noel – Page 20 – Transfercar Blog

Transfercar crew on awesome US road trip!

Picking-up-the-RV

After our successful attendance at Collision conference in Las Vegas earlier this month, we decided to get back to San Francisco by transferring an RV. Why fly when you can take a bit of time to check out the fantastic scenery that’s offered in this part of the world? We booked the free rental RV on Transfercar using my personal account and we therefore acted as a mystery client.

The whole transfer process was very smooth, so this reiterated to me what a great service we offer! You just have to be a little patient upon picking up the RV as it’s not the fastest process: after waiting in line and signing the forms, you need to watch a 15 minute long video and then be shown in person how to use everything in the RV. But once the keys are yours and as soon as you hear the engine roar, the exhilaration begins!

We took the northern route from Las Vegas to San Francisco, planning to go through Death Valley and then Yosemite National Parks. After spending a night parked at the Death Valley Inn, we thought that we were in for a very hot day and we were therefore dressed for summer with shorts and thongs.

We were more than surprised when a few hours later we got caught in a big snow storm and realized that all the mountain passes were closed due to those wintry conditions! We were certainly not prepared for this, but that was all part of the fun and adventure. The landscapes we went through were truly amazing so it was worth it …

We made the most of those few extra hours on board and continued to work on various website developments thanks to our laptops while one of us was driving. Ins’t modern life amazing? We can take our office with us wherever we go, even in an RV that’s being snowed under!

In any case we have learned a lesson for next time: check out the weather forecast before you leave and don’t assume Nevada and California are super hot all the time!

See this story in action by watching our short road trip video below:

The world’s most luxurious supervans!

You don’t like being on the water, but you want to live that superyacht lifestyle? Get a luxurious supervan!

Our favourite supervan has to be the amazing eleMMent Palazzo mobile home. This visual feast of extravaganza and luxury is actually of German craftsmanship, so made to last! The Palazzo features two floors of entertainment with a giant master suite, multiple bars and a liftable “flybridge” lounge up top. You can even extend a slide-out, increasing interior space by 80% when not on the road. The new eleMMent series 2015 is coming out soon, and we wonder what improvements will be provided to what is already an amazing motorhome, by all accounts.

Another supervan that would be nice to try is the Futuria Sports and Spa Motorhome. Another German invention! This mansion on wheels contains everything for luxury travelling: bathroom, bedroom, roof terrace with Jacuzzi and even sports car garage (equipped with the custom Toronto garage doors).

Guess where the third best supervan comes from? Germany as well!!! The Volkner Mobil Performance Bus comes equipped with a large fridge-freezer, dishwasher, microwave, Bose-Dolby-home Entertainment Surround System and a widescreen TV which can be concealed in the cabinet when not in use. Pretty cool, uh?

Think this is out of reach for you? Maybe… but do you know that you can find some supervans on Transfercar? Especially in the USA where you can drive brand new RVs for next to nothing. .. Check it out.

Reference: Hunretsville NC Garage Doors.

Transfercar a hit at Collision Conference in Vegas

3 men in their 30s spending 3 days in Las Vegas; Sounds like trouble? Fear not, I’m happy to tell you what happened in Sin City. We were three members of the Transfercar team, Espen, the co-founder and CTO, Christian, our creative mentor and myself, the CMO, attending the Collision Conference, a burgeoning confluence of startups, investors, influencers, and next-gen business and technology leaders that has been referred to as being “Davos for geeks.”

TC-at-collision

Our goal was to meet with potential partners, members of the media and BitIQ app investors in order to fuel our expansion in the US as we recently launched our service in America. About 7,500 “colliders” came to Las Vegas from 89 countries representing 1,000 startups, and speakers ranging from Slack’s CEO to Facebook’s CMO, so there was a real feeling of exhilaration and energy under the huge tent that had been set up for the event at the World Market Center. It felt like all the VIPs of the Silicon Valley were meeting in the heart of the desert.

Unsurprisingly, we had a great time! I am not only referring to the drinks and party atmosphere which is part of Vegas’ DNA, I actually think this was the best conference I have ever been to! More importantly, this was a real success for Transfercar. People were queuing in front of our stand as our concept was an instant hit! It was really comforting for us to see the enthusiasm that our business generates among all kinds of people. We were told a couple of times that we were one of the coolest startups of the conference, including Frank Denbow who twitted this below:

Needless to say, we came back with a suitcase full of business cards and some very serious leads for our development. We also encouraged many of the attendees to pick-up a free rental car from Las Vegas as we had quite a lot of availability for those dates. We put our money where our mouth is (so to speak as it was free) and booked one RV on our website and picked it up from a local branch in Las Vegas and transferred it to San Francisco. What an amazing road trip that was!

10 Crazy Forms of Human Transportation

Granted, getting a free rental car or a free campervan is crazy in itself, so at Transfercar we feel we fall into the category of crazy forms of transportation.

However it seems that there is always crazier than crazy, so if you are into the most insane ways to have your body transported, check out those options.

1. Orbit Wheels (featured image above)

According to its inventors, Orbitwheels is a new concept for wheeled sports and the idea is simple: two feet, two wheels…and you’re ready to go! ”A set of Orbitwheels is a cross between a skateboard and pair of inline skates – but with more freedom and simplicity than either”… would be nice to try this to see if it’s true.

2. Segway

segway Segway is a two-wheeled, self-balancing, battery-powered electric vehicle… It’s gaining popularity, although it’s still quite rare to bump into one of those. Looks pretty weird at first glance, but somewhat stylish, right?

3. Elliptigo

Elliptigo is two-wheeler designed to replicate running, without the impact… A cross between cycling and running?

4. Wuppertal Suspension Railway

This electric elevated railway with hanging cars is unique in the world and only exists in the town of Wuppertal in Germany… It looks a little scary, which might explain why no other city wanted to give it a go.

5. Velomobile

It’s not a car, it’s not a bike…a velomobile somewhere in between. Very stable, faster than a bike, and looks pretty good too. You should order one for Christmas.

6. Basket-ride

This one requires you to jump in a wheeled-basket and pay two men with a hat to push you. Sounds awesome, the problem is that you will only find this in Madere, Portugal!

7. Beer-bike

Another German invention… the Beer Bike… It’s not really a bike, but it’s real beer that they’re serving. Interesting concept.

8. Amphibian bus

No, please don’t jump to rescue those passengers, they are doing quite alright aboard this amphibian bus designed to get in the water… yes that’s a cross between a bus and a boat. Madness, uh?

9. Shockwave JetTruck

Jet Truck Is it a rocket, is it a truck? If you go to the US, you might be able to spot this JetTruck that goes over 300 km/h… Just imagine the noise when it passes you. Calm down, don’t try this at home, this could hurt.

10. Zorb

Well yeh, we’ve got something to be proud about in New Zealand… Zorbing is probably the craziest form of transportation ever imagined. Sexy-looking, and very handy at intersections…

How-to: Wellington to Auckland with Transfercar

So you have booked a car using Transfercar and managed to find one with three days to get from Wellington to Auckland, Yay! If you want to just drive and get there as soon as possible then that’s about 7 to 8 hours if you go straight up State Highway 1. But with three days, why rush? You can take some time to explore. The obvious first choice is to stop in Taupo and explore Tongariro National Park.

welly to auckland 2 — *Option 1 – State Highway 1*

But if you want to be a little more adventurous, you could go via Wanganui with its famous River and Art Community including the magnificent Sarjeant Art Gallery. After that up through the rugged limestone hills north of Wanganui that form the steep and curvy Parapara highway straight to Mount Ruapehu which has absolutely amazing views of a large part of the North Island. Alternatively you could head out to take a look at Mount Taranaki via the towns on the way like Patea, Hawera and Stratford. From New Plymouth the drive is easy up the west coast all the way to the glow worms at Waitomo Caves and then on to Hamilton.

Option 2 – through Taranaki

The sexy alternative is to go East. From Wellington, drive through Upper Hutt and all those towns ending in ‘ton’ Featherston, Carterton, Masterton, then up through Hastings to Napier. After the earthquake in February 1931 a lot of the new buildings in Napier were built in the art deco style and the town is often referred to as the ‘Art Deco Capital of the world’. From Napier, the drive around the much vaunted Hawkes Bay could provide the opportunity for a bit of sun, fun and relaxing on the beach and the wines are very good too!

welly to auckland 3 — *Option 3 – East Coast*

From there, on to Gisborne and some of the magnificent coastal scenery of the Pacific Coast Highway. Tolaga Bay is where Captain Cook stayed six days repairing the ‘Endeavour’ and taking on water and supplies and Tolaga Bay Wharf at 660 metres in length is the longest in New Zealand.

Wow so much to do, can we fit it all into the three days we have or will it take longer? From Whakatane it looks an easy drive through to Rotorua and the endless wonders of bubbling mud pools, Maori culture and a long soak in a natural hot spa – now that sounds nice! Or should you take the coastal highway around the Bay of Plenty through Te Puke and Papamoa Beach to Tauranga and the holiday spot Mount Maunganui ? From there it’s just a short trip to Thames and then on to Auckland.

How to Save Money on the Road

Yes! You can save money while travelling! Just look at how much money you’ve saved with your free Transfercar rental. And then follow these rules and you’ll save even more money…

Food Rules

Most travellers spend way too much money on drive-thru food. Not only is it expensive, but it’s going to make you feel tired and sluggish, two things you don’t want to feel while driving a Transfercar! Bring a cooler with you so that you can make grocery runs along your trip. Bring the necessary cutlery and treat yourself to nice cheeses, salamis and breads while you’re on the road, instead of spending your money on average food from diners on route. If you’re absolutely desperate for a cooked meal, veer off the main road and into small towns for cheaper, and often better, meals.

Snack Attack!

Snacks are an absolute killer on road trips, especially when you’re stopping for gas. Before you leave town, pack your car with snacks from the grocery store. You can easily make your own treats and store them in your cooler. Fruit stands on the side of the road are always great in summer, too.

Mean Gasoline

Following a few simple gas-saving tips can help you save a lot of road trip money:
Turn off the AC: just open the window!
Ease off the pedal well before a stop sign and coast to a stop; take off in a mellow manner. Burning rubber burns gas needlessly.
Inflate tires to close to max — carry a teeny tire gauge and read the tire’s side.
Avoid cruise control.
Don’t speed. Wastes gas and one ticket can destroy a summer road trip budget.

Sneaky Tips

A prepaid credit card can help to keep you within your budget. Just make sure it doesn’t have excessive fees associated with it.
To avoid going into debt, experts at Crediful.com suggest that you can save money with a detailed budget for what you’ll spend on lodging, meals, activities and gas.
Carry some cash with you in case you need it.
Limit your time away to less than 10 days.
Pack the right necessities.
Book accommodation in advance.
Book a free Transfercar rental car.

We don’t want to toot our own horns, but travelling with a free rental car is obviously going to save you more money that paying for one. Also, if you’re looking for an even cheaper trip, why not rent an RV or campervan, thus eliminating the need to pay for exorbitant hotel rooms especially if you’re travelling as a family?! And with the introduction of payment platforms like Flexipay, it has only gotten easier paying. Some of our deals even come with ferries and a free tank of fuel, which means you save even more money! I know it sounds too good to be true, but thousands of travellers all over the world have cracked onto our services, saving money as they ride with us, and making their trips last longer. If you haven’t registered, you’re not saving money. So get amongst it. And let’s hit the road.

And my last great advise: read how to choose banks with the best free checking! Believe me, it is also very important to know where to open account and what benefits some banks have compared to others.