In mid-2019, after long and careful consideration, I (Michael Jöbkes) got myself a small dog for the first time. Before that, whenever my time allowed, I was a guest in hotels in various places in Germany on long weekends. From A like the Ahr Valley to Z like the Zugspitze. Since I didn't like flying, I also spent my holidays in hotels in the Netherlands, France and the surrounding countries. The decision to get a dog was, or so I thought, a good idea. I wanted a small, friendly dog that I could take everywhere with me, that would accompany me on my weekends and holidays. I decided on a breed that didn't shed. I had been single for a long time and was looking forward to having a constant companion.
When the new roommate was finally house trained and the first weekend with a bridge day was approaching, the time had come. I wanted to rent a hotel that I had booked several times before and that I already knew allowed dogs. Then I was disappointed when I checked in. My new little friend would cost €15 per night. There was a flat rate for dogs, regardless of whether they were big or small, whether they shed or not. I accepted it with a grumble because I didn't think it was entirely fair and enjoyed the weekend with the thought of doing my research beforehand in the future and choosing hotels differently. It was then that I noticed that all hotels charged an average flat rate of €10-15 if dogs were allowed at all. I wasn't thrilled but I had to accept it.
As life would have it, I met my partner a few months later, at the end of 2019. We got along right away and she liked my little pain in the ass too. The only "problem" was that she already had 3 dogs of her own. When it came to hotels, I thought it wouldn't be any more expensive, the flat rate would definitely apply to multiple dogs. Yes, it did, but per dog. So for 4 small dogs alone, we had to pay €40-60 per night. That was too much for me, a solution had to be found: a motorhome.
“Home” is always with you, you have enormous flexibility in terms of time and you are not tied to one place, as is the case with a holiday apartment or hotel, for example.
Buying a camper was the best idea I've had in a long time. Travelling was always fun and even more relaxing than staying in hotels. My friends and acquaintances were also enthusiastic and borrowed the camper from me when I didn't need it myself. Demand kept growing. I often had to turn them down. So I bought 3 more vehicles and started renting them out commercially. Also to friends and acquaintances who were willing to pay the rental prices, as it was sometimes cheaper than in hotels and also much more relaxed. With me, taking dogs with me, whether one or more, was always free. The exception was if they made an above-average amount of dirt or damaged something, then of course you had to pay extra.
After 4 years, I now have a business partner and it is still the case that dogs do not cost anything extra and many dog owners are happy to accept the offer. Even in the motorhome rental industry, many rental companies charge extra money, but we do not do that because we have always had good experiences. Often, dog owners return the vehicle even cleaner than renters without dogs.
We are always happy when four-legged friends are present at the preliminary viewing. Friendly dogs are always welcome.
To this day, we have special vehicles for renters with dogs. Although these are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected after every trip and receive an ozone treatment, we still have renters who are allergic to dog hair or simply want to rent a vehicle that has never had a dog in it, which is why we also have vehicles that are only rented to renters without dogs.
After 18 months we usually replace the vehicles if they are available. So they are always new vehicles. We are now proud of this high level of acceptance and have 25 mobile homes with different equipment and sizes.
How did we come up with the name of the rental property? Some of you may already have guessed. My dear little tormentor is called...Frieda.
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