Caravans have enjoyed a surge in popularity in recent years, thanks in no small part to the rise of staycationing. But, the modern caravan is a far cry from those of years gone by with the history of caravans being incredibly varied, which begs the question – just who invented the caravan anyway?
This is actually a much more complex question than it originally appears. Caravans have been around for centuries, though obviously not in the form that we know and love today. Originally they were simple wooden shells that were drawn by horses, thereby offering a way of easily transporting goods. They weren’t used as places to sleep until the travelling Romani people (commonly known as gypsies) decided to use them as a home instead of sleeping in tents, and so the iconic caravan was born.
It was the beginning of the 19th century when caravans started to evolve into something resembling today’s models, and the first “leisure trailer” was built in 1880 by the Bristol Carriage Company. It was bu




Approximately 73 percent were covered under medical payments plans, 70 percent had comprehensive coverage and 65 percent had collision coverage.