Amanda Rawles in a Campervan: 10 Days on New Zealand Roads

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.

In Whakatāne, New Zealand, a 28-year-old woman stole a parked campervan, 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.

In 1926, New Zealand's first caravan featured a bathtub but no toilet. A century later, free camping at Beacon Point in Wanaka saw 122 complaints about human waste, prompting calls for law changes.