Budget Backpacker’s Odyssey

By | July 25, 2025

Budget Backpacker’s Odyssey – Without a doubt, the best way to get around New Zealand is with your own set of wheels. It gives you flexibility and independence that buses and tour companies just can’t offer.

This may be determined by the length of time you plan to stay in New Zealand. If you are there for a two week vacation – definitely rent. You want to buy if you stay on a working holiday visa for one year.

Budget Backpacker’s Odyssey

There seems to be a magic break around 6 weeks, when buying becomes cheaper than renting. I worked out the two and a half months I was going to spend in New Zealand, the minimum budget for camping rental was around $6,000. But I could buy one for around $4000. As you can see, even if I couldn’t sell in the end, I would still save money on rent.

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It cost me time though. I looked at cars in Auckland for about 3 days. And reserved 7 days to sell the car in Christchurch at the end of my time in NZ. These were very stressful days, but I saved over $4,000, and so it was worth it. (I plan to write a more detailed post comparing buying and renting in the not too distant future).

There are several options when it comes to buying used cars in New Zealand. Here’s what I thought:

Check Facebook groups, backpacker boards and BBH websites to see what’s available, and get an idea of ​​the price. It’s a good idea to invest in a NZ SIM card, as you can set up watch via phone or text.

Remember that campers aren’t as likely to take care of their car – they know they’ll only be using it for a few months, so maintenance to ensure a lifetime is unlikely to take precedence over saving some money. Check the oil, grease and fluid levels – this should give you an idea of ​​how well it is maintained. Also ask some questions – a good one is when was the belt (timing belt) last changed. If they can’t answer it’s a bad sign and be careful!

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There is a chance to get a perfect deal. If people have a flight scheduled, and are struggling to sell their car, they tend to drop their price quickly. Dealers will only offer backpackers $500-1000 for their car (they can smell the desperation). So selling for $2,000 to another backpacker is still desirable, even if it’s worth $4,000.

I’ve looked around a few of these and have to admit I’m not impressed. Campers were old and very expensive. Even the second hand equipment was a joke. Went in to look for a cheap map – they had one, bound in some sticky material, with torn pages and asking $15. A new one at the bookstore ended up costing me $12. (Gives you an idea of ​​their inflated value!)

It’s probably a viable option, though, if you have the money and can’t be bothered to convert a camper yourself, or don’t want to spend time looking at other camper vans. If you have time, be sure to consider other options on the market.

An alternative to car markets is to try a few dealers, and see what they can beat. Dealers know there is a surplus of used cars in NZ, and cater to this. I finally bought from a dealer despite finding cheap cars.

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Yes, buying from a dealer will cost more, but they usually provide some sort of warranty. And many offer purchase agreements, which can provide peace of mind if you’re worried about eventually selling. Buying from a dealership meant my car had new tires, a full service, a new WOF and a new windshield. Also, since I was the first owner of the backpack, all the equipment was new – no dry blanket or dirty pans for me.

If you want to squeeze every last dollar, then yes it is cheaper to buy from another backup. But I will say that the chances of something going wrong are very high.

Here are some tips that you should buy in Auckland and sell in Christchurch. And when I came to sell my car, everyone seemed to follow that advice. There were plenty of cheap cars in Christchurch, and the competition was fierce! Besides, everyone looking to buy was in Auckland – I had countless messages from prospective buyers asking if I could bring it to the North Island.

Use Facebook There are several Facebook groups that support the buying and selling of cars. This is a good place to advertise your car. It’s hard to post photos with other sites, such as message boards, but Facebook is great for this, meaning you can create a nice and visual ad.

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Better to get a local benefit. If you have a car, rather than a campervan, this is probably a good shout. It costs $40 to list your car, and I imagine they charge some sort of fee after you sell it too. I have to admit that I did not do the trade list, to avoid these extra costs.

If you’re not getting much interest in your car, consider lowering the price, and sooner rather than later. It’s better to sell to another dealer for a little less than to get $500 from a dealer the day before your flight! Obviously if you have time to hang around, this is less of a problem.

One thing I would advise all backpackers to do is to budget for not being able to sell your car when planning your trip. I had enough money so that if I wrote off the car, or couldn’t sell it, I could still continue to travel. If the future of a trip depends on selling a used car, I think the process will be much more stressful.

Just remember, however you get the car, it will really enhance your experience, and will be worth the time and effort you put into getting one. Happy shopping!

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Tags adventure adventure sports Afternoon Tea Altitude Andaman Islands Asia Lions Backpacking Brighton Marathon Budget Campervan Cat Cat Cafe Cat Earthquake Everest Base Camp Trek Food gangs Gir Gir Park National Park Glasses Goals Good food Gujarat Harry Potter Havelock Island Hiking Japan Lion Lion safari Travel Long Term Travel Long Term Travel Luxury Luxury Hotels Luxury Tour Malaysia Marathon Marathon Training Marina Bay Sands Money Saving Mountains mumbai Nepal New Zealand Packing List Packing Paradise rafting Rishikesh RTW Trip rtwtrip Running Saving for travel Singapore Taj mahalmepal Travel Planning Trekking Vegan Food Vegetarian Food Volcano Where eat white water rafting Wildlife Wildlife Following on from our since-discontinued Odyssey Pro shoe, Salomon’s new shoe in their line, the Odyssey Triple Crown, is aimed at reducing weight. Combining light weight and trail running flexibility with superior hiking shoe capability, we put the women’s Odyssey Triple Crown through the paces on a four-day backpacking trip through the Grand Canyon. There, it faced everything from hard, dry rocks to steep, icy trails and quickly impressed us with its wide toe box, excellent traction, and impressive breathability on hot days. Below we break down the Salomon Odyssey Triple Crown’s comfort, weight, traction, stability and support, fit, fit and fit, and more. To see how the Odyssey stacks up, check out our article on the best hiking boots.

When I took the Salomon Odyssey Triple Crown out of the box, I was surprised by its foot-like feel: it immediately molded to my foot without any break-in period. However, I was concerned that such a comfortable shoe might not give me the support I would need for the ambitious 35-mile winter hike we had planned through the Grand Canyon. But lo and behold, I happily (and mostly pain-free) wore the Odyssey Triple Crown from sunup to sundown for four days straight, hiking about 10 miles a day while wearing a full, 55-liter pack.

On day one, during our 5,000-foot descent from the South Rim into the canyon, I quickly noticed that my toes could move freely without any “toe snap” (when your toes hit a shoe). . or boot). That’s why Salomon has thoughtfully designed a shoe with a larger toe box to account for the normal foot swelling that occurs after long rides and significant elevation gain. Even more impressively, Salomon accommodated this added space without sacrificing the rest of the shoe’s space: despite my narrow foot, the shoe still gently hugged the midsole and heel. All things considered, the Odyssey was very comfortable from the moment I put it on until the end of the trip.

At 1 pound 6 ounces per pair, the Odyssey Triple Crown is among the lightest hiking boots we’ve tested.

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