Campervan with or without a driver: what it means and what suits you

When you start looking for a campervan, two worlds pop up: with a driver (someone else behind the wheel) and without a driver (you drive it yourself). We explain what each one means, what it's for, and why self-drive is the one that gives you the whole trip. Spoiler: driving one is easier than you think.

When someone starts looking for "campervan hire", sooner or later they run into a question that throws people off more than it should: with a driver or without a driver? It sounds like a minor detail, but they're actually two completely different ways of travelling, with prices and experiences that have nothing in common. Let's settle it once and for all, no jargon, so you know what each one is and which one fits the trip you have in mind.

"With driver": someone drives for you

Hiring a campervan (or any vehicle) with a driver means that whoever's behind the wheel is a professional chauffeur, not you. It's an option that makes sense in very specific contexts: private transfers, guided tourist services, organised routes where you're taken from one point to another, or situations where, for whatever reason, you don't want to or can't drive.

It has its advantages, of course: you don't deal with the road, you just watch out of the window. But it also has its downsides. The first is the price: on top of the vehicle, you're paying for someone's labour, so the cost shoots up compared with driving it yourself. The second, and more important for a van trip, is that you lose exactly what makes a campervan special: the freedom to stop wherever you fancy, change plans mid-morning, linger over lunch by a river or sleep in that spot you caught a glimpse of. With a chauffeur and their timetable, the magic of improvising fades away.

That's why, for a leisure getaway, the with-driver option is the exception, not the rule.

"Without driver": you drive the van yourself (self-drive)

The other option — and the one almost everyone is actually looking for when they dream of a campervan getaway — is self-drive, that is, hiring the van without a driver and driving it yourself. You pick up the Winkle, sit behind the wheel, and from there the trip is yours: you decide the route, you choose where to stop, you sleep wherever the map still shows sea.

This is exactly what beWinkle offers. Our four Volkswagen Transporter campervans are designed for you to drive, with 100% online booking, digital signature and the keys in your hand within minutes. No queuing at a desk, no paper contracts, no third party setting the pace. The difference between dreaming about the trip and actually driving it is ten minutes of paperwork… and that steering wheel, which is yours from the first kilometre.

Why self-drive is the one that gives you the whole trip

If you're torn between the two for a getaway, self-drive wins almost every time, and for good reasons:

• Total freedom. No one else's timetable, no fixed routes. You get up, check the map and decide. That's the heart of travelling by van.
• Better value. You're not paying for a chauffeur's work, so the same trip costs quite a bit less. And at beWinkle the price already includes fully comprehensive insurance, 24/7 assistance and mileage packages to suit.
• Privacy. The trip is just yours, as a couple or a group. No one else in the van, no one waiting for you to finish breakfast.
• The full experience. Driving your home on wheels over a mountain pass at sunset is part of the trip, not a chore. You miss out on that if someone else is at the wheel.

It's not that "with driver" is a bad option; it just answers a different need. To discover Spain at your own pace, sleep by a reservoir and wake up to a new landscape every morning, self-drive is the way.

"But I've never driven a van before…"

It's the most common objection, and it almost always falls apart within the first half hour at the wheel. The Winkles are Volkswagen Transporters that weigh under 3,500 kg, so they drive almost like a large car: normal gearbox, no special licences, and a height and length you get the hang of straight away. It's not a lorry or a huge motorhome; it's a manageable van, designed so that anyone with a car licence feels comfortable.

What feels daunting at first — parking, judging the width, the motorway — stops feeling that way after a while behind the wheel. If you want to arrive fully prepared, we've written a whole guide on it: driving a campervan for the first time: tips for your first 100 km. Read it before you set off and you'll get behind the wheel with confidence.

What you need to drive the campervan yourself

Self-drive has a few minimum requirements, and there are fewer than people imagine:

• A valid category B driving licence held for at least 2 years.
• Minimum age of 25.
• And little else. Since the van weighs under 3,500 kg, you don't need a category C licence or any special permit: your standard car licence is enough.

Are several of you travelling and want to take turns at the wheel? You can add as many additional drivers as you like, each meeting the same requirements, and the insurance covers them all. You'll find the full details in our guide to requirements for hiring a campervan in Spain. And if you were also torn between a campervan and a motorhome, we help you decide in campervan or motorhome: which one to choose.

A couple of cases where "with driver" does make sense

To be fair, the with-driver option isn't a rip-off or a bad idea: it simply answers other needs. It makes sense, for instance, for a one-off transfer for a group between two cities, for a guided tourist service where someone tells you about the destination while driving, or for an event — a wedding, a celebration — where no one wants to give up a drink or worry about the wheel. It can also suit anyone who, for whatever reason, doesn't drive.

In all those cases, paying a professional to drive the vehicle makes sense. What happens is that none of them is "a campervan getaway" in the sense most people picture: heading off for several days, with no agenda, discovering places at your own pace. For that, the equation changes and self-drive clearly comes out on top. Knowing that the with-driver option exists, and what it's for, actually helps you see why, for your trip, you'll want the other one.

What your self-drive hire includes (and why it matters)

When you drive yourself, the price stops being a bare-bones rate that you then have to top up with the basics. At beWinkle, every day of self-drive already includes what really gives you peace of mind on the road:

• Fully comprehensive insurance included, not as a desk extra.
• 24/7 assistance across Europe, with towing, hotel and a replacement vehicle if needed; on the road, one call and, depending on how serious it is, resolution in under 4 hours.
• Mileage packages to suit, so you can tailor the plan to your route without paying over the odds or coming up short.
• Borders covered across the European Union plus the UK, Switzerland and Norway, with no paperwork: Portugal and France, the most typical destinations from Spain, need no extra formalities.

In other words: driving yourself doesn't mean less cover, quite the opposite. You get the same backup, without the extra cost of a chauffeur and with the trip in your own hands.

How the process works with beWinkle, step by step

One of the good things about a well-organised self-drive hire is how simple it is. With beWinkle, the road from idea to tarmac looks like this:

1. You choose your Winkle and your dates from the four available, with real-time availability for the next twelve months.
2. You book online and secure the dates with a 50% deposit; you pay the remaining 50% around 7 days before you set off.
3. You sign digitally, no paperwork and no desk. Ten minutes and done.
4. You pick up the van, already checked over and spotless, with fully comprehensive insurance included and 24/7 assistance across Europe in case anything comes up on the road.
5. You drive and enjoy. You write the rest.

All designed so the only thing you have to worry about is where you're heading.

So, what do I choose?

If you're after a transfer or a guided service where you won't be driving, the with-driver option exists for that. But if what you want is a genuine getaway — freedom, privacy, sleeping wherever you fancy and living the road as part of the trip — the answer is self-drive: you drive the van yourself, and that's the whole point.

It's also the better-value option and the simplest to organise, especially when the price already includes what matters. So if you're tempted, the next step is easy: check out the four Winkles, make sure you meet the requirements and choose your dates and book. The wheel is waiting for you.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between hiring a campervan with or without a driver?

With a driver, a professional chauffeur drives for you; it's common for transfers or guided tourist services, and it pushes the price up because you're also paying for their work. Without a driver — or self-drive — you drive the van yourself: you pick it up, decide the route and sleep wherever you like. It's the formula for a genuine campervan getaway, and it's what beWinkle offers.

Does beWinkle hire with a driver?

No. At beWinkle the experience is self-drive: you drive the Winkle yourself. It's designed exactly for that, so the trip is yours from start to finish, with no timetables and no third parties. You pick up the van, sign online and off you go.

Is it hard to drive a campervan if I've never done it before?

Less than you'd imagine. The Winkles weigh under 3,500 kg and drive almost like a large car: no special licences and a normal gearbox. Within half an hour you'll have got the hang of the height and length. We cover it step by step in our guide to driving a campervan for the first time.

What do I need to drive the campervan myself?

A valid category B driving licence held for at least 2 years and be 25 years old or over. No category C licence or anything special required. You can add as many additional drivers as you like, each meeting the same requirements, and the insurance covers them all.

Is self-drive cheaper than with a driver?

Yes, because you're not paying for a chauffeur's work. What's more, at beWinkle the self-drive price already includes fully comprehensive insurance, 24/7 assistance across Europe and mileage packages to suit, so you know what your trip costs without adding services separately.