No hotel, no problem. More Malaysian holiday-makers are opting for RVs

MALAYSIA: Without a doubt, travel has become more expensive these days. Especially with the rebound of holiday makers eager to get out after the lockdowns of the COVID pandemic.

In Malaysia, some families are finding a workaround, opting instead for recreational vehicles or RVs instead of booking hotels

According to a recent piece in the South China Morning Post, sales of RVs, as well as rentals, have gone up this year. A rental company owner told SCMP that the uptick in rentals is almost 200%.

More families are expected to get on the road with their RVs, especially with the year-end holidays from school from Dec 20 to Jan 11.

The main reason for the increase in the number of Malaysian families who want to travel by RV is price, especially for big families. Hiring an RV can cost less than hotel rooms for several people. An RV also gives the double convenience of accommodation plus vehicle, which means more savings for families.

A father who spoke to SCMP also said that his autistic son is one of the reasons why they’ve chosen to travel via RV instead of booking hotels, as being in a motor home is less disruptive for the boy, who is not used to crowds.

Going about in a motorhome also allows tourists to go at their own pace instead of the often breakneck speed that takes groups from one tourist area to another.

The father, who vlogs about travelling via RV with his wife, once took a 5,000 km ride from Nilai, south of Kuala Lumpur, to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. This is the longest trip his family has taken so far.

Cost efficiency

How much would such travel cost? Well, the business owner told SCMP that if split six ways, the daily cost for a family is less than 80 ringgit per person, because a caravan for six costs about 500 (S$158) ringgit a day.

Hotels by the beach, meanwhile, are often more expensive than this, with accommodations for six often costing between 350 (S$110) and 700 ringgit (S$220) each day.

Officials are encouraging the use of motorhomes more and more, with two new RV parks opening earlier this year, one in Selangor and one in Pahang, and even more are planned in Terengganu and Negeri Sembilan.

On Sept 23, Malaysia’s Ministry of Transport (MOT) agreed to allow RV services to be licensed and regulated for commercial use. This will go into effect by the beginning of next year.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke noted that the growth of the RV-based tourism segment has been positive, and the new policy, which allows motorhomes to be used as Self-Drive Tourist Hire Vehicles in Peninsular Malaysia, and as Self-Drive Hire Cars in Sabah, Sarawak, and Labuan, is intended to support that growth, The Malay Mail reported at the time.

Mr Loke explained that the commercialisation of privately-owned caravans that have been registered before December 31, 2025, will be allowed, that is, if vehicles are not more than 15 years old. They also need to pass a technical inspection.   

The transport minister and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture will also work to streamline caravan license applications, adding that the unfairly high charges from unauthorised vehicle companies will not be tolerated.

SCMP noted, meanwhile, that RVs in Malaysia usually cost between 100,000 (S$31,500) and 200,000 (S$63,000) ringgit, though higher-end models can reach up to more than one million ringgit (S$315,000). Maintaining the RV, however, can cost the same as a regular vehicle. /TISG

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