Travel trailer - photo; Transportstation.org
Caravan (Europe): In Europe, the origins of caravans and caravanning can be traced back to travelling gypsies and showmen who spent most of their lives in horse drawn caravans. The world's first leisure caravan was built by the Bristol Carriage Company in 1880 for Dr. W. Gordon-Stables. It was an 18 ft design, based upon their Bible Wagons, which the Doctor named "Wanderer". Modern European caravans come in a range of sizes, from tiny two-berth caravans with no toilet and only basic kitchen facilities, to large, twin-axle, six-berth caravans with all the luxuries of a four-star hotel. In the UK, 2003 saw a huge increase in the popularity of caravans and caravanning. This was due to several factors, including excellent summer weather, fear of travelling abroad due to worries over terrorism and large increases in house prices, which provided people with the ability to raise capital by re-mortgaging their homes. The National Caravan Council now estimate that the Caravanning industry which includes Motorhomes, Touring and Static Caravans and Mobile Homes is now worth over £1bn (€1.5bn/$1.7bn) to the UK economy alone. The growth in popularity of caravanning has also been enhanced by the improvements in quality and facilities making caravan holidays possible at any time of the year not just summer months. Caravans are used by people in all walks of life, although common traits are the love of outdoor life and a willingness to help other caravanners. Some make use of their caravans only during their annual holidays (vacations), whilst others take regular breaks at the thousands of caravan and camping sites around the world. Jeremy Clarkson, host of popular BBC Two motoring programme Top Gear, has publicly expressed deep loathing for caravans and has destroyed over a dozen of them on the show.