“When I’m sixty-six, I’ll do what I want,” is a line from a song that was a hit in Norway a few years ago. These days, this rings true for a great many Norwegian pensioners, who are blessed with good health, sound finances and wanderlust. The fact that a growing number of them are buying motor homes and plotting out their own route for their holidays reflects this freedom-seeking trend.
18/08/2008 ::
Flexibility
Many people buy a motor home as soon as their children have flown the nest. Active pensioners appreciate the flexibility a motor home provides; they can visit a variety of destinations and there is less need for maintenance than with a holiday cabin or boat. What’s more, Norwegian pensioners are less affected than other groups by rising interest rates and living costs. All this means that they constitute a growing segment of the motor-home market.
Åse and Alf Vige enjoy an annual Spanish holiday in their motor home. Photo: Nicolay Prebensen/Scanpix.
Motor homes are becoming ever more luxurious. Creature comforts such as leather sofas, flat-screen TVs, broadband and washing machines are no longer rarities. What’s more, motor homes in Norway are now much more spacious, with an average length of over seven metres.
Better facilities
The number of motor homes in Norway will reach 25 000 in 2008. Many Norwegian municipalities are now gearing up for the influx of motor-home visitors. Although the same parking regulations apply to motor homes and ordinary cars, lay-bys are now being created that are particularly suitable for these larger vehicles. Big campsites and some petrol stations have facilities for emptying waste water and sewage, and for re-filling the water tank.
Considerate driving
It is important to show consideration for other traffic when driving a motor home. Since these mammoth vehicles weigh 3.5 tonnes, it may be best to let other cars pass on steep stretches of road, so as not to create queues. The width of the vehicles too – between 2.2 and 2.3 metres – makes careful driving on narrow roads essential.
The waterfall Låtefoss in Odda municipality in Western Norway. Photo: Arne Nævra/Scanpix.
Advantages
If you ask a pensioner why he or she has chosen a motor home, they will probably say that it’s because you have your own hotel and eatery with you wherever you go. And best of all: you don’t have to decide where you are going before you get behind the steering wheel.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs