Recreational Vehicle (or RV) is a term used in North America to describe a large enclosed piece of equipment with wheels designed to be moved from place to place for people to temporarily live in and be protected from the elements while away from their permanent home. While RVs are intended for brief leisure activities such as vacations and camping, some people, especially retirees, live in their units and are known as fulltimers. RVs can be rented in major U.S. and Canadian cities. World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is a continent in the northern hemisphere bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the... For other uses, see camping (disambiguation) Camping is an outdoor recreational activity involving the spending of one or more nights in a tent, primitive structure, a travel trailer or recreational vehicle at a campsite with the purpose of getting away from civilization and enjoying nature. ... Fulltimers are people who live in a recreational vehicle on a full-time basis. ...

There are different classes of vehicles generally labelled as RVs:

A truck camper

• Truck Camper - unit is affixed to the bed or chassis of a pickup truck.
• Folding Camping Trailer - also known as a pop-up trailer; a light-weight unit with sides that collapse for towing and storage
• Travel Trailer - heavier unit with rigid sides designed to be towed by most vehicles by means of a bumper or frame hitch
• Fifth Wheel Travel Trailer - designed to be towed by a pickup truck equipped with a special hitch in the truck bed
• Park Model - designed for occasional relocation and will require a special tow vehicle and a highway movement permit
• Motorhome ("Winnebago", a product of the Winnebago Company that dominated the market for many years, was long a synonym for a motorhome, but this usage has faded in recent years.)

Class A Motorcoach - constructed on a specially designed motor vehicle chassis, typically resembling a bus

Class B Campervan - built using a conventional van, to which a raised roof has been added

Class C Mini-motorhome - built on an automotive manufactured chassis with an attached van cab section

• Toterhome, a motor home built around a semi truck chassis such as a freightliner. This type of motor home allows you to pull large and heavy trailers while having all the conveniences of a large motor home

A minimal RV typically contains beds, a table, food preparation and storage areas. Larger models add full bathrooms, refrigerators, living areas, master bedrooms, etc. Some RVs are very elaborate, with satellite TV and internet access, slide-out wall panels, and awnings; many RVs can cost in excess of $100,000 and some can cost over $1 million. These high end RVs typically need to be financed by banks or specialized lenders. A small camper car Austrian tourists at the Kallonis Bay on Lesbos, Greece Photograph taken in May 2003 by Henryk Kotowski and released under the terms of GFDL licence File links The following pages link to this file: Recreational vehicle Categories: GFDL images ... A small camper car Austrian tourists at the Kallonis Bay on Lesbos, Greece Photograph taken in May 2003 by Henryk Kotowski and released under the terms of GFDL licence File links The following pages link to this file: Recreational vehicle Categories: GFDL images ... Mazda compact Pickup truck with extended cabin and homebuilt lumber rack. ... A travel trailer, or caravan, is a small trailer in which people can live and travel simultaneously. ... A campervan is a self-propelled vehicle that provides both transport and sleeping accommodation. ... Van can mean: Van, a road vehicle. ... There are two entries concerning Freightliner For the Freightliner Truck Company, please see Freightliner (truck) For the United Kingdom Rail Company, please see Freightliner_(UK) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Many RVers stay at RV parks, most of which feature electrical, water and sewer service (full hookups), as well as cable television and wireless Internet. Amenties often include swimming pools, gamerooms and even destination-resort activities such as horseback riding. A trailer park is a neighborhood consisting of an area of land where mobile homes rest. ...

Advantages of RVs include not having to move one's things in and out of motel rooms, not having to rent multiple motel rooms, and the fact that preparing food saves money compared to eating in restaurants. At the same time, an RV provides more organized living space and better protection from the weather than a tent. Children also tend to like RVs.

Disadvantages of RVs include low fuel economy for the motorized RV or tow vehicle, lack of maid service as experienced in motels (maid service is available at a few high-end resorts), and larger RV models can be hard for the novice to drive or tow.

Some people also live in RVs because they lack funds for more conventional housing. Similarly, RVs — specifically, trailers which strongly resemble travel trailers, but usually with fewer amenities — have been used to temporarily house victims of natural disasters. A notable example is Hurricane Katrina; the federal disaster relief agency FEMA has ordered large numbers of such trailers to house victims of the storm in Louisiana and Mississippi. Hurricane Katrina was the eleventh-named tropical storm, fourth hurricane, third major hurricane, and first Category 5 hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. ... New FEMA seal The Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA is an agency of the United States government dedicated to swift response in the event of disasters, both natural and man-made. ... Official language(s) English and French Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans at last official government census, but probably Baton Rouge since Hurricane Katrina Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 31st 134,382 km² 210 km 610 km 16 29°N to 33°N 89°W to... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Some people craft their own RVs out of cars, vans (vandwellers), or used passenger and school buses. Vandwelling is the use of a van or similar vehicle as a long term residence. ...

Elkhart, Indiana, is known as the "RV Capital of the World" because it is home to many RV manufacturers, including, Forest River, Heartland RV, the Damon Corporation, Four Winds, Hy-Line, Keystone, Monaco, Sun Valley, and Travel Supreme. Many other manufacturers, including Dutchman, Gulf Stream, and Jayco, can be found in the nearby towns of Goshen, Middlebury, Nappanee, and Wakarusa. In 2005, these locales experienced a boom because of the large number of trailers ordered to house Hurricane Katrina victims. Elkhart is a city located in Elkhart County, Indiana. ... Goshen, Indiana is a town of 29,383 people (As of the 2000 census). ... Middlebury is a town located in Elkhart County, Indiana. ... Nappanee from above. ... Wakarusa is a town located in Elkhart County, Indiana. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Outside North America

In other parts of the world, particularly Australia, the term RV generally refers to a four-wheel drive off-road vehicle, often called a sport utility vehicle (SUV) in the United States. Such vehicles are intended for transport only, without living accommodations. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

External links

• Motorcaravanning Lifestyle (in the UK)
• RV Resources RV Directory Links
• MyRVNetwork.com RV Information, Classifieds and Discussion
• RV for Sale Guide includes pricing, showing, buying an rv, selling an rv, lists advantages and disadvantages of all types of recreational vehicles, rv lifestyle articles, travel budgets, rv insurance coverage and product reviews.
• Go RVing Canada
• The winter RV FAQ
• Winnebago industries
• Family Motor Coach Association
• Funroads.com RV Travel advice, RV parts and accessories, RV service locator, buy or sell an RV.
• RVbasics.com
• RV Insurance Links
• RV community website
• RV Forums, News and RV classifieds
• RV Dealer Listings By State
• The world's leading supplier to the RV market
• A free place to sell your motor home or look for used one (UsedMotorHome.com)
• RV Forum RVsmarter.net is a place to ask questions and find great tips for Rving
• The Good Sam Club The largest RV Club.
• Fleetwood RV's
• Beaudry RV motorhomes