Moving house

Camping was and still is a favorite past-time of many people. Primarily Dutch people I like to think. Close to 3 million Dutchies venture into France each year to spent their holiday and often on a campsite. Primarily lead by their wish to get away from the bleakness at home, a sunny climate is a must. And as it is within driving distance, France is their favorite destination. Why not go to England one could ask. Well, I can see why they veer away form the UK. Not only is sunny weather not always guaranteed, but one has to drop the metric system for inch, foot and pound and on top of that one has to drive on the left hand side of the road. Having said that, I realize that

driving on the left side is the least of their worries. It is what most Dutchies do at home anyway. Or in Germany, where the Germans think that 'NL' stands for 'Nur Links'. I can totally understand their confusion. 

Things are different in Canada. True, camping is also a favorite past time but Canadians like a bit of comfort. Therefore tents do not have a large group of followers. This may also have something to do with their position in the 'bear protection scale' rankings, when I come to think of it. It takes a grizzly little effort to rip through the fabric of a tent, be it 'ripstop' or not. So much for the guarantees of the manufacturers. No, hard shelled shelters are preferred by the Canadians. And there are many different shapes and sizes to choose from. Let us delve a bit further into this. The first step on the 'camphouse ladder' is the 'truck camper'. Or as I would like to call it 'the box'. Not like the boxes that are strapped to trucks and trailers but a box nevertheless. Normally chained to a pick-up truck. Nope, the pick-up truck does not come with the box. Possession or disposal of a pick up truck is recommended.

Moving up the 'camphouse ladder' brings us to the 'travel trailer'. Familiar to the Dutch albeit not quite in this size. A fair size pick-up truck is required with, you guessed it, the driving skills to go with it. Not many people fancy being the target of mockery whilst trying to back the trailer into the designated camping spot. Sounds familiar to many Dutch 'horsebox', ehh caravan owners I reckon. For those that have passed step one and two of the 'camphouse ladder' there is the 'fifth wheel' to consider.  'Humpback' is a much more appropriate name I think. 

Like their namesake they are enormous and have almost the same shape. Not a laughing matter I can assure you. Pulled by even bigger pick-up trucks it takes quite a skilled driver to maneuver them to their allocated place. And a campsite the size of Wembly Stadium. Quite different from the tiny 'stamp-sized' spots often allocated at campsites in 'la douce France'. But then, Canadians do have quite a bit more space at their disposal. Once put in position it must feel like one has moved ones house, and often to a much nicer place too. It is therefore that many Canadians prefer their camphouse to their permanent house which consequently becomes less permanent. Moving house seems to be the way forward. My word of advice is to choose your path carefully, as it often proves to be difficult to back up your 'humpback...'