In North America the term recreational vehicle and its acronym, RV , are generally used to refer to a vehicle equipped with living space and amenities found in a home; they are sometimes called motorhomes . A recreational vehicle normally includes a kitchen, a bathroom, a bedroom and a living room. In other countries the term camper van is more common, and the vehicles themselves vary, typically being smaller than in North America.
RVs are intended for everything from brief leisure activities such as vacations and camping, to full-time living, for which they are often parked in special trailer parks. (However, many trailer parks are reserved just for mobile homes, not to be confused with RVs and motorhomes.) RVs can also be rented in most major cities and tourist areas.
Furthermore, they are occasionally used as mobile offices for business travelers and often include customizations such as extra desk space, an upgraded electrical system, a generator, and satellite Internet.
History
Most modern dictionaries give one of the meanings for the word caravan as "a camper equipped with living quarters". They in turn give one of the meanings for camper as "a recreational vehicle equipped for camping out while travelling". The earliest caravans were used for practical purposes rather than recreation, such as providing shelter and accommodation for people travelling in search of an audience for their art, or to offer their services to distant employers, or to reach a new place of abode.
In Europe, wagons built to live in, rather than just to carry persons or goods, were developed in France around 1810. They were used in England by showmen and circus performers from the 1820s, but Gypsies only began living in caravans (vardos) from about 1850.
The covered wagon that played a significant part in opening up of the interior of the North American continent to white settlement from about 1745 was a type of caravan. A well set up wagon provided its occupants with living quarters as well as a means of transportation for themselves plus their supplies and equipment.
In Canada, the earliest motorhomes were built on car or truck bodies from about 1910. By the 1920s the RV was well established in the US, with RV camping clubs established across the country, despite the unpaved roads and limited camping facilities.
In Australia, the earliest known motor home was built in 1929. It is now in the Goolwa Museum, where it has been partially restored, It is recognized by both the National Museum of Australia and the (Australian) National Motor Museum as being the first motorized caravan in Australia.
Between the late 1920s and the early 1960s some South Australian railway maintenance gangs working in country areas, where they were required to live on site, were accommodated in caravans built by the department instead of the tents they had previously used. These caravans were built like short railway carriages, about 6.1 metres (20 feet) long, but had wooden wheels with solid rubber tyres and ball bearings.
Types
There are different classes of vehicles generally labeled as RVs:
Features
The RVs
A minimal RV typically contains beds, a table, food preparation and storage areas. Larger models add full bathrooms, refrigerators, living areas, master bedrooms, etc. Some RVs are very elaborate, with satellite TV and Internet access, slide-out sections, and awnings, and either storing a small car inside it or providing the option of towing it behind the RV. RVs can cost (new) from less than US$10,000 to $1,500,000 or more. Very high-end Class A motorhomes, for example, can cost between US$100,000 to $650,000 new. Cool Amphibious Manufacturers International make the Terra Wind - an amphibious Class A RV which costs between $850,000 and $1.2 million. In 2006, Featherlite Luxury Coaches debuted the Featherlite Vantare Platinum Plus, a motorhome featuring marble floors, a built-in treadmill and other luxury features valued at US$2.5 million.
Some people craft their own RVs out of cars, vans, school buses, and buses.
The Parks
Many RVers stay at RV parks, most of which feature electrical, water and sewer service ( full hookups ), as well as cable television and wireless Internet. One can also get partial hookups in the same parks. Amenities often include swimming pools, gamerooms and even destination-resort activities such as horseback riding. Others prefer staying at locations in remote rural areas (called boondocking ), and still others at public campgrounds with minimal facilities.
Also many RVers stay at city parks, county parks, state parks and national parks. The United States Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) also offer camping, often at no cost to the camper.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages of RVs include not having to move one's things in and out of motel rooms, not having to rent multiple motel rooms, sleeping in a bed one is comfortable with. Also, preparing food oneself saves money compared to eating in restaurants, as well as meeting any dietary restrictions or preferences. At the same time, an RV provides a more organized living space and better protection from the weather than a tent. There is also no council tax if you choose to live in a RV and no home mortgage.
Disadvantages of RVs include low fuel economy for the motorized RV or tow vehicle, lack of maid service as experienced in motels (maid service is available at a few high-end resorts), and the challenge of driving or towing larger RV models for the novice.
Usages
There is a stereotype that people who live in RVs full-time do so because they are poor and cannot afford more conventional housing. However, an increasing number of people are opting to sell their homes and live in their RVs, which can cost as much as their home did. Some return to home ownership after several years while some few bounce back and forth between owning a home and going RVing full time. For these, mostly retirees, RVing is a life style choice not a financial decision.
Similarly, RVs — specifically, trailers which strongly resemble travel trailers, but usually with fewer amenities — have been used to temporarily house victims of natural disasters. A notable example is Hurricane Katrina, after which the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) ordered large numbers of such trailers to house victims of the storm in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Notable manufacturers
- Fleetwood Enterprises, Riverside, California
- Hymer, Europe
- Jayco, Inc, Winkler, Manitoba
- Wanderlodge, Fort Valley, Georgia
- Westfalia, Europe
- Winnebago Industries, Inc., Forest City, Iowa
RV Lifestyle
The RV lifestyle is made up of those interested in traveling and camping rather than living in one location, as well as by vacationers. Some travel nearer the equator during the winter months in their RV and return in spring. This is sometimes referred to in the USA as snowbirding. There is also a large segment of younger people who participate in the RV lifestyle. Those who live in an RV are known as fulltimers and live H.O.W. (Houses On Wheels) in comparison to those who live primarily in a house and are known as slab
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