Over 2000 fines for illegal freedom camping issued in New Zealand this summer

Volkswagen brought the ID. Buzz back to the United States — complete with a mattress and curtains. A wildfire in Arizona burned down a dozen motorhomes, and Lake Tekir in Turkey flooded just as many. While Ibiza fines illegal campers up to €30,000, a retired couple from Mallorca has been living in 10 m² for five years and saving €1,400 a month. Plus: the largest campsite in the US at 607 pitches, a closed naturist beach on the North Sea, and Dolby Atmos in a trailer — all in this edition.

After almost 70 years, Bürstner has stopped making caravans — and nobody was particularly surprised once sales had fallen by a third. Sweden registered 62% more motorhomes and is preparing to let them drive faster. Chet Hanks moved into a retirees' trailer park in Nashville — for the country music career, not the savings. Plus a Korean workation site for 100 motorhomes, an unmanned trailer hotel on Hokkaido, and a gyrocopter pilot who landed on a highway and clipped an oncoming motorhome — all in this issue.

A 28-year-old woman allegedly stole a parked campervan in Whakatāne, unaware that the owner and his cat were sleeping inside. The man woke up, called police, and stayed inside until the vehicle stopped due to a mechanical fault. The suspect was arrested; no injuries reported.

A checklist has been published for families planning a caravan road trip. It covers packing by category: safety, bedding, cooking gear, clothing, hygiene, entertainment, and campsite setup. Special attention is given to children's needs: comfort items, quiet activities, spare shoes, medication, and snacks. Before departure, the checklist recommends checking tyre pressure, brake lights, indicators, towing connections, and securing all loose items. It also advises filling fresh water tanks, emptying grey and toilet waste, checking gas bottles, and carrying a fire extinguisher, reflective triangle, and repair kit. For off-grid travel, extra water, solar charging, and backup power are suggested.

Bürstner has halted caravan production as demand fell 13%. Poland is proposing to scrap road tolls for campervans, while Liguria counts the cost of 8,000 motorhomes descending on the region. Tom Hanks' son has swapped Hollywood for a trailer in pursuit of a music career, and a French couple has driven 100,000 km from the North Cape to Senegal — and that's not even the whole story. All this in this issue.

Greece has cancelled its own camper van ban — a year and a half on, as if it got cold feet. In Tenerife, 500 motorhomes blocked a motorway demanding the same — pitches and dump stations. In Miami, 200 families are being evicted from a motorhome park by September, while Córdoba is only just applying for permission for a new overnight area. Plus 21 kg of cocaine in a motorhome in Lanzarote, a fake eight-wheeled Mercedes-AMG G63 and a Starbucks coffee trailer in Seoul — in this issue.