Fed up with horrid holiday hotels? Take your home away with you

In case you wondered, motorhomes are the new package holiday, the new Caribbean cruise and the new weekend mini-break, really they are. Oh and just in case you wondered what a motorhome is, well it¼s essentially a van giving a caravan a piggyback. Apparently the caravan is dead. Long live the motorhome.

"Our sales are up 70 per cent on last year," says Alan Freeman, sales manager of one of the UK's largest retailer of motorhomes. "Since 11 September, there has been a real concern about the safety of flying. The United States in particular is where sales of motor homes have really taken off. In the UK, it has been people after value for money and what they have in their own hotel on wheels. If they have a bad meal it is their fault, but what they really relish is the freedom and not being tied in to any schedule.

"I think they have had enough of waiting at airport terminals and they are becoming very disappointed with package holidays because so many of them can easily turn into a disaster with a few delays and poor accommodation."

So who exactly are these lucky motorhomesters? "Most of our customers are semi-retired," Mr Freeman says. "What they do is follow the sun, disappearing abroad for six months of the year and coming back here for summer. I can truly say I have never met any stressed motorhome owners. If there is a problem on the roads, they can pull over and relax."

I am convinced, so how much does it cost to join the motorhome set? "New models range from £24,000 to £62,000, but you can get a good second-hand example at £15,000 to £16,000. We rarely have anything below £10,000." Mr Freeman is quick to justify the prices. "You have to look long-term, because you are paying the equivalent of a second-hand Porsche or several cruises in one go. Five years later though, you are enjoying minimal cost holidays and breaks."

Mr Freeman is right; the residual values hold more firmly than cars, and compared with even a decade ago the specifications are scarcely credible, with showers, TVs and fully fitted kitchens.

The all-American Winnebago is the ultimate home from home, and the only place in Britain where you can buy a new one is the Oxfordshire-based family firm of Dudleys.

That started in 1976 when Paul Dudley's father wanted something comfy to put his feet up in, between bouts of motorsport. "The reaction he got was incredible; everyone wanted one, so we decided to import Winnebagos," Mr Dudley says. "Motorsport always has been a good market for us. I can remember looking at the Touring Car grid a few years back and realising the first nine drivers had all bought their Winnebagos from us."

The sheer bulk of the Winnebago vehicle, combined with four-wheel drive can challenge your spatial awareness. "We stopped private hire a few years ago," Mr Dudley says. "Quite a few were coming back with their corners rubbed off." But the 8ft width and up to 34ft length is not that much of a problem. A few years ago, I sat in a Vectra (Winnebago, not Vauxhall); it was automatic with power everything and from the captain's chair it really was easy to dock (park). There was even a monitor with rear-mounted camera to help, plus computer-controlled hydraulic stabilising jacks to keep it on an even keel when stationary. It had everything on board as standard, including the kitchen sink and double bed. The most remarkable feature was the slide-outs.

Press a button and the Winnebago got even bigger as the slide-out section added a useful couple of feet to the living room. Dudley is especially proud of a new range of Mandalay vehicles built by the people who designed the beautiful aluminium Airstream Caravans. These can have up to four slide-outs and cost up to £210,000.

Then there are the affluent wanderers. "There are full timers," Mr Dudley says. "They live in their motorhomes the whole time and some never leave Britain. We like to call them luxury nomads."

But motorhomes can be bought and run on a budget. The Classic Camper Club would be a good starter organisation to join because for a few thousand pounds you could buy an old Commer Caravanette, with no power shower, no TV, but a sink, gas ring and a bunk or two.

It is interesting to come across people like Kevin Bacon, not the Hollywood actor as he regularly points out, who runs baconsdozen tool auctions, and with his wife Jane, decided to retire his trusty and rusty 200,000-mile plus Mercedes 307D van. "We decided to turn it into a motorhome, something to get us away from our shop in uninspiring Lowestoft on odd days off," Mr Bacon says. "The budget was easy to work out [as little as possible], and we decided all the work we would do ourselves where at all possible." He reckons he has spent no more than £300 converting the van, which is remarkable when you see the results at www.baconsdozen.co.uk/motorhome/ mercedes.htm.

Motorhomes do not have to cost a fortune and they can also look very cool. Beetles UK bring in new classic "hippie"- shaped Volkswagen Transporter vans from South America. They are converted to camping specification by the specialist fitter Danbury, to create the Danbury Rio. To buy this groovy 1960s throwback costs £16,999 in left-hand drive, perfect for touring Europe, and £1,000 extra if you want to sit on the right.

Forget about airport delays, dodgy food, half-built hotels and punishing schedules. Take back the holiday initiative and get yourself a motorhome.

Contact Barons 01257 793377 Dudleys 01993 771745 Beetles UK 0870 1202 365 www.classiccamperclub.co.uk

IT'S YOUR CHOICE

THE £16,999 Danbury Rio is a new classic Volkswagen Camper. The interior is traditional Volkswagen layout, the kitchen and wardrobe down the left. The rear seat runs across the back and folds down to make a double bed. The kitchen has a two-burner hob and grill with stainless steel sink. Fresh water is supplied from a removable storage tank. Fitted as standard is an independent blown-air petrol-heating system.

The £200,000 Winnebago Triple Slide Mandalay, at 38ft long, has leather passenger and driver swivel seats and a slide-out side incorporating a dinette and kitchen with oak cabinets and pantry.

There is a built-in television with video, and a separate shower room, toilet, rear bedroom with a queen size island bed, air-conditioning and under-floor hot-air heating.