That was The Paris Motorhome Show 2018

October 10, 2018

As usual after the show, our voices are hoarse from talking over the crowds and our feet are sore from exploring the many halls. Whilst we did not find any truly ground breaking developments at the show this year (sadly no Star Trek teleportation option is yet on offer to get you from Corsica to Copenhagen in ten seconds), motorhomes definitely continue to evolve and improve.

Accommodation areas become ever more flexible as clever solutions using dual purpose and fold away technology is applied to get maximum value out of every last centimetre of internal space. This is good news for our clients, who mainly come from overseas for long European trips as innovation makes motorhomes increasingly comfortable for year round living.

Top German motorhomes from Knaus remain the most luxurious new vehicles we offer. Their stated aim is to make you feel as comfortable in their motorhomes as you do at home and they achieve it with high quality finishes, clever use of space and constant evolution of the materials they use. These prestige vehicles have pleasing touches galore from memory foam mattresses to atmospheric lighting and there are simply no compromises if you buy a Knaus. One new development that we particularly like in the 2019 Knaus range is their nod to the digital era. It is becoming increasingly easy to travel and work in a motorhome, as demonstrated to Sally by one of the Knaus team:

Our other German brand, Weinsberg, is owned by Knaus-Tabbert and many of the Knaus evolutions are applied to this brand too so you get German build quality, innovation and great after-sales service but at a lower price. We think the CaraSuite 700 MX with large, island bed is a particularly great layout for a couple on a long term trip.

With Knaus and Weinsberg vehicles the delay between ordering a new van and production is currently around five months (depending on the exact model you order) so if you order a new one this month, you will have it around March 2019. You can access the full Knaus range from here or the Weinsberg range from here.

Our Italian manufacturer, Blucamp still make our most popular hire vehicle, The Sky 20 and it continues to offer the best value we can find. Motorhomes which can sleep and carry seven are becoming somewhat rare but Blucamp offer a really excellent seven-berth family vehicle in the Sky 71. The Blucamp Sky Free, for disabled travellers, continues to improve with practical features such as a wheelchair lift that negates the requirement for a space consuming ramp, extra wide access door and grab rails in a very spacious bathroom.

The delay between ordering a new Blucamp and production is currently two to three months so if you order a new one this month, you will have it in December or January. Again this may vary and some models may have a longer delay so do please ask how quickly we can obtain one if you have a particular model in mind. You can access the full Blucamp range from here.

One other trend we saw evidence of at the show was a growing appetite for retro looks. It has not really reached motorhomes yet but small van conversions and compact caravans are appearing with retro styling and finishes which is usually a good indication that it’s coming to motorhomes soon. We love it and think it would add a touch of class to the somewhat samey look of the current motorhome crop. All the stands with retro styled vans were swamped with interested visitors and many of them young adults which is rare at a motorhome and caravan show. Come on motorhome manufacturers, see if you can pull off a vintage French bread van exterior with a shaker-style kitchen – who could resist that for ambling around France with accordion music playing on your I-Phone (or simply a real accordion if you want to keep it 100% retro)?

This time next year you could be heading back to us for winter storage following a six month European motorhome adventure in your ideal van. What are you waiting for? Get in touch now and let us help you find your perfect campervan.