Michele, how did you come up with the idea of camper sharing?
The idea for MyCamper was born during the 2014 summer holidays when my girlfriend and I were travelling Sardinia in our VW bus called Charly. One evening we philosophized about everything and realized that our faithful friend is bored too often, standing around in his garage and aging year after year.
I wanted to change this situation, because most camping vehicles spend more than 90% of their time unused and risk damage to their stands. This gave me the idea to build a camper sharing platform where I could share my VW bus with friends and other adventurous people.
Because the idea of giving other people such unique holidays and at the same time reducing the standing time of my bus as well as sharing the fixed costs was and still is great for me!
There are already many car rental platforms online today. What is the advantage of booking a camper with you and not through another provider?
With over 1,200 vehicles, MyCamper has the largest and most varied selection of mobilehomes, campervans and caravans in Switzerland and Sweden.
In addition to the standard campers, our range also includes vehicles that are not available anywhere else - such as a fire engine converted into a camper, a converted two-storey coach, "cult" VW buses in retro style or original caravans from the 60s and 70s.
Does MyCamper also offer a price advantage?
Our offer is easy to book online and is on average 25% cheaper than commercial providers – with better services: More comprehensive insurance solutions are possible for our vehicles than with other car rental companies. With us, for example, the entire interior can be insured. Nevertheless, the deductible for most vehicles insured through us is only CHF 200, where it is usually at least CHF 1′000.
Other arguments in favour of MyCamper are the personal aspects: In addition to the camper, you will receive valuable tips and tricks from real connoisseurs of the camping scene at the handover. All this helps to have a carefree and relaxed camping holiday ;-)
Can you explain how your concept works? How can I rent a camper with you?
Anyone can browse and rent a camper on MyCamper. Just like Airbnb, each camper is displayed via a profile that contains the most important information. Once the right camper has been found, you can book directly online or make a non-binding enquiry to the owner and talk to him/her. Payment is made via MyCamper. We also ensure that fair rental conditions apply to both sides. As soon as the trip begins, the camper can be picked up from the owner.
And how can I rent out my camper as the owner? How much is the rental price?
On MyCamper, camper owners can offer their vehicle for rental with just a few clicks, including a comprehensive insurance solution via Basler. The rental price is determined by the owner himself, with MyCamper providing price suggestions. No fees are charged to the rental company. We take care of the payment transactions, the rental conditions and the marketing of the vehicles. MyCamper only receives a commission when the booking is successfully completed.
Together with Baloise, MyCamper has developed an insurance solution that you mentioned. What exactly does the product look like?
The first thing that anyone renting out his or her vehicle to a third party as a private individual needs is fully comprehensive cover and liability insurance. So to make things as easy as possible for customers, insurance was included in the offer from day one. Baloise came up with a highly customised package that is a perfect fit for MyCamper.
In addition to compulsory insurance (with comprehensive cover, third party liability and bonus protection), which is fixed for every rental, the vehicle owner also has a choice of compulsory insurance (interior insurance). The hirer can also choose a holiday insurance policy (with cancellation insurance, luggage insurance and travel assistance). Insurance is provided on a daily basis for the duration of the rental agreement.