Renting Out Your Van in the Winter

It comes as little surprise to people looking to rent out their vans with GoCamp that summer is our busy season. So what happens in the fall and winter? Is it even possible to make money renting out your van in the winter months?

It is indeed possible to make good money—thousands of dollars—renting out your van in the winter. Read on for practical tips and tricks to prep your rig and keep the bookings rolling in through the low season.

Prep Your Van For Winter Rentals

You can give renters a magical winter camping experience, even if your rig isn’t equipped with 4×4 capabilities and a heater in the cabin. Here are a few tips for keeping the good times rolling all winter long.

1. Use the beginning of low season to perform routine maintenance on your rig. Ensure you’re up to date on all van maintenance. Double check that your van’s systems are ready for cold weather and that your heating systems are in good working order.
2. Consider upgrading to snow tires or providing snow chains with your van.
3. Buy a portable heater if you don’t already have a built-in heater. A portable heater can effectively warm your van even on the chilliest of days. If you’re in the market, check out the popular Buddy Heaters.
4. Keep your renters warm at night by adding an extra blanket or two to your van’s sleeping system. Consider offering flannel sheets and/or sleeping bags during the winter months. Lots of owners opt for these down comforters from Rumpl.
5. Provide window coverings and/or install curtains to better insulate your van.
6. Add rugs to help insulate your van’s floor.
7. Set up your van for dry camping if you’re worried about keeping your water systems from freezing.
8. Store a small broom inside your rig for sweeping out snow and dirt.

Optimize Your Listing

Your rig is ready to go with all the winter essentials. Now it’s time to make sure your listing is competitive.

1. Consider adjusting your nightly rate to encourage low-season rentals. The national average for Class B camper van rentals is $170/night. For optimal success in the low season, consider making your nightly rate the same or lower than the national average.
2. Review your minimum night requirements. Most owners set high nightly minimums for their vans in the high season, like four to six nights. If your goal is to rent your van as much as possible throughout the low season, consider decreasing your van’s minimum nightly requirements to attract those renters who might only want a two to three-night trip.
3. Update your calendar. Take a moment to make sure your van’s availability is accurately reflected from October 1 – April 30. These are the dates that GoCamp considers the low season.
4. Update your van’s winter-ready features. Make sure your listing clearly and accurately describes your van’s winter-ready features and add-ons. When you list with GoCamp, we will update your van listing for you.

Move Your Rig South for the Winter

Additional opportunities exist for you to make money renting out your van in the winter if you’re willing to relocate your camper van to a warmer destination. Many van owners use consignment arrangements to rent out their vans during the winter. In a consignment scenario, you’d put your RV in a pool managed by someone else who would meet and greet renters, perform routine maintenance on the van, and generally handle the whole process.

Some current GoCamp owners located in warmer destinations offer to manage consignment listings in the winter months. If you have already listed your camper van with GoCamp and are interested in winter consignment options, contact our Owner Success team to discuss further.

Find Success with these Best Practices for RV Owners

We’ve been helping van owners succeed in renting out their camper vans since 2017. Over the years we’ve facilitated 1,000’s of successful rentals and made it possible for van owners to earn tens of thousands of dollars. For more information about renting out your camper van, check out all the articles written for van owners. And if you are ready to list your camper van with GoCamp, head to the List Your Van page now.

Earn as much as $50,000+

Use your van when you want to; make good money renting it out when you aren’t using it.

Curious how it all works? Sign up to learn more and we’ll send you everything you need to know about making money renting out your RV or camper van, including:

• Resources and tools to increase your success.
• Van owner case studies about creating passive income.
• GoCamp’s Top 10 Tips for Successfully Renting Out Your Camper Van.

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