Our rental guide may answer your possible questions for planning your holiday with a motorhome in Europe. In addition to many information about renting a motorhome, you can also find specific instructions, tips and legal regulations for an unforgettable motorhome holiday in Europe.
Use our convenient price comparison page to calculate a motorhome hire in Europe. For your further questions you are welcome to contact us personally.
Our website is constantly updated and new Special Offers regularly available. However it may happen on rare occurrence that you cannot calculate your trip online. This is usually the case when you are planning your trip very far in advance. It may be the case that we have not yet received the new rates from the rental company. If you are unable to get a quote for your trip please call us to check and we will advise you when the new rates will be available online.
Our website functions as a catalogue. It is not directly linked to the rental partners and therefore will only show the price and not the availability. We will check the availability for you on receipt of your booking request. This is then confirmed by the rental company and the vehicle is firmly booked for you and you will receive your booking confirmation. If the rental partner cannot confirm the desired vehicle, we will contact you and discuss any alternatives with you.
In general, the more short-term the booking is made the more difficult it is to find an available vehicle.
Should you want to rent more than one motorhome with the same rental partner you may be eligible for a discount. Each rental company offers their own individual discounts. We will be more than happy to inform you of any discounts you will receive. Discounts for rentals during the same travel period, for example groups or several families, are typically not available.
For insurance reasons it is not possible to get a quote for rentals longer than 99 days on our website. Should you wish to rent for more than 99 days please contact us and we will be more than happy to provide you with an individual quote.
One-way hires are usually not possible in Europe with the exception of Touring Cars Scandinavia and Avis Car-Away France. Not only do they offer one-way rentals in France but from Paris they also offer one-way hires to following European cities: Rome, Milan, Venice, Madrid, Munich, Frankfurt, Berlin, Zurich and Amsterdam.
Even though all vehicles have similar equipment and layout, small differences in vehicle design may exist. All measurements and size indications are approximate values and are based on the information provided to us by the rental company.
The rental company will make every effort to ensure that the booked vehicle model is provided. However, it reserves the right, to provide either a vehicle of the same or a higher value without upgrade costs if the model booked is not available due to unforeseen circumstances.
When collecting the motorhome you are required to leave a security deposit. The level of deposit required varies between rental companies and will depend on the package booked. The deposit is required to be paid by credit card. Details of the deposit can be found in the rental agreement and with some rental companies a credit card fee may apply.
Additional drivers can be registered at pick-up time. Anyone wanting to drive the motorhome must have their details entered in the rental agreement and present a valid driving license and passport. In some instances additional fees may be charged please see the rental conditions for more details.
It is not common for our European rental partners to offer transfers and where they are offered there may be additional fees to pay for the service. Detailed information can be found in the rental information under the heading "Pick up / Drop off". We are happy to help you with the choice of hotels. We advise you to call the rental station at the latest on the day of pick-up to confirm the transfer time.
The minimum and maximum age requirements for drivers vary depending on the rental partner. Details of the requirements can be found in the important rental information. If you are unsure whether you are able to rent a certain model please contact us, advising of the preferred model and we will happily advise.
A valid national license is acceptable for use in most European countries as long as all details are also provided in English. If the license does not provide information in English, an international driving license is then required together with the original license. An international driving license alone cannot be accepted, it must be presented along with the original.
*Please note that a special driving license is required for vehicles over 3500kg.
Please allow enough time for you to collect the motorhome. We suggest that you do not plan too much on the first day of your hire. By the time you pick-up the vehicle, make yourself at home in it and buy your groceries the afternoon will normally be well under way. For detailed information about pick-up and drop-off times please refer to the 'Important rental info' for the rental company in question.
A staff member will go through the motorhome with you and explain the functions. We recommend that you go through the vehicle from the outside as well as inside and inspect it for any possible damage before leaving the depot. If you do not use a transfer, we recommend you call the station on the morning of the collection and arrange a time for the pick-up.
The rental stations are generally far outside the inner cities and international airports. If no transfer is provided, we recommend taking a taxi to the rental depot. The location of each rental location and the distance to the airport can be viewed on our website by clicking on the preferred rental company then selecting the heading "Rental Depots".
Storage can often be limited in motorhomes, recommend taking hold all travel bags and backpacks rather than hard suitcases. Some rental stations are happy to provide space to store your luggage during the hire. We are happy to clarify this prior to your arrival. It is not possible to store luggage for a one-way rental.
It is possible to collect your motorhome on the same day as your arrival into the country. Please note the depot opening times and ensure that you have enough time, factoring in any potential delays, to get to the rental depot and have a full show through before they close.
If your return flight is before 12 noon we recommend returning the motorhome the day before as many depots only open after 9am and again may be quite a distance from the nearest airport.
Unfortunately, there is generally no parking available at the rental branches. If necessary, we will be happy to clarify this for you individually.
All rental partners will provide vehicle equipment such as bedding, towels and kitchen equipment. Unless pre-booked and paid to Motorhome Bookers an additional fee will be charged for the rental of these items at the depot. We advise you to check the completeness of these kits.
Depending on the rental company many additional extras are available for hire from the depots such as camping tables and chairs and GPS Navigation systems etc. We recommend reserving these in advance to ensure that they are available in sufficient numbers for you. The payment is due according to the rental company and is either paid to Motorhome Bookers direct or at the depot on collection of the motorhome.
Almost all motorhomes are equipped with a CD Player and Radio. Some vehicles already offer MP3 ports. However, since this varies depending on the rental partner and the vehicle model, it is unfortunately not possible to guarantee MP3 / AUX ports. However, we will give happily pass your request to the rental company and were possible, this will adhere to meet your request.
Smoking is prohibited in principle with all rental companies. Should you violate this rule you will be subject to large fines.
The possibility of transporting pets varies with each of our rental partners. It is important that you note your desire to travel with a pet in the booking process, should the rental company refuse the request we will then discuss possible alternatives with you. As a renter, you will be responsible for the cleaning of the vehicle as well as any damage caused. Please note that due to allergies no animal hair may be left in the vehicle when the motorhome is returned, otherwise, high cleaning costs can be incurred.
Some motorhome models are equipped with a TV so you can watch films on the go. These will not work whilst driving and require an appropriate power connection such as on the camp site or when using the generator.
All motorhomes are equipped with a 12v connector in the driver’s cab which can be used to charge phones and GPS navigation devices etc. Depending on the vehicle size it will be equipped with several power points. An adaptor will be needed to use the power sockets. Please note that the power sockets can only be used when connected to a power source such as in a camp ground.
Not all motorhomes are winter-proof. If it is likely that you will experience temperature levels below zero, all connections such as water and chemical tanks should be emptied. If frost temperatures are expected the rental depot will have already winterized the vehicle by emptying the water to avoid freezing, etc. prior to your pick-up date.
Winterised by definition means that the water has been emptied out of all tanks. Following this it is not permitted to pour any water into the fresh water tank and none of the water connections can then be used such as the basins, sink, showers and toilet. Winterisation should not be done by the renter equally it should not be undone by the renter, and is only possible from the depot or in workshops.
In many European countries it is forbidden to Free Camp. Please use authorised camping areas.
The Guardian put together a quick and easy guide to wild camping in Europe:
www.theguardian.com/travel/2010/may/15/wild-camping-europe-uk-legalities
Motorhome Bookers cannot guarantee the accuracy of details on this website.
Throughout central Europe there are around 9,000 camping grounds available. Many European camping grounds have extensive facilities. Most of them have well serviced showers, toilets, washing areas, and many also have kitchen areas where you can cook and wash your dishes. The camping grounds often also have bars, recreation rooms and small convenience stores onsite. In a lot of camping grounds you pay for your electricity by the kilowatt hour on top of the site rental rate.
You can expect to pay between 25-35 Euros per night as the base rate for a motorhome site at a camping ground.
There are various areas in many countries where you can camp in the open for free, but it pays to be aware of the local regulations which can differ from country to country and from town to town. For example, in Germany and Austria there are also designated areas called "Stellplätze" in some areas, where it is possible to park or camp with a motorhome for a small fee. You may also be allowed to park on private land if you ask the owner for permission first.
If you are planning to take your motorhome on a ferry we would advise you to make the ferry reservation as early as possible. We advise that you book the ferry for the largest category offered by the rental company to avoid any potential problems should you not receive the motorhome booked at collection due to unforeseen circumstances. We do not recommend booking a ferry on the same day as collection, as a delay at the depot can lead you to miss the crossing.
There are an abundance of different ferry companies however many routes can be found on the www.ferrylines.com/en/home.
Please note that neither the rental companies nor Motorhome Bookers make any ferry reservations.
If you have a breakdown, accident or a mechanical defect for example with the refrigerator, you must call the rental company on all occasions. For this purpose a contact number will be provided. Should you have an accident in the motorhome you must notify the police.
To get an understanding of current fuel prices please visit
www.fuel-prices-europe.info
Understandably fuel prices suffer constant price fluctuations.
Please note that each rental company has their own driving restrictions. Driving within the EU is usually no problem and usually does not require any additional authorisation. Some countries may however be restricted for example driving to East Europe. You should check before booking whether it is possible to take the rental vehicle through your desired countries, we would be happy to advise you.
With almost all of our rental partners unlimited kilometers are included in the rental rates with the exception of our rental partner Avis Car-Away for rentals from/to Ajaccio where 150 km/day are included only.
All rental companies reserve the right to charge you a service fee for parking tickets and fines, these often take a while to process and can be charged long after returning motorhome. You will often see this called a handling fee, the actual ticket will be provided directly by the relevant authority charged.
To avoid subsequent processing fees paid by the rental partners, we recommend tolls be paid directly. Tolls often fall in inner cities as well as when driving on bridges, for example in France and Scandinavia.
Bike/racks can be rented from many rental partners. Please contact us for further details.