Step inside the world's most beautiful vintage caravans and motorhomes

Gorgeous trailers and motorhomes from yesteryear

Recreational vehicles have a long and illustrious history, with their roots in the horse-drawn wagon that was invented thousands of years ago. The world's first proper leisure caravan dates from the late 19th century and the motorhome made its debut back in 1904. The first caravan club was established not long after, while the Tin Can Tourist Club, America's original RV camper club, formed in 1919.

Expensive luxuries, the earliest RVs are all about exquisite craftsmanship and stunning good looks.

Click or scroll through to take a trip down memory lane and discover some of the finest examples...

Romani and Irish Traveller vardos

Horse-drawn carriages were de rigueur for overland trips during the Middle Ages and early modern period, though travellers ate and slept in coaching inns along the way. Carriages were first used as living spaces by Europe's roving circuses, freak shows and menageries in the early 19th century.

The itinerant Romani and Irish Traveller communities were next to embrace these tiny homes on wheels, which they adopted en masse in the 1850s. This photo of a Romani family and their caravan – or Vardo – was taken in 1877 near an encampment in London's Notting Hill.

Vardo RV inspiration

Vardos were often vibrantly colourful, fabulously ornate and richly decorated, with traditional Romani and Irish Traveller symbols such as flowers, grapes and horses incorporated into the designs.

These beguiling horse-drawn vehicles were the inspiration behind the world's first leisure caravan, which was commissioned by eccentric naval doctor and novelist William Stables in 1884 and completed the following year.

The Wanderer: inspiration for the world's first RV movement

Stables set off on his grand tour in 1885, travelling in lavish style from his home in Berkshire all the way up to Inverness, together with a valet, cook, coachman, Newfoundland dog and cockatoo. The Wanderer was such an uncommon curiosity at the time, the valet had to cycle ahead to warn road users it was coming, while on occasion hostile onlookers pelted the vehicle with stones.

Over time, Stables became something of a celebrity, sparking the 'Gentleman Gypsy' fad, the world's first RV movement. Despite the name, the fad attracted both men and women, who commissioned elaborate caravans to explore the UK, often with a coterie of staff in tow who slept in tents. They were basically the original glampers.

Ford Model T Motor Caravan: exquisite renovation

This RV was purportedly sold in the 1920s and abandoned some time after. It was eventually rediscovered in a sorry state in Shepperton near London and restored to its former glory over a four-year period during the 1970s by enthusiast Leo Smith and cabinet maker Robin Tanner.

The motor caravan's second wind has seen it partake in rallies and historic vehicles shows, as well as a TV show with members of the British Royal Family in attendance.

Eccles Caravan (1926): the world's first mass-manufactured trailer

Pioneering UK caravan maker Eccles of Birmingham was the world's first major trailer manufacturer. Inspired by the military trailers used in the First World War, the firm started making caravans in 1919 and was churning them out by 1922.

This surviving example dates from 1926.

Eccles Caravan: fine craftsmanship

Made with plywood and built over a wooden frame with a lantern-shaped roof, the Eccles Caravan of the 1920s was constructed with the utmost skill. Tudor-style diamond muntin windows lend the caravan a homely cottage vibe, while the shiny exterior paintwork adds an elegant note.

The Eccles Caravan retailed for £185, which translates to $11,700 (£9.4k) today. By way of comparison, the typical house back then cost £619, around $39,000 (£31.3k) in 2024 money.

Eccles Caravan: posh interior

The inside is posher still. The interior panels and furniture were French polished to perfection and amenities included a stove and gramophone.

This specific model found its way into the collection of Caravans International founder Sam Alper before it was bought in 1980 by the National Motor Museum. It forms part of the institution's core collection and is on permanent display.

Pierce-Arrow Fleet Housecar (1928): luxury custom motorhome

Across the pond, covered Conestoga wagons transported families through the Midwest during the early part of the 19th century. But RVing as a leisure activity in the US originated in the late 1900s, and as we've mentioned, the very first motorhome was built in 1904, while luxury Buffalo, New York-based automaker Pierce-Arrow manufactured the first production motorhome in 1910.

In 1928, the firm introduced the Privateer Housecar. By this time, America's first RV club had formed and RVing was becoming ever more popular in the country, though it was still a niche activity largely restricted to the well-off.

Pierce-Arrow Fleet Privateer Housecar: wow-factor status symbol

The last word in high-end Roaring Twenties motorhomes and a wow-factor status symbol, only three Privateer Housecars were ever made and this is the only surviving example.

While pricing remains a mystery, the Privateer is likely to have cost many hundreds of dollars or might have even ran into the thousands, leaving it out of reach for most Americans at the time.

Home from Home: cottage on wheels

Modelled after a cute cottage with a red pitched roof, painted brick-effect walls and a chimney, the vintage RV certainly lives up to its name.

Home from Home was built in 1929 atop a 1924 Dodge Tourer by inventor Gerhard ‘Pop’ Kaesler of Nuriootpa, in South Australia’s Barossa Valley. It provided accommodation for Kasler and his family during their trips along the state's coastline.

Airstream Clipper: the battle for production

While Bowlus folded in 1936 with just 80 units produced (although the brand was revived in 2014), Airstream was also forced to pause production during the Second World War. When the conflict ended in 1945, Byam began manufacturing a line of travel trailers and re-opened the company.

The Clipper was priced from $1,465, around $32,000 (£25.5k) today, but had the edge over the competition. Out of the 400 companies producing RVs in the 1930s, Airstream was the only one that survived the Second World War.

Airstream Clipper: impressive amenities

The trailer's superlative amenities proved to be hugely appealing too, since everything from a stainless-steel kitchen galley and wood cabinetry to a toilet, wireless and air conditioning was available for the wood-lined interior.

Airstream thrived in the postwar era as RVing hit the mainstream in the US, with the company's models snapped up by multitudes of Americans, including politicians and Hollywood celebrities.

Shasta Airflyte: America's one-time most popular trailer

The trailer went down a storm with the American public and sold like hot cakes.

This especially snazzy example, which pops with that fabulous shiny aluminium, pink and white finish, was photographed in 2014 in Los Olivos, California. Not just pretty on the outside, Shasta Airflyte trailers have gorgeous interiors too.