Campervans are vans or minivans retrofitted with a bed or two and other luxuries of home, dvd/tv, table, and many times, a small kitchen. They drive easy because they are basically a regular road vehicle. I have always like the idea of owning a campervan. It appeals to my survival extinct. Unfortunately, my husband does not share my enthusiasm. So, I have held back my enthusiasm...until now.
At the end of this week begins the start of SPRING BREAK. Spring break is the antithesis of OFF-PEAK. It is as ON-PEAK as it can be. So, finding an available place, let alone affordable, in any popular destination is an impossibility. You cannot even find available campsites at the more popular locations such as Yosemite. So, campervanning seemed liked the best solution and the present situation seemed liked the best time to pitch the idea to my husband.
I did what I usually do at the start of my research. I first did a query search of campervans, deals related to campervans, etc. Then, I searched all the regular deal sites such as - Groupon, Living Social, Plum District, etc. I found 2 offerings, one on Groupon and one on Living Social. In order to compare the deals, I searched online for complaints or reviews of campervans. I read that users of campervans, and more generally rv/motorhome, have to watch for back-end costs such as - extra miles charge, gas charge, etc. This is not a review of how to rent a campervan so I will not go further into detail.
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| JUCY CHAMPION - SLEEPS 4 |
I found a campervan company called JUCY CAMPERVAN that was offering a deal through Groupon and Living Social. I read the review and felt comfortable. I selected a GROUPON deal for unlimited miles for 7 nights for $399. GROUPON was (still is at the time of writing this post) having a sale (10% to 20% off) for applicable purchases by using the promo code MEGA3 which brought my total down by $50.
Before I purchased my GROUPON, I continued to read the reviews on YELP and found one user mention a program called RELOCATION sales or promotion. This is basically where the company needs to move their vehicle from one location to another and offer the customer an ability to rent one of their vehicles for $1 per day to drive it from point A to point B. I contacted my local JUCY center and found that they indeed had a need. They had one vehicle that needed to go up to the San Francisco area location. I asked if there was also a vehicle at the San Francisco location that needed to come down to Los Angeles, and there was. So, I booked them.
JUCY's relocation program gives you 4 days (it is actually more like 3 days because drop off has to be between the hours of 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.) to drive the vehicle from point A to point B. Earlier I said they charge $1 a day, but in actuality, they charge $1 per night. Through this program, they throw in (according to Brandi at JUCY in Lawndale) the cooking provisions but they do not include the folding chairs or linens. If you need them, you can rent them at an extra charge. Also, it did not include extra insurance. They also allow you to drive from point A to point B in 600 miles. That is about 200 extra miles than what it takes to drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco. However, in my case, they are giving me 700 miles.
Just to be on the safe side, I added their OPTIONAL collision waiver insurance for $10 per night. My out the door price for each leg of my trip is $36.30 ($30 for insurance + $3 per night + tax). So, my family and I will drive up the coast and down the coast. We are also breaking up our 2 legs by staying a day or two up north to visit San Francisco. We haven't decided where we will stop during our trip - Big Sur, Monterey Aquarium, Hearst Castle - who knows.
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