RV OPINION
The author (front left) and his wife enjoy a Christmas happy
hour at Islands Caravan Park in Streaky Bay, SA.
THE LUX FACTOR
RVs are also becoming more sophisticated, with
increased self-sufficiency and luxury features,
including showers, toilets, solar power systems
and even washing machines. The modern RV
is more like a home on wheels, literally turning
camping into glamping. So you might ask: why
on earth would anyone want to pay to stay in a
caravan park when they can camp in total comfort
for little or no cost? Caravan parks give us an opportunity to relax
a little more. I know that sounds crazy but, if
you think about it, free-camping for more than
a couple of nights actually takes some effort.
Managing water and power means the briefest of
showers and no microwave or air-conditioning.
Waste disposal becomes a consideration, with
many campgrounds requiring you to take out
whatever you bring in.
My wife and I have been travelling around the
country for close to 20 years and we are currently
eight months into our extended lap of Australia.
Our rig is like many others out there insomuch as it
is set-up for extended offgrid camping. In theory,
given sufficient food and water supplies, we could
free-camp indefinitely but still we choose to stay
in caravan parks more often than we free-camp. There's little to no chance of cleaning clothes
and entertainment is limited to reading a book,
watching DVDs or staring at a campfire.
Don't get me wrong, this is all totally fine and we
really do enjoy free-camping but, after a while, it’s
nice to be able to take a real shower, clean up the
van and enjoy something closer to normal living.
/ 27