This is one of those travel hacks that sounds too good to be true until you actually do it. I drove from Sydney to Melbourne for a dollar a day as part of my round the world trip without taking a flight, and it remains one of the better travel decisions I’ve made.
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What Is Vehicle Relocation?
Relocation companies like iMOOVA need vehicles moved between cities. Car rental fleets get unbalanced when more people drive one way than the other, and rather than pay to transport the vehicles themselves, the companies offer them to drivers at heavily discounted rates. We’re talking as little as $1 a day for a car or van. Some relocations include a fuel allowance on top and some interstate routes throw in ferry tickets if part of the journey crosses water.
What’s The Catch?
Flexibility. You need to be available when the deals appear, which can sometimes mean booking at short notice. You don’t get to pick your exact dates the way you would with a standard rental, and the destination is dictated by where the vehicle needs to go rather than where you feel like driving. If you’re a spontaneous traveller or you’re between commitments, this suits well. If you need to plan months ahead around a fixed schedule, it’s harder to work with.
Routes vary in availability depending on the season and and the needs of hire companies at any given time. Checking platforms like iMOOVA regularly and being ready to move quickly when a route you want appears is the main skill involved.
How to Make the Trip Cost Almost Nothing
Pair the relocation deal with free camping or budget campsites along the route and the total trip cost starts approaching zero. Australia has a strong network of free camping spots accessible through apps like WikiCamps, which means the road between cities can be as cheap as the relocation itself.
I’m also considering using points to book the positioning flight to the pickup city for my next trip, or using points for the return flight home after dropping the vehicle. If you can pull that off, you’ve engineered a full road trip holiday for close to nothing out of pocket.
It Works Beyond Australia Too
Vehicle relocation isn’t unique to Australia. The same model exists in New Zealand, the United States, Canada and parts of Europe and South America. The principles are identical, check the relocation platforms for your destination country, stay flexible on timing and move fast when the right deal appears.
Have you done a vehicle relocation? Comment below with your route and experience. Book your own vehicle relocation trip here and follow 5 Star Trip for more ways to travel further for less.