Forget trendy camper vans – swanky motorhomes are the way to get around nowadays, says Alan Candy


My neighbours are all at it. They’ve been bitten by the Jamie Oliver travel bug. That means investing in an ancient VW camper van – just like Australians in London used to kip out in years ago.

They’re 30 years old, draughty, often rusty and certainly basic and uncomfortable to drive, but none of that deters them. They love ’em.

This seems to be the new yuppie weekendmobile – but I can’t share their enthusiasm. Yes, I’m hooked on travel, too, but I like my luxuries. So give me a comfortable, state of the art, smooth-running, beautifully furnished, all-mod-cons-included motorhome any day.

More and people are taking up the motorhome lifestyle – more than 130,000 such vehicles are estimated to be in use in the UK and annual sales are at an all-time high.

The past 10 years alone has seen a doubling of new vehicles on the road and a huge surge in the used vehicle market.

And it’s not just bright young things taking to the open road. Empty-nesters, or the ‘One Foot In The Grave’ gang, can also be seen in droves, gently meandering their way through retirement.

The type of vehicle that can deal with all my family’s needs, either on holiday or for day outings, is the £36,341 Auto-Sleepers Inca EK, which is big and luxurious enough to travel in style but not so enormous that parking and manoeuvring become something of a nightmare.

I have spent a week touring one of my favourite counties, Dorset, and even though I’m past the stage of filling the motorhome with surfboards and beach barbecue equipment, its pleasures are manifold.

Based on the Peugeot Boxer cab, the Inca is a mid-sized coachbuilt model that boasts everything that’s good about modern motorhome travel.

Coachbuilt vehicles may not be glamorous, but they’re incredibly practical. The bulge over the driver’s cab houses a useful double bed and daytime storage area and the boxy styling allows every inch of spare space to be utilised.

Dramatic lighting systems and contemporary interior will surprise the uninitiated in a motorhome that has kept the best traditional features and given them a modern twist.

A central dinette area has comfortable seating for four around a table that can later be removed and easily stored.
At night-time, this all easily converts to either an extra-long double bed across the full width of the van, or two decent-sized singles along the sides.

Auto-Sleepers wisely sites the smart kitchen area right at the back, with a fabulously appointed cooker and bags of cupboard space.

Smart Italian curved furniture doors feature throughout but the Inca’s stand-out feature is the brilliantly thought out bathroom, with cleverly designed circular corner shower.

There are also generous amounts of built-in storage areas, including a large underfloor locker large enough to swallow up golf clubs, deck chairs and other bulky items.

The Inca is powered by a smooth, powerful Peugeot 2.8 HDI engine and power steering and giant-sized door mirrors make parking and manoeuvring a practical proposition.

Maybe I’m not so hip and happening as the surf-seekers in their flower-power camper vans, but at least I sleep comfortably at night, eat and relax in style and actually enjoy the pleasures of the open road once again.

There’ll always be a place for retro travel style, but motorhome design is always on the move.