Storage is one the biggest issues that we face while travelling. We not only have to make sure there is enough room for us all in the bus, we also have to watch how heavy our vehicle is – which is an important safety factor for mobile homes and caravans.
Our home on the road – full of adventure (not storage!)
It becomes even more of a challenge on shorter trips when travelling by car or plane – and babies and toddlers need a LOT of stuff!
There are a lot of things that simply can’t be left at home – car seats for safety, pushchairs and strollers to get around, highchairs for easy feeding, toys for entertainment – if only there was another way…..
We just found it! Tree Hut Village is an Australian business that connects parents who have items to hire with parents who need them across Australia and New Zealand.
As well as all the practical items you need for baby’s travel, you can also hire things for special occasions. If you’re travelling to a celebration there are cute baby formal suits listed, if you’re off skiing you can hire a baby snow suit, you can even hire a black out blind to help your little one sleep in your holiday accommodation. (if you decide any of these items is just what you need then don’t forget to use discount code COASTING at checkout for 5% off)
Baby baths, booster seats, rockers, carriers and breast pumps – if you need it then chances are someone is renting it out. If you can’t find what you’re looking for you can also send Tree Hut Village a message and they will try and source it for you.
How it Works
The Tree Hut Village website could not be easier to use – when you head to the home page you can choose to either search for items to hire or buy. You enter your location, or where you will be on holiday and can search within a km radius. What’s even more fun is searching by category – you’ll find things to hire that you didn’t even know you needed! (Jumping castle for the weekend anyone?)
Local Knowledge
What you also get included in the price of any rental is some great local insider knowledge. When you pick up your item or communicate with your renter they’ll be able to tell you the best family friendly attractions and where to get the best babycino in town!
Try Before You Buy
Is there a big ticket baby item that you’re thinking of buying but still not sure if it’s the right product? Why not hire one and give it a test run? There are only so many features of a product you can see in the shop or online – the real test comes when you get it home – and there’s nothing worse than spending hundreds of dollars on a new bassinet that baby just won’t tolerate! Tree Hut Village gives you the opportunity to try before you buy – giving you the chance to test drive a huge range of items. If you decide that you love the item you can change your search settings to ‘buy’ and have a look for some great quality second hand items.
Safety First
Tree Hut Village ensures that all items for hire and sale are from trusted families and of good quality. Items cannot be more than 6 years old and must meet Australian and NZ safety standards. All bookings must be paid for through the site – which means all bookings are automatically covered under their insurance policy too.
Arthur was super excited to hire bike seats!
Experience More – Waste Less
One of the big reasons why we love this service is that it is saving hundreds of items from ending up in landfill. Baby products are used for such a short time – then stuck in storage or thrown away. Tree Hut Village is giving new life to these items and a new source of income to families – it’s a win win!
Earn Some Travel Money!
If you’ve got items that you think you could hire you can register and list them here. Listing is 100% free – a service charge of 15% is taken at the time of booking as a fee – the rest of the money you keep!
We’re in Sydney for a few months and had a try at listing an item to see how user-friendly it was. After just a few minutes our listing was live and ready to rent. We can choose who we rent to and how long for – there was even a price guide so we knew how much to charge per day. So if you’re in Sydney and you need that jumping castle – just let us know! (Don’t forget to enter the special discount code COASTING to get your hire 5% cheaper)
I love this idea and Eva has done so well bringing it to life. Travel is so much easier now with options like this.
That’s an awesome service – I had no idea such a thing existed! I just wish it had been around when my kids were babies…
What a great idea! We have had to lug so much baby stuff with us over the years when travelling what with having 5 children…prams, car seats, capsule!!
I’ve used a hire website for baby items before which was super convenient and easy to use, but I love that this website allows you to hire a wider range of items (instead of just the basics) that make traveling so much more enjoyable. Might also look into listing some items myself – thanks for the info! x