A break closer to home has become a firm favourite, and our van hire in Warrington makes van hire for a summer staycation the simple solution to fitting bikes, paddleboards, a tent and a fortnight of family gear into a vehicle that can actually take it. Whether you are heading for the Lakes, the North Wales coast or the Yorkshire Dales, a van gives you the space to take everything you actually want rather than everything that happens to fit in a car boot. With more than seventy vehicles on the fleet and sizes to suit anything from a weekend away to a longer trip, van hire for a summer staycation is one of our most popular reasons for a booking once the schools break up for the holidays.
Why a Van Beats Cramming It Into the Car
Holiday kit has a way of expanding to fill any space and then some. Once you add bikes, a cool box, beach equipment, walking boots, wetsuits and the bags for a whole family, a normal boot fills up before you have even loaded the tent. A van removes that stress entirely, letting you pack in comfort, still see clearly out of the back, and travel with everyone in one vehicle rather than splitting the family and the luggage across two cars and burning twice the fuel. It also means you are not forced to leave behind the very things that make a trip enjoyable, from the children’s bikes to the gazebo that turns a damp afternoon into a sheltered one.
Picking a comfortable size
For most family staycations our short wheelbase medium roof van hits a sweet spot, with enough height and length for bikes and bulky gear while staying easy to handle on narrow lanes and in small seaside car parks. The whole fleet stays within 3.5 tonnes and drives on a standard category B car licence, so you can take a van away for a week without any special paperwork or extra tests. If you are travelling with a roof box worth of extra kit or a larger family, our team can suggest stepping up a size so the load travels in comfort and you are not playing a frustrating game of luggage jigsaw on the morning you set off.
Packing for the journey there and back
A staycation van is loaded twice, once on the way out and again on the way home with damp tents and sandy gear, so it pays to pack with both trips in mind. Keep the things you will need first, like cool boxes and overnight bags, near the doors, and stow the heavier items low and forward where they will not shift. Our advice on what to bring when you collect your van covers the documents and small practicalities that keep collection quick, so you can get on the road sooner and beat the worst of the holiday traffic out of the town.
Setting off from the right side of town
Our depot beside Asda at Cockhedge sits close to the routes that head out toward the coast and the hills. Customers around Frodsham van hire and the southern approaches are nicely placed for trips toward North Wales and Chester, and the free secure parking on site means your own car sits safely at the depot for the whole holiday rather than on the drive at home, where you might rather it was not on show while you are away. A quick local collection then a clean run to the motorway is the easiest possible start to a trip.
Room for the activities you actually want
The real joy of taking a van on a staycation is that it lets the holiday be about what you enjoy rather than what fits. Cyclists can bring proper bikes rather than leaving them at home, paddlers can pack boards and buoyancy aids, and families can throw in the gazebo, the windbreak, the cricket set and the second cool box without a second thought. Walking holidays mean boots, poles and waterproofs for everyone, while beach trips mean shelters, bodyboards and an absurd quantity of towels. None of that has to be rationed when you have a load space designed for the job. It also gives you somewhere dry and secure to keep the bulkier gear overnight if your accommodation is short on storage, which is a quiet bonus on a self-catering trip. Because the whole fleet drives on a standard car licence and stays within 3.5 tonnes, you can choose a van that comfortably carries a full week of family clutter and still handle it with confidence on a narrow coastal lane. Our team will gladly help you judge the right size from a quick description of the kit you mean to bring along.
Booking the family trip
School holidays are the busiest stretch of our year, so booking early is the best way to lock in the van and the dates you want. On selected vehicles a reservation made two weeks or more ahead earns the advance discount on our van hire special offers page. There is no deposit on most vehicles, both short and long term hire are available, and European cover can be arranged on request if your staycation turns into a continental adventure. We open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 4pm and close on Sundays, and you bring your photocard licence and a DVLA check code at collection. To plan the right van for your trip, call our friendly Warrington team on 01925 396 222.
