As Beethoven’s birthplace, the German city of Bonn is expectedly
culture-rich. Eccentric hotel BaseCamp 13 vintage caravans (plus
Volkswagen buses, two sleeper trains and a cable car) could easily
be works of art in themselves: each was designed by a film set
designer and individually themed. There’s a 1960s flower-power
number, a bubblegum-pink “drag queen” wagon with fluffy seats and
silver-foiled curtains, and even a space shuttle for wannabe
astronauts. For those looking to sample local brews, there’s also
an on-site beer garden and food truck, leaving little reason to
leave BaseCamp at all.

Brought into the world by a trio of women with the intention of
making caravans cool again, Club Jupiter was conceived mid-2020
lockdown when culture writer Anna Hart, interior designer Whinnie
Williams and art consultant Emma Jane Palin decided to take the
plunge on a shared dream. Now decked out with an olive-green,
retro-inspired kitchen and three uniquely themed bedrooms – the
bamboo and rattan Jungle Room, candyfloss-coloured,
cowgirl-inspired Lonely Hearts Saloon, and sequinned Space Disco
room – this 2010 Willerby Bluebird has had a serious makeover, and
we’re raring to check in.

Way out in the dusty West Texas desert is this boho-futuristic
trailer park, sporting a handful of artfully upgraded Airstreams,
alongside a slew of safari tents, yurts and tepees. Painted in
eye-popping blue, pink or red, each trailer features a cosy
bedroom, roomy living area and an outdoor shower for catching the
infamous Marfa Lights – a mysterious spectacle of strange lights
that occasionally illuminates Marfa’s horizon.

This cabin-style 1930s Showman trailer conversion nods to the glamour of its era with vintage trinkets, an original English Rose kitchen, 1940s cinema seats and even a reclaimed carriage door. Outside, the wagon’s own little patch of woodland has a hot tub for outdoor bathers and stargazers, and for those wanting to venture further afield there are countless surfing beaches and coastal paths waiting to be explored.

Joshua Tree National Park has been drawing in an arty, alternative crowd since the 1960s thanks to its otherworldly, Jurassic-era landscape and handy proximity to downtown LA. Originally dreamed up as an artists’ retreat by an LA-based film director, Hicksville Palace is a motley collection of quirkily upcycled trailers centred around a saltwater swimming pool and mini golf course. Among the bevvy of wagons is an intergalactic Airstream, a circus-themed “house of horrors” and a bungalow-turned-wooden boat. This is all top secret, though – you won’t find out your rental’s exact location until your booking has been confirmed.

From the outside, this heritage, centrally located Cape Town
hotel looks just like any other boutique bolthole in the area,
until you reach the top floor: a rooftop Airstream trailer park.
That’s right, this iconic Long Street hotel actually hides seven
vintage trailers parked on its roof, each quirkily designed with a
whimsical take on the great South African road trip.

Follow the winding Hudson River in upstate New York and after a couple of hours you’ll hit Hudson Valley, a leafy pocket of postcard-pretty apple orchards, farms and cottages that feels a world away from the bright lights of the Big Apple. Capturing the region’s 1960s nostalgia is Hotel Caravana, a cluster of boutique Airstreams loved by frazzled New Yorkers looking for a rural escape. Expect candy-pink neon signs and retro-inspired furnishings, with a drive-in cinema, fire pit and hammocks completing the hotel’s back-to-basics aesthetic and laid-back approach to hospitality.

Self-described as “trailer flash”, Europe’s first retro caravan park features all the trappings of a playful themed hotel – think a red telephone box and mannequin in the garden – plus chic flourishes found in French flea markets that root the park firmly in the foothills of the Pyrénées mountains. For those in search of a self-contained stay, the hotel’s well-stocked general store brims with food essentials, including local, organic vegetables, as well as some less essential but equally delightful vintage clothes.

Plumb in the middle of a working farm, Tin Can Cottage is a sleek vintage Airstream that’s been painstakingly restored to reflect its original 1950s style, then conveniently jazzed up with mod cons including a Smeg fridge, Le Creuset kettle and Hungarian goose down bedding. Fancy feasting in the open air? Outside the cottage, alongside a pretty herb garden, you’ll find a fire bowl complete with a cooking pan and griddle, meaning you can dine in the great outdoors. Wooden chairs strewn with sheepskin throws mean you’ll stay nice and cosy.