TCMF 2019: Tamworth resident Jon Sifleet makes thousands of dollars renting his caravan out to visitors

The Tamworth resident turned his idle caravan into a money-making machine by joining the caravan share economy.

With Tamworth Country Music Festival coming up, Mr Sifleet expects to make up to $3000 in just 10 days.

“I’d never owned or been in a caravan so I was excited but nervous at the same time,” he said.

“It’s easy to set it up and I got hooked on the idea of buying my own caravan and renting it out because like most they do sit idle – to generate income with little effort for me is great work."

Mr Sifleet used an online site, Camplify, that is similar to AirBnB where people rent out their homes for short stays.

He first discovered the website when he was looking for somewhere cheap to house himself and his parents on a trip around New South Wales themselves.

Motels proved more expensive, and Mr Sifleet thought it would be a great way to see the state on a budget.

So far he’s rented out his caravan at least ten times, mostly people take it on the road with them for mini getaways around the region.

It also comes in handy for people looking for somewhere cheap to stay during horse events at the Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre.

Read also:

“I just tow it out and set it up so they don’t go anywhere,” he said.

“A lot of people think of their caravan as a private and personal home away from home, they worry about it being damaged but I’ve had nothing but good experiences with people hiring my van.”

Mr Sifleet has made close to $7000 since joining in March, with plenty of bookings for the year ahead.

Sign up to receive The Leader’s breaking news and top headlines straight to your inbox