurance, excess and deposit are identical to a normal camper rental. The travellers have to pay for motorway tolls, additional fuel costs and any fees for overnight stays at a campsite themselves.

Transfer trips are suitable for adventurous travellers who like to explore new destinations or simply want to try out the camper feeling. Disadvantage: The duration of the trip is limited. As a rule, the vehicles have to be delivered to their destination in 48 to 96 hours, depending on the distance. In addition, Movacar offers are one-way rentals. The second leg to or from Germany usually has to be completed by plane, train or long-distance bus at your own expense.

2. there and back for 2 euros – with a little flexibility it’s possible
One way by camper for one euro – that sounds good! But what’s the cheapest way to make the return journey? The answer: the best way is also with the 1 Euro Camper. Because the transfer trips are not only offered from Germany to the holiday countries, but also back. So if you want to drive the outward and return journey for a total of only 2 euros, with a bit of luck (depending on the travel dates and the routes offered) you will find twice in the Movacar app or website.

When looking for a return journey, it pays to broaden the search criteria and be flexible with the pick-up and drop-off locations. For example, if you have found a good offer from Frankfurt to Barcelona for the outward journey, you may be able to drive a camper van from Barcelona to Mainz on the way back.

Round trips with Movacar are definitely the cheapest option for a camper van trip. And since you have up to four days for both routes, with a little skill you can rent a camper van for a weekly price of a fabulous 2 euros.

3. drive up to one week: Choose Rally Option for 99 euros!
Another option to extend the travel time is the so-called Rally Option. It guarantees a relaxed campervan trip for up to one week – for only 99 euros. As with the transfer trips, the rally offers are one-way rentals from A to B – but with a rental period of up to 7 days and with as many free kilometres as you like. If you are driving from Freiburg to Barcelona, for example, you can plan a generous diversions via Switzerland and the Cote d’Azur and really savour the camper life. Watch out: Movacar does not pay a share of the fuel costs with the rally option. Otherwise, the rally trips can be booked just as easily via the Movacar website and app as the other offers.

4. find cheap campsites and pitches.
Where you prefer to park your camper van after a long trip depends entirely on the preferences of the traveller. Some prefer a well-equipped campsite, others prefer to go „wild“ in nature. But beware: wild camping is less and less tolerated, and the camping fees at campsites can also put a strain on the travel budget. Fortunately, you can research suitable campsites for your desired route online with little effort. In addition to the web search, apps such as „park4night“ or „StayFree“ can help. They list parking and pitches with detailed descriptions and, with a bit of luck, you can find idyllic places to stay overnight that are legal and free at the same time. Another trend: farmers provide free camper pitches and the overnight guests buy food in the attached farm shop or let themselves be entertained by the hosts for a fee. Such offers can be found, for example, at landvergnuegen.com.

5. optimise additional costs

Even if the camper rental is almost free of charge – on many journeys there are toll or ferry fees. These costs are generally not covered by Movacar. If you want to know in advance what you will have to pay for your trip, you can use the route planner on the ADAC website to calculate the estimated consumption and toll costs. By selecting the appropriate options, you can also display routes that do not include motorway tolls. If you then take the relaxed but somewhat longer route via country roads, you can save a lot of money.

6. travel time – best to drive in the low season
With the transfer trips via Movacar, the camper van rental companies ensure that the camper vans are taken to the places where they are needed in the high season. Therefore, the 1 Euro Camper Vans are mainly available in the low season – before or after holidays and public holidays. Travellers who don’t want to go over the Easter holidays and who don’t have to stick to school holidays are therefore at a clear advantage when it comes to getting the best bargains. And since the camper vans are all comfortably equipped (e.g. with auxiliary heating), nothing stands in the way of a camper adventure even in cooler periods.

7. see new offers immediately: Set up a route alert!
The supply of 1 Euro campers depends heavily on the needs of the motorhome rental companies to bring the vehicles to the various stations. Therefore, the availability on the Movacar platform fluctuates greatly. In addition, the trips are very popular, so that some routes are already fully booked shortly after they are published.

Tip: If you set up a route alarm on Movacar, you can store as many pick-up or drop-off locations as you like and immediately receive a message when new offers are bookable. By the way, there are currently 1 euro camper and rally offers until well into May. It pays to be quick!