When planning a holiday or journey, getting from place to place within a country is often one of the biggest areas of research and cost. Each country’s transport routes and cultures differ. After around 5 years of travelling in nearly every transport method imaginable I have established the kind of factors that stand out to make the conditions right for actually renting a campervan or motorhome rather than trying other methods of transport.

The 3 primary things that combine to help guide the decision are size of country, population and wealth of the nation overall. I’ll break these down so you can understand what I mean.

Size of the Country

General rule: the larger the country, the worse the public transport. The larger the country the more area that has to be efficiently covered by the public transport network. A larger country means the more spread out the population is. This will mean that public transport will concentrate on the main corridors between major cities making it difficult to get to those fantastic out-of-the-way tourist attractions. That is, unless there are plenty of people wanting to get to those places – which brings us to population.

Population

General rule: the larger the population, the better the public transport; If the population is large there is going to be plenty of people who want to get to all corners of the country. India is a great example of this. Despite the vastness of the country there are still people in every corner. Public transport is only going to go to all the places you might want to go if there is enough demand for it. Subsequently, if the population is small, the transport network is not going to go many places other than the major cities. Not only is the public transport guided by the population as a whole, but also the permanent population that actually relies on public transport as opposed to owning their own vehicle. This leads to wealth of the nation.

National Wealth

In wealthy westernized nations, plenty of people can afford to own and run their own vehicle. This means the overall demand for the pubic transport will be lower than might exist in countries where people earn less money and take buses and trains everywhere. Less demand = less supply = you’re left sitting on you butt waiting for buses and trains all the time.

So, how do you work out if you are going to a country where campervan hire is the better option. Well lets look at some examples where campervan or motorhome hire is a more desirable option:

Australia:

Vast land mass, small population, wealthy country. There are only about 22m people in Australia. Most of them can afford their own vehicle. It is a long way from anywhere to anywhere else. Due to the fact that there is very little demand from the locals for long haul public transport, it is limited in destinations, frequency and very costly. Much time travelling in Australia will be wasted on waiting for buses or trains as well as sitting in said transport to get anywhere. If travelling in your own vehicle you can start when you want, stop for little sideshow adventures when you want and finish the day when you want.

New Zealand:

Small land mass, tiny population, wealthy country. There are only about 4.5m people in New Zealand. It is wealthy so most people own vehicles. For this reason there is little public transport outside the cities meaning that getting from place to place can be difficult and time consuming. In general, outside of the cities, there is NO public transport.

Canada:

Very similar to Australia. There are about 34m people spread out over a huge land mass. It is a long way from anywhere to anywhere else and most people own cars as it is a wealthy nation. Public transport is limited for these reasons making it difficult and time consuming to get everywhere. Transport concentrates mainly on the main corridors from city to city meaning if you want to go anywhere else you will be waiting a long time for frequency and paying a lot for privilege of going somewhere off the beaten track – if the option is even provided.

USA:

Huge land mass, huge population, wealthy country. The USA is a country you can get around on public transport due to the population demand. The higher the population, the better the public transport, however, there is so much to offer that although you can do it, you are better off having you’re own vehicle – this comes back to size. Like Canada, getting off the main corridors is possible but the frequency of services drops off and the price goes up.

South Africa:

Large land mass, large population, not as wealthy as previous nations. I have not traveled in South Africa so I can only go on what I read and interperet. There has been a large growth recently in the amount of campervan hire companies that have a presence there so I am thinking that the size and variety of the nation is starting to make it attractive to the campervan and motorhome hire enthusiast.

If you are planning travel, particularly in the countries mentioned above, then you should seriously consider a campervan or motorhome to expedite your ability to move around at will. If you are thinking about another nation, you should consider the 3 influencing factors discussed when you are researching that country and seeing if fits as being the kind of country where you are better off having your own vehicle.

FYI here are the population densities of the nations listed above to show how it correlates to needing a campervan to get around. If the country you are looking at going to is similar to these, you should think about a campervan.

Australia 7 ppl per sq mi

Canada 9 ppl per sq mi

New Zealand 39 ppl per sq mi

United States 84 ppl per sq mi

South Africa 94 ppl per sq mi

India 954 ppl per sq mi – use public transport!

A number of individuals plan for vacations with their family and friends to get relieved from the stress of their busy schedule. Nowadays, most people prefer travelling by air because it saves a lot of time, but cheapest air tickets can be an add-on as it will save some money as well. However, it is not an easy task. But with the advent of many new airlines and growing competition in the aviation industry, many carriers are now offering cheap deals to attract customers. Experts believe that internet is the best way to find about these deals. For the same, there are several tours and travel agencies, which have their websites that provides a platform to people for comparing the prices to get the best available deal. Moreover, there are also other ways to get air tickets at low prices.

In order to avail discounted tickets, it is always better to book the tickets almost a month or two prior to the travelling date as tickets are generally costlier during the peak time. However, sometimes last moment booking can provide good deals as the airlines are left with some seats that needs to be filled. Apart from this, individuals who are flexible to travel especially during late nights or early mornings can save a lot of money as the price of tickets during these hours are relatively less.

Air India can be a good option as it is not just cost effective, but also provides several discount offers. This carrier flies to 26 International and 49 domestic destinations, while offering cheap deals along with high rated services. Another great way to get reasonably priced tickets is to keep a track of the promotional offers that the airlines come up with. During festivals, generally the price of air tickets go high but during off seasons the price decreases, which eventually becomes best time to travel to any destination with lower airfare. Moreover, flying on weekdays can be equally beneficial as most people prefer travelling on week ends and thus, the price of tickets are comparatively high.

Besides, sometimes credit card companies give promotional offers on air ticket bookings as most of them have tie ups with travel agencies. Nevertheless, these are some of the ways to get cheapest air tickets but it is important to keep in mind that low cost tickets do not provide other facilities like food, etc. It is best suited for the ones who travel frequently for official work.

Southeast Asia is one of the world’s fastest rising regions. While a lot of news and digital ink have been devoted to the not so unexpected rise of China from poverty to a world economic powerhouse, there has been a quiet revolution happening in Southeast Asia. The implications are going to be huge since this corner of the world has lots of people and has a lot to offer the rest of the world. Composed of Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Burma, Indonesia, Cambodia, Brunei, The Philippines, and Malaysia, Southeast Asia offers a lot of exciting economic possibilities for the rest of the world. It is a top source of manufactured goods, outsourced customer relations services, electronics, and raw materials. All told, this corner of the world has a huge young base of consumers and producers. Not surprisingly, many Western travelers have been checking out Southeast Asia and are quickly discovering the diverse attractions this super region offers.

From the massive Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia to Thailand’s elephant parks and open river markets to Indonesia’s ancient temples to Malaysia’s breath-taking natural vistas, Southeast Asia offers a lot of exotic charms for the Western traveler. The challenge for the adventure-seeking traveler is to avoid the temptation to clump these destinations together. Many people develop an ‘if you see one temple, you’ve seen them all’ mentality that ruins the specific regional and local charms of many Southeast Asian attractions. This is especially true for Vietnam. If you go on vietnam tours, you will quickly realize that this country stands apart from its more popular neighbor Thailand. While Thailand’s beaches and mountain trails are packed with tourists and its cities are congested, Vietnam offers a wholly different set of experiences. Thanks to its relatively tighter controls, Vietnam’s nature destinations are less saturated. They are simpler and, well, more ‘natural.’ There is a simple elegance to many Vietnamese travel destinations like Nha Trang or Danang Beach. Even Vietnamese historical locations like Hue City or Hanoi have a largely unspoiled, uncluttered, and uncongested air to them compared to the many travel destinations in Thailand.

Spice up your itinerary

Due to it relatively unspoiled offerings, Vietnam offers great destinations you can use to either open or preface your Southeast Asian jaunt or close one. You can put vietnam tours either at the beginning of your Southeast Asian adventure or you can conclude your adventure with a trip to Vietnam. Either way, your vietnam tours will offer a relatively unspoiled, simple, elegant view of a country that has strong Chinese cultural influences. While Vietnam’s historical attractions like the Cu Chi tunnels or Hue City and Hanoi pack a lot of history and culture, Vietnam is also no slouch when it comes to natural attractions like great beaches, beautiful vistas, and nature trails. You only need to consider Halong Bay and its ‘out of this world’ look to see how awesome Vietnam’s travel destinations are. Halong Bay offers a whole coastline dotted with small green-topped islets that look like they are floating on the water.

Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, is emerging as a top global tourist destination. It is a great sunny and seaside destination in the island-country and makes for a really memorable trip. Staying in a Colombo hostel is another rich experience. Most of the city hostels are truly grand and remarkable. They come with all sorts of facilities and luxurious amenities to give you a rejuvenating stay. You can get all sorts of hostels depending on your requirement. There are the budgeted hostels as well as the expensive ones and it is very easy to book one in advance.

Another truly amazing experience is to check into a Colombo beach hostel. A beach hostel is definitely a place which can put up your accommodation close to the nature. The beaches of Sri Lanka are exuberant and exotic. Their pristine beauty can definitely leave an indelible mark on your mind. At these beach hostels, you can easily get a sea-facing room. Leaning by the window-sill against the backdrop of the Indian Ocean and gazing at the sun-kissed sky can be an unforgettable feeling. What more can a nature-lover ask for?

Colombo is a place of myriad activities. The local culture is pretty interesting even to an Asian. For a westerner, it will be a refreshing revelation! Local people may look grave but are very friendly and you can get on with them very easily. The shopping facilities are also great in this part of the world. Apart from commercial complexes, you can also get a taste of the traditional markets. You can shop for everything but do not forget to carry back some mementos. After you have had your cozy rest in your Colombo hostel, you must set out for some sightseeing. The city has plenty of attractions and each of them is as good as the other.

Talangama Wetland is a swampy area which is a must-visit for someone who loves natural sites. The flora & fauna around the wetland is also very rich and photogenic. Amongst the beaches, the beach of Mount Lavinia is a firm favorite with many. It is sunny, breezy and sandy and the sea always looks inviting. Some people simply fall head over heels in love with this beach and make sure that they book rooms in a Colombo beach hostel nearby.

Stepping into the history, the Wolvendaal Church trip will be a nostalgic experience. The old and grand church holds some poignant Dutch memories. Sri Lanka also houses some sedate temples and Buddhist viharas. One of the more famous ones is the Gangaramaya Buddhist Temple whose beauty and tranquility is beyond compare.

Those who love their museums can find plenty in this part of Asia. Colombo National Museum is a special attraction and so is the Dutch Period Museum. If you are a fan of the sport of cricket, then do not forget to check out the famous R. Premadasa Stadium which has seen a number of nail-biting matches over the years.