Plenty happened in the motorhome world this week: the Canary Islands prepared a decree that closes down free camping and introduces a 72-hour rule, Croatia recalled campers from ten brands over a defective child-seat mounting, the 65th Caravan Salon opened in Düsseldorf with 830 exhibitors, and in Antalya telescopes were installed inside a motorhome to take tourists out to look at the Moon.
The main things this week
- The government of the Canary Islands has prepared a decree banning free camping for tourism purposes and introducing five types of legal sites, including overnight spots for motorhomes with a stay of no more than 72 hours.
- Croatia's state inspectorate (DIRH) has announced a recall of campers from ten brands: the bracket for the ISOFIX child-seat mounting has a defective weld, and some Adria models are being recalled separately over the panoramic roof.
- In O Grove in Spain (Galicia), more than 80 fines have been issued to motorhomes since 10 July, and parking for any vehicle is banned between 23:00 and 8:00.
- The city council of Palo Alto in California has allowed overnight motorhome parking on only two streets on the outskirts — there is room for fewer than half of the 130 vehicles, and a permit costs 15 dollars a month.
- Argentine pensioners Silvia and Sergio from Rosario have been living for more than a year in a 1995 Mercedes-Benz 1215 bus they converted themselves: four 450 W solar panels and two 200 Ah lithium batteries give them full independence.
The Canary Islands close down free camping and introduce a 72-hour rule
The Canaries are one of the few places in Europe that people drive to in a motorhome specifically in winter: in January it is +20 °C there, and the flow of vehicles from mainland Spain and from Germany grows every year. Until now the archipelago has lived without clear rules: staying overnight outside a campsite was not formally allowed, but there were hardly any sites either, so people parked wherever they could. Now the islands' government has prepared a decree on outdoor recreation that closes this grey zone: free overnight stops for tourism purposes — whether in a tent, a caravan or a motorhome — are banned, and a network of legal sites is being created instead.
The key figure for travellers is 72 hours. The decree divides all accommodation into five types: campsites, equipped motorhome sites, overnight-only sites with a stay of no more than 72 hours (with the option of leaving by 10:00 the next day), isolated rural houses and "special" options such as treehouses and yurts. The authorities intend to place the short 72-hour sites in inland and mountain areas — exactly where people most often spend the night in the wild today, and where the islands want to spread tourist traffic away from the overcrowded coast. Campsites, meanwhile, face more than ten requirements, so opening one will become harder and more expensive. Offenders will be penalised under the general tourism law.
The draft has been through public consultation and has been sent to the Consultative Council of the Canary Islands; the German press writes that it will take effect as early as this autumn, but there is no exact date yet. Camper owners themselves support the document, which is unusual for restrictive news: their argument is that such rules have applied on the mainland for decades, while on the islands there was almost nowhere legal to stop, and legalising sites matters more to them than the ban on wild camping.
What this means for you
If you are planning to spend the winter in the Canaries, build overnight stays at official sites into your route and book in advance: there are still few of them, and demand for winter is taking shape right now. Do not count on "we will find something in the mountains" — mountain and inland areas are exactly what the authorities plan to bring under the 72-hour rule first, and enforcement there will be the most visible. If you have already booked a ferry for November or December, call the sites you have chosen and ask whether they fall under the new categories: some private sites will have to be re-registered. If, on the contrary, you are considering a business of your own, the window is open now: the decree describes for the first time how to set up a motorhome site legally, and local entrepreneurs are already filing the first applications. And a general rule for the whole of southern Europe: the 2026 season is ending with "grey" overnight stops becoming, one after another, either paid or fineable.
In brief
- Germany, trade show: in Düsseldorf, the 65th Caravan Salon has opened — from 28 August to 6 September, 830 exhibitors, from compact caravans for budget-minded buyers to 26-tonne expedition vehicles.
- Germany, electric: this week Volkswagen finally showed the ID. California Cruise based on the ID. Buzz: a 2.03 × 1.2 m bed, a 230 V, 2000 W socket fed by the traction battery and a mode that keeps the air conditioning running for more than 48 hours — but no kitchen and no gas hob.
- Germany, electric part two: CityFreighter brought to the same show the Evolve concept with a 128 kWh battery: over 400 km of range, charging from 10 to 80% in 20 minutes and a swappable battery. Series production is not planned for now.
- Italy, engineering: Atlantis has shown an all-wheel-drive version of its carbon-fibre Carbon 4x4 motorhome on a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 419 CDI chassis — from 149,667 euros.
- USA, market: the industry association RVIA reported that factories shipped 19,948 units in July, 11.9% fewer than a year earlier; over seven months the decline is 13.9%, and for motorised motorhomes it is as much as 25.6%.
- Germany, demand: according to an ADAC survey, camping now appeals to 25% of Germans over 16 — about 17 million people; the average budget is 910 euros a week per adult and 410 per child. People are buying fewer vehicles but want to travel more — that is the main shift of the year.
- Austria, statistics: the country's campsites recorded almost 2.9 million overnight stays in the first half of the year — 3.6% fewer than in the record year of 2025, but year-round camping is growing.
- Switzerland, vehicle fleet: the country has a record 110,368 registered motorhomes with 4,476 new registrations over the year — the market is saturating, and more and more people are renting instead of buying.
- South Korea, tourism: the tourism organisation of Gyeonggi Province is launching "camper plus DMZ" routes — vehicle rental and two nights at the Pyeonghwa-Nuri campsite in Paju, sold through 60 online travel agencies.
- France, rumours: the story about a motorhome tax of up to 700 euros a year turned out to be a misread news item — that charge was introduced only in the Swiss canton of Geneva, and it does not apply to foreigners.
- Spain, infrastructure: Santiago de Compostela has approved the construction of a 40-pitch site in the Tambre industrial estate — with a reception, a library, showers and a swimming pool.
- Australia, self-builds: the Headspace Campers workshop has put together an all-wheel-drive Toyota HiAce with 300 mm of ground clearance and 35-inch wheels — higher than any factory Land Cruiser; the conversion starts at 18,950 Australian dollars.
- Turkey, unusual: in Antalya a mobile observatory in a motorhome has opened: the first outing took place at the Düden waterfall, with Cappadocia and Pamukkale planned next.
Where to go
Japan, September and October. Over the past two years Japan has been methodically building a network of certified sites, and in autumn it shows: in Nagano, the SUWA Glass no Sato RV park has just opened — five pitches from 5,500 yen a night by Lake Suwa, and in Kagawa Prefecture, on the grounds of a golf club, a hotel of six trailers, each with a sauna and a jacuzzi, has started operating, from 16,620 yen for two, and you can check in without playing any golf at all. September and October are the best time for a trip like this: the heat eases off, the typhoon season winds down, and by mid-October the maples turn in the mountains of Nagano. Anyone who also wants to see how the Japanese market works should line their dates up with the Yokohama Camping Car Show on 26–27 September: around 150 vehicles, 800 yen for an advance ticket, free for children under 12. Japan's format is not long stretches off-grid but short hops between equipped stops, so it suits people travelling in a rented vehicle and without experience of camping in the wild.
Take care
- Croatia and the whole EU, right now: the DIRH inspectorate has announced a recall of campers from ten brands — the bracket for the ISOFIX child-seat mounting has a faulty weld and may fail to hold in a crash. Some Adria models are being recalled separately over the panoramic roof. If you travel with children, find your VIN and have the vehicle checked at a dealer before your next long trip, even if you did not buy it in Croatia.
- Spain, O Grove (Galicia), right now: the town hall has reported more than 80 fines issued to motorhomes since 10 July, mostly for parking; enforcement has been stepped up on the island of A Toxa, at Lanzada and on the beaches, and parking is banned for any vehicle between 23:00 and 8:00. If you are planning the Rías Baixas, look for an official site in advance and do not stay overnight in beach car parks.
- USA, Palo Alto (California), from this week: the city council has allowed overnight motorhome parking on only two streets on the outskirts — Coyote Hill Road and Embarcadero Road, with mandatory insurance and a fee of 15 dollars a month. There is room for fewer than half of the 130 vehicles, so if you are passing through Silicon Valley, plan on a paid campsite rather than the street.
- Italy, the Dolomites, always: in Villabassa, the carabinieri brought charges against a tourist who dumped grey water into a car wash drain: the damage was assessed at 2 thousand euros, and the case is being handled as illegal waste disposal and damage to property. A car wash, a storm drain or a soakaway is not a dump station; in Italy this is a criminal matter, not a parking-tariff one.
Something good to finish
Two stories worth forwarding.
A 1995 bus, four panels and complete independence. Silvia and Sergio are pensioners from Rosario in Argentina, and for more than a year their home has been a converted Mercedes-Benz 1215 bus the same age as their grandchildren. They put the electrics together themselves: four 450 W solar panels, a 3000 W inverter and two 200 Ah lithium batteries — enough not to depend on hook-ups at all. They say themselves that the main change is not in the kilometres but in the fact that they consume less and live better. Self-sufficiency, it turns out, is not a matter of age or budget.
A motorhome with a library instead of cupboards. A Brazilian couple tours the country with a project called Casinha Viageira — a home on wheels with a real library inside. From 9 to 21 September they will visit the state of Rio de Janeiro for the first time and stop in five municipalities: reading aloud, literature workshops and a mobile library — all free of charge. For children in small towns this may be the first time a bookshelf has come to them on its own.
This week's questions
Will it still be possible to spend the winter in the Canaries in a motorhome under the new decree?
Yes, but only at legal sites. The decree bans free overnight stops for tourism purposes and introduces five types of accommodation — from full campsites to overnight-only sites where you may stay no longer than 72 hours. The draft has been sent to the Consultative Council of the Canary Islands and there is no exact date for it to take effect, but the rules could already apply in autumn, so it is better to plan a winter route around official sites.
My camper is affected by the ISOFIX recall — what should I do?
Contact your brand's dealer with the VIN and do not put it off: this concerns the weld on the bracket that the child seat attaches to, and the problem shows up precisely in a crash. The recall was announced by the Croatian inspectorate, but the manufacturers on the list sell vehicles across Europe, so it is worth checking regardless of the country of purchase. While the check is pending, it is safer to secure the child seat with the standard belt rather than the ISOFIX mounting.
When is the best time to travel to Japan in a motorhome?
In September and October. The summer heat and humidity ease off, there are fewer typhoons, and by mid-October the maples turn in the mountains of Nagano. Autumn also brings new certified sites — for example, the RV park by Lake Suwa with five pitches from 5,500 yen a night. If you want to combine the trip with a trade show, the Yokohama Camping Car Show runs on 26–27 September.
Is it true that France has introduced a motorhome tax of up to 700 euros a year?
No. This story spread across social media in a distorted form: the charge was introduced in the Swiss canton of Geneva, it applies to local owners and does not extend to foreigners driving through the canton. There is no such tax in France.
How much does a week's camping holiday in Europe cost right now?
According to the ADAC survey, German travellers budget an average of 910 euros a week per adult and 410 euros per child — that includes travel, the pitch and food. Camping is meanwhile becoming more mainstream: 25% of Germans over 16 now say they are interested, about 17 million people, and the share of travellers aged 16–39 has grown from 35% to 39% over three years.