Caravan History

Also called a travel trailer, a caravan is a very comfortable vehicle as it is equipped with all the necessary amenities that one can find in a motel. One can travel anywhere, anytime without running helter-skelter looking for a hotel or a motel to stay in. A caravan normally boasts of household items, furniture and a couple of rooms. Caravans are especially sited in North America and Europe.

Origin of these caravans can be traced back to the age of showmen and gypsies who lived a nomadic life constantly travelling from place to place, normally in horse driven caravans.

The first known touring caravan was built by the Bristol Carriage Company for W. Gordon in 1880 and it was given the name of “Wanderer”. The designing of this caravan was the brainwork of Bible Wagons.

There are various types of touring caravans ranging from six berth trailers to two berth trailers. The Council for National Caravan has announced that static, mobile and touring caravans and motor homes must be inculcated as a part of the industry. The development of the facilities provided in caravan sites and the improving caravan quality is a clear proof of the wide acceptance of the caravanning system. This has allowed the caravan vacations to be run throughout the year. Alan Rogers, a renowned camping expert brought about the needed improvements in caravan camping. In UK, approximately sixteen hundred touring caravans are sold annually. This fact goes to show the rising popularity of touring caravans especially in the UK. The thefts of the caravans in UK are kept in check by the disaster registration service.

In earlier times, Touring caravans were also called Gypsy Wagons, each of which were approximately of 10ftX 6ft dimension. The touring caravan consisted of a stove next to the entry door, drawers and cupboards. Few of the cupboards were installed right underneath the bed.