Meet Radik - Towing on the Top End

Radik and Zina Mukayev moved to the Northern Territory all the way from Kazakhstan in 2015 - fast forward to 2022 and they have a growing fleet of three caravans and their tow vehicle, a Ford Ranger XLT.

We caught up with Darwin-based owner Radik to talk towing and hear about their Camplify journey.

Meet the Mukayevs

Radik works full time as a production operator at Humes.

Radik and Zina have three grown kids; two daughters who are 26 and 21, and a 16-year-old son.

“Even though they are grown-ups, we love travelling together. Caravan holidays give you so much valuable time together, which we are missing in our everyday, busy life. I believe it brings a family closer and gives you a beautiful experience together.”

The Mukayev family’s caravanning journey began only recently, after relocating to Australia. For Radik and Zina, moving to Darwin was a new chapter in their life.

**A new chapter

“** Back home, caravaning wasn’t a thing people do, but we travelled a lot overseas and I saw how people in Europe were travelling in caravans and motorhomes. That was something I was definitely planning to do.”

“Once we settled in Darwin, the idea of caravaning came back to me. We weren't planning to buy one, as we lived in a unit back then. So we tried to find a caravan for hire in Darwin with no luck as there weren’t any around.”

“Later on, we moved to a house and started to think of buying a caravan. Thanks to Covid, it happened quicker than I planned, as we couldn’t travel overseas.”

**Cue: Camplify

“Camplify helps us to cover all van-related expenses and have extra earnings for our holidays.”**

“ To offset expenses for insurance, rego and service I definitely wanted to share the van. We signed up with Camplify and the journey started. In 2020, we purchased our first caravan and added two more caravans to our fleet in 2021. For our interstate travellers, we offer a tow vehicle for hire as well.”

Radik and Zina’s 2018 Ford Ranger is a welcome addition to their Camplify fleet, and an opportunity to attract more people to consider hiring their caravans. Adding features like a brake controller, additional mirrors and being pet-friendly makes hiring easy, accessible and convenient.

Radik listed the Ranger in September 2021 and already has a steady flow of bookings.

“I love the experience of meeting people, hearing their stories and even cleaning the vans. I wouldn’t say it is only a monetary interest for me as I get a real satisfaction of the whole process - communication, meeting people, know their experience, etc.”

“Big shout out to the Camplify team! Love your customer service, simplicity with bookings and everything.”

Future plans and business learnings To keep providing a quality service for people wanting to travel with comfort and hope to expand our fleet if the market demand grows.

The Camplify journey is a side hustle for me but I have to admit, it takes so much time and attention. I believe if you do something you need to do it perfectly.

My motto - great product and excellent customer service equal success.

Since listing the Ranger, Radik has had tremendous success with his listing. Radik has now added a new 2022 SUVto his fleet in June 2022, with a steady flow of bookings.

Do you have a tow vehicle? Find out more about listing your tow vehicle for hire.