Caravans add a new dimension to road trips

carefully designed interior of fold-out fixtures.

Recreational vehicle parks in Western countries typically provide electricity and water hookups, along with sewage disposal tanks. China has some catching up, and savvy operators spot the trend.

The Green House Hotel in suburban Shanghai’s Fengxian District is now expanding to provide services to those who lease caravans at the site or bring their own.

“They are very convenient inside, pretty much the same as a standard hotel room,” says Wu Mengxia, who works at the hotel.

The hotel has long been a popular venue for corporate team-building conferences or weekend family trips. The new caravan park is a sweetener for visitors.

“It was very popular during the Qingming Festival, or tomb-sweeping day, in early April,” Wu says. “And the park is usually sold out on weekends. It’s especially popular with young people, young couples and parents with children.”

The hotel is now building a second phase of the caravan park, which will provide full facilities for mobile homes.

“I traveled a lot in my own caravan when I lived in Sydney,” says Wang Yan, a 35-year-old finance director who returned to Shanghai after three years in Australia. “I really wanted to buy one when I came back, but my wife was concerned about costs, parking and other issues.”

With all the parks built or under construction around China, Wang says he is thinking of broaching the idea again with his wife.

Shi, with the Shanghai Transportation Radio Car Club, says RV travel has the potential to change the face of traveling in China. An RV is better than having to cram a family into a passenger car for long road trips, he says.

“Hotels are comparatively expensive, if you can actually get a room,” he says. “So many people may well consider leasing a caravan, where you have more space for the family and you can stay overnight in any of hundreds of campsites, with all the facilities you need, including bathroom, shower and cooking facilities.”