Are caravan holidays the latest home travel trend? We have the details.

After covering a large part of the country on a motor bike with her husband, Nagpur-based Neha Soman decided to buy a caravan. It would be more comfortable, and novel too, he thought. In 2016 he bought a caravan from a manufacturer in Delhi, and also decided to rent it out to other intrepid travelers. He named it Vacation on Wheels.

Neha and her husband are still waiting for a long-planned trip to Leh in their caravan. “My vacations have been down since I bought it,” she laughs, adding that it is booked for most of the year. Luckily, last week, she did manage to vacation in her friend’s caravan in Rajasthan as they traveled from Jaipur to Ranthambore.

Neha says that the number of caravans in the country is definitely increasing as a result of the pandemic. There are now proper companies running them with licenses, says Neha, who has two caravans of her own and manages three other caravans owned by the owners in Bhopal/Indore, Mumbai and Jaipur.

Neha says inquiries on vacation on wheels have doubled this year, with 14-15 calls per day and vehicles out on an average 14 days a month. Last year, the Nagpur-based organization saw about 5% tourism-based travel in its caravans. The remaining 95% of business was from people who needed help from city to city.

This primarily included infants and senior citizens who did not want to risk a train or flight, stood in check-in queues, or were otherwise unwell to travel.

Carva Travelers launched last October and Carwander created by Siddharth Arya Jolly in April this year are among the new players in the market. Jigyasu Joshi along with his friends Himanshu Jangid, Yogesh Kumar and Pranav Sharma founded the operation for Carva Travelers in Delhi. Even as demand was going through the roof, Jigyasu was tentative about the success and future of the business, putting bookings at the whim of customers or a one-time experience.

revving up

Over the ensuing months, he and his friends found that the mode had become more of a necessity than something experiential. “It was a journey of revenge, the consumption of revenge,” laughs the curious on a call from the capital. The team, currently working with two caravans, plans to add a few more to its fleet. Unlike the Carva Travellers, the Caravander initially had a bumpy ride. “We launched in April and five days later the second wave started, so we had to suspend operations,” says Siddharth, 22. They began services in August, but before that their vehicles – a motorhome and a campervan – had to undergo repairs as they had been parked for four months.

The novelty, privacy, flexibility, and feeling of living in a bubble work a lot in Caravan’s favor, even if they aren’t exactly pocket-friendly. Operators price them anywhere between ₹4,500 to ₹27,000 or more, depending on size and features. Additional costs include fuel, toll taxes and state taxes that vary from ₹200 per day to as high as ₹15,000 for a month, even if that means traveling through one state for a day to another. Driving to get there.

These vehicles provide a sense of niche adventure, says Siddharth, whose wheels have already been booked for shooting a film in Uttarakhand next month and Jaisalmer later this month. “My motorhome has a bedroom, living room, indoor and outdoor kitchen, a large storage space and wardrobe. It is built on the chassis of a bus and measures 32 feet in length and is eight feet wide, and can accommodate six adults. Huh. ”

Some caravans can sleep nine people, some six and some just three. These leisure vehicles have bedding, an en-suite bathroom, well-stocked kitchenette, entertainment units, camping kits, barbecue equipment, and a driver and cleaner. It’s also a great way for vacation to explore lesser known destinations. Some governments, such as Maharashtra, Kerala and Karnataka, have taken note of this and have introduced policies and services that will support tourism in their states.

Lux Camper has tied up with the Government of Karnataka and uses the state-owned Jungle Lodge & Resort to park its campervans at 15 locations. It includes a mix of famous destinations like Kabini and Bandipur as well as offbeat destinations like Sakrebail and Anejri. “There’s a beautiful elephant interpretation center at Sakrebyle near Shimoga,” says Tiger Ramesh, who started Lux ​​Camper last June. Tiger explains that caravans can park there and go on guided tours during the day and see around 25 elephants with their mahouts in the water bodies. Apart from these, the company also has its own camp site at Sakleshpur.

Lux Camper will now get its third Campervan and five more will be added within the next 40 days. “Our target is to have 100 vehicles. Some of them will be in Cochin, Goa, Chennai, Nagpur and Meghalaya,” says Tiger, adding that he has been approached by the governments of West Bengal, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand to promote caravan tourism in their states and highlight more destinations Is.

With Caravan one has the advantage of choosing where they want to sleep or dine, even if there are no hotels or restaurants nearby. “If a tourist wants to have breakfast near a waterfall, a traditional lunch amidst the paddy fields, a mountain side dinner or enjoy a meal at a five-star hotel, he can travel in a luxury caravan to these exclusive locations. Will be the driver for this, says VR Krishna Teja, Director of Tourism, Government of Kerala, which is introducing Caravan Tourism as its latest product, scheduled to start on January 1, 2022.

Most tourists from Kerala visit developed destinations such as Munnar, Thekkady, Fort Kochi, Varkala, Alappuzha and Kovalam, while other idyllic places remain the attraction of “excursion tourists”. “This is because these areas do not have overnight stay facilities. Caravans provide, without the need for any additional construction. We have plans for a dedicated caravan park with basic construction like toilets and cafeteria.” Krishna says.

Vagamon and parts of northern Kerala and places like Kollam will be included in the caravan circuit. Caravans will be served in caravan parks. This will boost local tourism and help the communities around these parks. “The caravan will follow all manufacturing norms and pollution policy mandated by the government,” he says. Krishna emphasizes that caravan tourism will ensure minimum destruction to the natural environment. “The caravan will have toilet facilities and waste disposal fittings. Each caravan park will have a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), which is mandatory. Waste and compost pits will be segregated,” he says.

busy road

Popular caravan routes for now are Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Rajasthan and Karnataka. Since India does not yet have a caravan park, some operators have tied up with camping sites. “Caravans can park there for the night and passengers can use its facilities like restaurants, restrooms, electricity, water drainage system,” says Siddharth, who has collaborated with farm houses and camping sites in Rajasthan. The designated locations they have identified are large enough for the customers to enjoy their space while maintaining a sense of security as these are the properties of the boundary wall. “In Jaisalmer (a four-day trip costs ₹1,20,000), for example, our vehicles are parked on two bighas of land by a sand dune,” he says.

This traveler along with his best friend set out to explore the Konkan Coast. photo Credit: Amit Singh