Owner and Operator
Age: 32
Where's home?
You can never EVER forget where your from – In my case Manchester, UK. BUTtttttttt for now and for the foreseeable future my Home is Byron Bay Babbbbbbbbby.
Languages spoken:
English & je parle petit pe francis (only after a few Bevies – DEL BOi Style ahahah)
Time spent in Australia and NZ:
Since Nov 2011!
A little about me:
The standard end of Uni – I don’t know what to DO with my life story resulted in me shopping around for flights and hitting the Open Road with Big Ryan (my college buddy & absolute Banter Man)… what was a few month adventures has become a lifestyle that I didn’t think even existed.
I get just as much a Buzz Creating Epic adventures for travellers than I do going on them myself. I’m still partial to a good old roadie and cruise in the van from Byron on surf trips – in search of waves, sunsets and open beaches!
Why is Aussie / NZ so special...
To start with Aussie Land is MASSIVE – not many peeps have been around the full circuit (and I myself wasn’t at all planning on) but the Roadie can become addictive and it certainly did for me!
I hit the road and travelled 25,913 Km’s the diversity between the tropical beach towns on the East Coast to the West Coast which feels like the end of the world got me hooked straight away. The people I met along the way – live by the chilled & relaxed lifestyle that takes you a while to get used to – but now have become totally accustomed too.
Rambling on so much I almost forgot about the little sibling AKA NZ – I planned to go there for 2 months well I ended up staying 2 years. Everything is accessible and not too far away – get ya self out of Auckland and there is literally not a person in site! There are too many moments to mention but Free Camping for a week with my Bruv-Ski {AKA Jakey Boi} next to a snow capped mountain, clear blue ocean and dolphins has to be up there. NZ has it ALL.
Favourite spot in Australia/NZ:
BYRON BAY Babbbbbbbbby (to live and stay for an extended time) however – if it’s just a visit then Uluru is MAJESTICAL {had to use the spell checker on that one}. Not gona lie after the 6 full days it took me to drive to the centre of Oz and see the red centre – I almost shed a tear.
NZ – Raglan is the ONE… perfect & laid back vibes it’s just UNREAL alsooooo – Big up Tim & Suz – they’ve made ‘Raglan BackPackers’ their own. In 6 and a bit years of travelling you can imagine how many hostels I’ve stayed at. This one is in a league of its own. The town itself is amazing but the hostel makes it.
Backpacker tips:
Put down the phone – chat to the person next to you – don’t take every moment for granted and be as open as possible – you just don’t know what the next person will bring into your life – Special Mention to Mollie Bylett – The Blog on how we met is COMING!
Funny travel story/or best moment in Australia:
Location NZ: A rainy night in a camp kitchen kick started a game of Rock Paper Scissors – the winner got the last Biscuit. The game after that we ran out of choccy biccies so we proceeded to bet on who would cut one anothers hair with a dodgy pair of clippers >>> safe to say I lost!
Type of traveller:
Chilled out & cruising along. Happy go Lucky. More Happy than Lucky ; )
From our RatPackers
Reuben was fantastic..he walked me thru how to do everything on line!! I'm computer illiterate 😔 explained everything re gear, insurance, etc..I was so impressed..recommend this company to anyone Ratpack also does all the searching for you for the best deals, a win win situation ..
I’m really glad to find this service. Reuben, the agent that helped me, was really helpful, communicative and informative about my travel needs and requirements. He found for us the best price for a campervan in the market (we also did our own research, but for sure he got the best option) and he made sure to follow up, answer my questions and call me to give me information about what we were looking for. Thank you very much!
I had Ben talk me through the entire process of booking a campervan, it was very seamless and he was beyond helpful. I strongly recommend this company for any future adventures.
Ben did everything to make sure we got the best deal! He was very kind, friendly and made sure we got everything we needed for our trip. Everything went quick and somooth and we can't wait for our east coast road trip!
Jenna rescued our trip! Her incredible support, coupled with excellent communication and a positive approach, made all the difference. I highly recommend reaching out to Ratpack for an exceptional experience. :)
Jenna was so lovely and so helpful to help me book a campervan for my first time going to WA!! Would 100% recommend this service. Thanks Jenna!
Excellent communication. Fantastic response to all enquiries I made, Joe was great from the beginning would recommend highly 👍
Rat pack (Joe is the man!) was an incredible resource for my friend and I to book a camper van for our upcoming trip next month. We had tried looking ourselves but vans were disappearing FAST and despite our worries, Joe hooked us up with a great option and discount. He was patient, well-informed, professional, and reassuring - just what we needed. Thanks rat pack, keep up the amazing (and free!) services… you’ve started us out on the right foot for an amazing adventure ahead!
I can't thank them enough for how quick and personal my booking was! They really got me the best deal even with a last minute booking and made the booking keeping in mind everything that we wanted! 100% going to us them to book ny next trip!!
Really straightforward system to book our camper, Gregg was really helpful and thorough - looking forward to our trip!
*Incredible service* *they don’t lie about the discount (around £500 for us!!)* *Easy* I just sent them a WhatsApp message, loosely detailing mine and my girlfriends plan. I got a response the same day, we then scheduled a phone call to discuss our plans further. Gregg was the chap who helped us out, and he couldn’t have made it any easier. We explored all options, types of motor, dates, prices, route of the trip. We covered all bases and within 30/40 mins we confirmed our travel. We will 100% be using these guys again for our following trip! Thanks:)
Jenna was amazing and so so helpful at getting us organised so late minute. And even directed me to another colleague to help me organise my activities when travelling up the coast. Super exited for our adventure now 🚐
George made the whole booking experience super easy and smooth for me. Would definitely recommend!!
Fair play to Reuben he made my experience of booking a campervan so easy! Great guy, found the best rates and went out of his way to make sure I had the best option! Highly recommend
Service impeccable avec Ben! On cherchait un van depuis quelques semaines déjà et on commençait à se perdre au travers toutes les compagnies et options possibles. RatPack nous a vraiment permis de trouver un van qui correspondait à ce qu’on voulait. Ben a répondu à toutes mes questions avec patience et gentillesse. Je recommande 100%
