There are two basic differences in touring caravan design – a motorhome with engine, which offers all-inclusive transportation and temporary living quarters, and a separate caravan which you have to tow. A motorhome is more expensive than a touring caravan, but the biggest advantage is having no need for a second vehicle for towing. Motorhomes can pull up on a site, and be connected and ready in a matter of minutes. A touring caravan takes much longer to set up. Once on site however, a touring caravan stays put whilst the owner uses the car to travel around the local area. A motorhome owner has to pack everything away before travelling to the local shops or places of interest.

Motorhomes began in the 1920s, when the horse gave way to the car. Early efforts by coachbuilders to design a motorhome were awkward to say the least. In the 1930s, Bertram Hutching’s attempt at bringing together his touring caravan and a car resulted in a model that proved very unpopular. But caravans were not fashionable during this time and sales were very poor. A company called Jennings produced a pioneering forerunner to the motorhomes of today. It was a motorhome body mounted on a normal car chassis. Unfortunately production stopped in 1939 as World War II began.

The popularity of motorhomes took off in the UK during the 1950s. Van owners needed to transport themselves and the tools of their trade during the week. At weekends, the vehicle was utilised to go away on fishing trips or to take the family to the seaside. These needs led to many adaptations to the interior design of the vehicles. Seats for example could fold down and turn into a bed. The earlier models had few creature comforts, but led to much better equipped versions as the decades passed.

Sales boomed until the introduction of VAT in 1973, which caused a severe depression in the market. In more recent times, sales have regained their strong growth and the motorised caravan now justly deserves its name of motorhome, since most of them are indeed a home on wheels.

Some motorhomes are based on a commercial vehicle such as the Ford Transit, Fiat Ducato, Renault Traffic or Peugeot Boxer, the cab of which is clearly visible, while larger ‘coachbuilt’ or ‘A’ class motorhomes are built from scratch on a powered chassis. To all intents and purposes, they are full touring caravans that can be driven from site to site.

Most motorhomes are still used for leisure purposes, but provide a home away from home for their owners. They now boast showers, flushing toilets, fridges and cookers and are a common sight on our roads.

Problems with parking and negotiating narrow and winding country roads means it is still uncommon to see larger motorhomes such as the Winnebago in the UK. Coach sized motorhomes are much more common in the American market, where the roads are larger and straighter with ample parking.

Motorhomes vary from basic models which may be little more than a van with a mattress to the ‘Winnebago type’ mentioned above, containing several rooms with all the furniture, furnishings and equipment of a home.

21st-century motorhomes are now extremely luxurious and today's motorhome owner may benefit from the following features:

• Gas/electric powered refrigerator, oven, hob and grill
• Gas/electric powered
• Microwave cooker
• Gas/electric powered water heater
• Warm air heating
• Beds, some of which double-up as daytime seating
• Electricity supplied by a leisure battery or external hookup
• Toilet with removable disposal tank and flush-water tank
• Shower
• Radio/CD/DVD/MP3 player
• Television aerial/satellite dish
• Fresh water and waste water tanks
• Fly screens and window blinds