Vintage Family Handyman Feature from 1987: Buyer’s Guide to Vacation Vehicles
Updated: May 15, 2023In celebration of Family Handyman's 70th Anniversary, we're diving back into the archives and highlighting some of the great stories from past issues of the magazine, like this one that introduced road-tripping readers in 1987 to the wide world of vacation vehicles.
The Great American Road Trip
Road tripping across the country with your entire family packed in around you is an American tradition, so it’s no surprise that we ran this story in the late ’80s breaking down everything a person needed to know about choosing the right vehicle for their summer vacation. A few things have definitely changed in the time since this article was published… good luck buying an air-conditioned luxury camper that sleeps eight and has a kitchen, furnace, and bathroom for just $7,000 in 2020.
Plenty of Variety
“Vacation Vehicles” came in all shapes and styles. This article breaks down in detail the pros and cons of the various camper styles, explaining to readers what to look for and considerations to keep in mind when shopping for a travel trailer.
An American Icon
Airstream campers like the one pictured above have become iconic since this article was published. Hard to miss on a sunny highway, they embody everything that was cool and sleek about motor home travel at the time.
Before You Buy
This text-heavy page of the story contains some solid nuggets of information as well as some essential advice: before purchasing one of these potentially very expensive vacation vehicles, rent first to see if the RV life is the life for you.
