Baby Boomers Hit the Road

France has a surplus of retirees on it's hands- the baby boomers are hitting retirement age, and they are also hitting the road. A lot of retirees in the country are choosing a nomad lifestyle, and the motorhome or "camping-car" industry is booming.

by Will Bakker Flickr Creative Commons

Sales of new motorhomes in France have risen since the late 90s from 5,000 to around 20,000 today, as well as nearly 50,0000 used motorhomes changing hands every year. growth in the market has fluctuated with the global financial condition, but is on the up.

France is ideally situated for road trips- bordered by Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, Spain, Italy and a short channel crossing to the UK, Europe is at their disposal. Not to mention France itself, which is a land of variation and beauty, from the fields of Provence to the city lights of Paris, the glamour of the riviera and the windswept beaches of the southwest coast. For those with the money and the time to spend, as a lot of these retirees have, a "camping-car" is the perfect getaway, with some spending a huge chunk of the year in their home away from home.

Paris
by unicellular Flickr Creative Commons

Les Landes (Southwest)
by thib c Flickr Creative Commons

Provence
by dawarwickphotography Flickr Creative Commons

Brittany
by besopha Flickr Creative Commons

The only fly in the ointment is local councils who are not thrilled with the filling of public parking spaces by bulky motorhomes. However, there is not much they can do about it legally, and France is filled with "aires" which are rest areas on the sides of motorways where you can stay, if your van is fully equipped- they are not camping grounds. So, tripping around France need not cost a fortune! If you are there, get a guidebook which shows all the aires available to motorhomes.

Keen to join the baby-boomers in a french motorhome holiday? Click here for France campervan hire.