Difference between Campervan & Caravan

This is one of the posts that I've been anticipating to share since the day we started this blog. I've forgotten how exactly the idea of driving and/or staying on a campervan stroked us but I'm really glad that we did it! :)

A lot of us thought that both caravan and campervan are the same. So did I! They are actually different. When I started doing our research for our road trip, the different names and terms used to describe the different types of vehicles available for hire are really confusing. Apart from the term caravan (commonly heard and used), there are words such as campervan, camper, motorhome and RV (recreational vehicle).

The one that we have gotten was a campervan. So yes, here's the question. What is a campervan? What is a caravan? What exactly are the differences between them? 

Recreational Vehicle
Commonly known as RV. It's an umbrella term being used in North America to describe motorised vehicles used as a means of travel and as a temporary home. The term can be used to refer to both motorhomes and campervans.

Camper

Another generic term for a motorised vehicle. Same definition of RV above.


Motorhome
Motorhomes are larger berth vehicles, generally built on a long-wheel base. Motorhomes usually include kitchen and bathroom facilities, as well as other features typically found in home (e.g. television, DVD player, air conditioning).


Caravan
It is generally an unpowered vehicle, pulled/ towed by a powered vehicle. Basically you tow a mobile home or trailer, fully equipped with household accessories and towed behind a vehicle. It is designed to be occupied as a house would and depending on its size contains sleeping quarters, ablution facilities and cooking facilities. I personally find caravan is a rather more dangerous comparing to the rest of the available options especially when you are an inexperience tow vehicle driver driving on a foreign country. Manoeuvring a caravan is definitely not easy for us Singaporeans.


Campervan
A van equipped as a self-contained travelling home, they are normally small than a motorhome. There is generally no divide between the cab and living quarters. Comes with basic facilities for cooking, washing and sleeping. The term campervan usually refers to a smaller 2 to 3 berth vehicle. They are usually more compact than either caravan or motorhome but definitely easier to drive compared to the other two.


Different types and sizes of campervans 
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Information that you might be interested: 

To find out which is the right type for you
http://www.discovery-motorhomes.co.nz/whichcampervan.php 

Rent A Campervan New Zealand

http://www.rentacampervan.co.nz 

Day 05: The End of Part 1

Moving on to the fifth day of our 31 Days Adventure which also marked the end of the first part of the trip and we checked out the hotel for real this time round. Good bye, Cosmopolitan Hotel! 

Family photo in our tiny-weeny room. 
The Petite Room of Cosmopolitan Hotel was located on the two-and-a-half storey of the hotel. 
Another family photo in the car.
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Back at Dendy Street Beach Brighton (about 15mins drive from our hotel) first thing in the morning to take a closer look at the 82 colorful Brighton Bathing Boxes that we missed out the previous day.  This tourist and cultural icon of Melbourne was on my must-go list! Thankful for the nice weather and we can bring Duffy out for a walk on the beach! :) 

Entrance to the beach
Loving the vibrant colours of the boxes! 
Before we leave the beach.. guess what we saw! Infringement notices (in Singlish SUMMON) sticking on the two cars next to ours.. 

So be sure you pay and display your parking ticket! Otherwise, the penalty is AUD70!!!
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The rest of the afternoon was spent SHOPPING in one of Melbourne's outlet mall - DFO South Wharf! The name says it all, Direct Factory Outlet. The mall offers a wide range of the Australian and international brands under one roof.

Kate Hiew at Kate Hill hehe // Miniature looking ATM 
Check out my new kicks! 
Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you the most expensive and scariest parking charges I've ever seen in my life. AUD30 (SGD36.90) for that few hours of shopping in the DFO!! Thankfully, a 50% parking discount will be given to the mall's customers. Just remember to grab a discount ticket from any of the store cashier. 

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On the way to Melbourne CBD for another round of shopping. Hi babyboy! 
Chanced upon the existence of this Sweet & Nut Shop (located in a corner of the CBD) while researching on places to buy macadamia nuts and nougats for souvenirs in Melbourne. Bought a bar of their homemade cranberry nougat (original nougat with a hint of sourness from the dried cranberries) and a packet of honey macadamia nuts for AUD19

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Dropped off our car at the car rental depot and the night was spent at Melbourne Airport because we had an early flight at 7:10AM (local time) to catch to the second part of the adventure - New Zealand!!! 

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Information you might be interested in: 

Brighton Bathing Box
Dendy Street Beach
Brighton VIC 3186, Australia
http://www.brightonbathingbox.org.au

DFO South Wharf
20 Convention Centre Place
South Wharf VIC 3006, Australia
Opening Hours: 10AM-6PM

Sweet & Nut Shop
250 Russell Street
Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
http://www.sweetnutshop.com.au/location.aspx

All you need is 30mins

Yes, 30mins was all that we took to plan, decide and book! Can't believe we are flying off again!!!
Excitement overflowing!! Thank you, Scoot! 

Day 04: Back to Melbourne

Checked out our apartment and headed off to The Twelve Apostles for the second time! We were hoping to get to walk down to have a look at the popular tourist attraction which we missed out the previous day due to the unpredicted wet weather. But guess what.. Apparently we are totally not fated for the famous natural structure, it was raining non-stop again when we were there! :( What a pity.. 

Good bye, Great Ocean Road (with a heavy heart of disappointment).. and we drove off back to Melbourne, another long day of driving (for the prince actually). 

Hearty breakfast to start off the day! 
Definitely don't get to see rainbow so often in Singapore. 
Will be great if the weather had maintained this way throughout.
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Braved through the wind and rain for a shot together. 
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Stopped by at Geelong for a quick bite and ended up in the supermarket instead. Bought some snacks and continued on the driving.

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Along roadside of the Princes Freeway (links between Melbourne and Geelong), we saw littles boards that goes like "Direct from Farm", "Cherries $10/plate", "Strawberries $5/strawberries" and etc.. And these boards led us to Fruit2Go! A fruit store with pretty lots of varieties but it wasn't as cheap as I have expected.. AUD7.90 for our strawberries and cherries. 

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Headed down to The Baths Restaurant & Cafe Brighton the moment we reached Melbourne for our very late lunch. The restaurant was closed when we were there and only open for dinner later in the evening. So we headed to the cafe instead. Both the cafe and restaurant overlook the sea and paint a really nice backdrop and amb. Bright colours interiors of the cafe. Prices wise, AUD52.50 (SGD64.60) for a cup of hot choco, fish & chips and spaghetti. Taste wise, it was normal. Definitely not worth my every cents. 

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Beautiful skyline of the City.
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Drove a little down to Dendy Street Beach Brighton, home of the 82 colourful Brighton Bathing Box, another popular tourist icon and cultural assets. We didn't get to head down to the beach as it was closed (for don't know what reason) when we were there.. only managed to get a glimpse from another car park further down the road. What a disappointing day! :(

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Checked in to Cosmopolitan Hotel (again) for the night. The same hotel and (coincidentally) same room that we stayed for the first two nights in Melbourne and the day ended off with a range of yummy snacks!

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Information you might be interested in: 

The Twelve Apostles
Port National Park
Great Ocean Road
Port Campbell VIC 3269, Australia

Fruit2Go
Along Princes Freeway 
(links between Melbourne and Geelong)

The Baths Restaurant and Cafe Brighton
251 Esplanade
Brighton VIC 3186, Australia
http://www.middlebrightonbaths.com.au

Brighton Bathing Box
Dendy Street Beach
Brighton VIC 3186, Australia
http://www.brightonbathingbox.org.au

Cosmopolitan Hotel Melbourne
2-8 Carlisle Street
St Kilda VIC 3182, Australia