It used to be a poor man’s holiday but today’s Caravans and Motorhomes offer a standard of luxury equal to anything we have at home.

Do you remember when petrol was 4/11d a gallon and you thought it a bit of a rip-off if you had to pay five bob for a night’s camping? Well, times have changed!

In 1958 you would probably have been Caravanning in a Bedford CA Dormobile, which was no bigger than the milkman’s delivery van, and holidaying with a couple of children was like spending a week in a sardine tin. Now, whether you choose a Mobile Home, towing caravan or a static van the standards of luxury, and indeed the prices are very much home from home!

Choose to holiday in the UK and you are totally spoilt for choice. From static sites where you can spend part or all of the year to touring pitches with every facility on site, things have changed so much.

There are facilities for caravan enthusiasts in every region of the UK. The Lake District, West Coast, East Coast, South Coast, Scotland, Yorkshire Dales, the list is endless, and there is great competition among park owners to provide leisure and pleasure facilities for visitors which equal, and in fact sometimes surpass, what you would expect in a traditional hotel.

We have called the feature ‘Home from Home on the Open Road’ but you may prefer to consider a Static Caravan in one of the multitude of locations around the country. Many older couples plump for this because it takes away the hassle of driving on ever more congested roads, and you can usually let the van out to family and friends when you won’t be occupying it yourself.

But, to go back to the traditional form of caravanning, you can now hitch up the equivalent of a luxury hotel room to the back of your car. Modern cars, given sufficient engine size, can tow with ease the beautiful caravans which you can buy today.

The range of Caravans available is too vast to cover in one article, but you can go from the sublime to the ridiculous. From two berth to multiple berth, all can have the greatest of facilities. Modern caravans are wonderfully insulated, have a very high level of equipment as standard and afford a quality of living which means you miss none of your home comforts. Kitchens usually have a hob, oven, double drainer sink, fridge, sometimes a freezer, so that you can choose whether to sample the local restaurants and pubs or cook at home in style.

Bathrooms can be quite amazing. You will normally find them equipped with a shower, toilet and hand basin, admittedly in a tight space, but more than enough for holiday needs, and we are talking hot water, courtesy of the Calor gas linkage.

I have seen some quite luxurious lounges in caravans. Fitted upholstery of the highest standard, great dining areas and a gas fire which wouldn’t look out of place in your lounge at home!

Double glazing comes as standard today and add on some of the great awnings which are available and you can comfortably spend several weeks of the year touring the highways and country lanes of our beautiful country and never know that you have left home.

Mobile Homes have not caught on in this country as much as on the continent where they are extremely popular. This is probably due to our island status, but if you do choose to go for one the world is most certainly your oyster.

In France and beyond you can roam to your heart’s content and rest assured that the caravan parks available are of a standard which will amaze you. Arrive at your chosen destination, park up and sample the facilities, which often include a café or full blown restaurant, and included in your site fee will be mains electricity hook up, well kept surroundings and an atmosphere conducive to getting the very best from your holiday.

For a mobile home you can pay almost as much as you would for a traditional home, the difference being that you can take it wherever in the world your fancy takes you.

We have come a long way since the days of the Bedford Dormobile, but the spirit of adventure is still the same. The call of the great outdoors is always irresistible, but now you can do it in style so it really is home from home.

Graham Smith for Third Age.