"Gypsy" caravans make a comeback as micro-homes

[icymist]

This caravan, called a "mutant Gypsy wagon" by photographer Jennifer Morrow, showed up at the annual Burning Man event in the Black Rock Desert region of Nevada last year.

While many antique vardos now belong to museums and collections across the pond, new and innovative designs for handmade micro-homes-on-wheels are being created now. Builders like Tolpin are confident the caravanning tradition will continue for future generations.

"[The look of caravans] is increasingly diverse," he said. "The wagons we picture historically were just one point in time -- part of English and Irish culture. There's much more geographic and cultural diversity now."

He continued, "I think the tradition's going to be preserved as more and more young people get attracted to the small house movement. ... [Caravans are] low-cost and self-built; I think that's the main focus. Some people really want to travel and be a part of that, but a lot of people want to build their own shelter."
http://www.cbsnews.com/media/gypsy-caravans-make-a-big-comeback-as-micro-homes/10/

[uppityperson]

1. That is a really cute caravan, but I wish media would understand the slur in the word "gypsy".

Romani is the correct word to call these travelers. I found a rather crude but amusing blog post explaining it. I do not know this person or their other posts. http://myjourneymythoughts.tumblr.com/post/18929758502/to-all-you-hipsters-in-the-gypsy-tag

[icymist]

2. I see your point and understand. Unfortunately, this is a UK article:

I do, however have a great friend in Illinois that uses the name Gypsy and is proud to do so. Those trailers are so cute (I want one!) that they remind me of the old Toyota pickup truck I used to have. I lived in it for weeks when traveling throughout the country in the early '90s! Anyway, that's why I linked up to this article. I'm sorry that they used the word 'Gypsy' to describe the people who live in them.

On edit: I got this article confused with another I was reading. This is from CBS. Still, no excuse for the racial slur.

[uppityperson]

3. I wasn't meaning to speak badly of you, just the articles. But, to the point, indeed. Wouldn't that

be a fun rig to have? My sister in law has a small one as a toy, we've talked about making one for real. I can see it being a good place to live and travel, much better than some campers I've seen.