Traveller Bel Air 2009 Review

By Joan Green

After being introduced to this stunning Traveller Bel Air in the yard of Northland Caravans Adelaide, SA, CW couldn’t help feeling that RV manufacturers must be having a lot of fun these days.

With so many modern appliances and fittings perfectly suited to caravan and motorhome living, the possibilities are almost endless when it comes to creating luxury accommodation for people on the move.

Looking at the magnificent Traveller Bel Air, it’s hard not to think back to the early 1990s when RV manufacturers struggled to attract customers.

While some were even prepared to offer products of average quality to be sold at rock bottom prices, Traveller gained a reputation for building simple, inexpensive caravans that offered real value for money.

Traveller Caravans owes its sound reputation to one man. The company is still owned and managed by its original founder George Andonovski, a hands-on craftsman and a stickler for detail.

Value-for-money has always been synonymous with the Traveller name and it still is today. Having always thought of it as a good product, CW was amazed to see how it has evolved.

Constructed efficiently and far from being plain, the Bel Air is one of the most well-appointed vans on the market, and other people who haven’t had much contact with Traveller recently share our enthusiasm.

Traveller dealer Dean Kessner, who owns and runs Northland Caravans in partnership with his brother Brett, confirmed this.

“I believe that the Traveller is an underrated caravan. It has moved up in the world, and today it’s right up there with the very best,” he said emphatically.

A tour of the Bel Air reveals a list of goodies that would have astounded the austerity market of the early 1990s.

Together with today’s deluxe bathrooms, innerspring mattresses and microwaves, Traveller has added to its vans flatscreen LCD TVs, DVD/CD players and surround sound systems, built-in washing machines and its newest item – the mobile wine cooler.

A wine cooler is the latest desirable accessory in modern middle class homes, and Waeco, the supplier of cooling and food storage products for travellers, has been quick to produce one for the RV market.

Even if they can live without the wine cooler, most people probably would like to have all the other appliances that are in the Bel Air.

At 21ft 6in (6.55m) in length this is a big caravan, and naturally with a full complement of fittings makes it fairly heavy.

To support its substantial size it has a 6in chassis, taking the Tare weight to 2220kg and the ATM to a formidable three tonnes.

It’s probably not the kind of caravan you’d take for a quick lap of the country on your summer holidays, but certainly one that you could spend a lot of time in without ever wanting to pack up and go home.

It has a great layout with a luxurious bathroom, complete with washing machine, a front bedroom, a café style dinette and a well-designed kitchen.

The front of the Bel Air, with a dark coloured pebble guard and checkerplate under section, is minus a conventional front-opening storage boot.

Instead, it features a ‘tunnel’ boot running from side to side under the wardrobes and bed head.

Two 9kg gas bottles are carried on the drawbar, while the battery and Smartcharger that supply 12V power are in a side locker fitted into the space at the back of the sink just behind the nearside wheel arch.

The van has wind-out acrylic bubble windows all around, drop-down corner jacks, a pull-out extra step, an Aircommand reverse cycle air-conditioner and Winegard TV antenna on the roof.

For pleasant times relaxing under the Dometic A&E awning, Traveller has provided a fold-out picnic table complete with gas connection for a barbecue, and the TV on its swing-out arm has been cleverly placed near the door so it can be watched from outside.

The Traveller has a fine layout, with a centrally placed entrance and, one of its most outstanding features, a large rear ensuite.

In the Bel Air it contains a roomy glass fronted corner shower, a domestic size china hand basin and a cassette toilet, all surrounded by large cabinets, a generous mirror and quality fittings. There’s even a conveniently placed shampoo dispenser.

A tiny Lemair washing machine is neatly and invisibly installed next to the toilet, and there’s a floor-to ceiling-cupboard beside the shower for towels and other linen.

Two more full-height cupboards are in the bedroom area, which also has a lift-up double bed on a box base with mirrored wardrobes on either side.

The bed has two roomy drawers in its base, one on either side of the  surround-sound speaker system.

With its sink placed at an angle, plenty of bench space and a complete stove with oven and griller, the kitchen would be a pleasure to use.

Opposite, within easy reach, a large roll-out pantry is fitted underneath the wine cooler which shares a cabinet assembly with the 150L Dometic three-way fridge.

For an open, uncluttered look, the stove is hidden under a hinged benchtop section when not in use.

The Bel Air’s ATM of three tonnes allows plenty of cargo, and the van certainly provides for this with generous storage space.

This includes roomy overhead cupboards, some of which have leadlight glass fronted doors.

There are too many details to list in this article but we must mention the very comfortable seats, the well finished cabinet work and the numerous powerpoints, spotlights and downlights.

A pleasing colour scheme is created by blending cool grey fabrics with light timber and a lovely new Laminex called ‘Integra’, which is blue-grey with tiny red flecks.

Unless the customer particularly wants extra seats, this is a very practical and convenient floorplan that makes good use of the entire area without clutter.

The feeling of light and space is enhanced by an unobtrusive colour scheme combined with plenty of low horizontal surfaces, large windows and both a Four Seasons hatch and a Dometic skylight in the roof.

The Traveller range now includes three models – the full frame hard-top Bel Air, the pop-top De Ville and the offroad Sunseeker, each of which is available in a variety of sizes and layouts.

Traveller is a custom builder so your own personal model can include as many or as few accessories as you want, with your own choice of fabrics and finishes.

Traveller’s products still show the same original attention to detail, exemplified in the Bel Air, with its excellent finish and the way everything feels as though it’s in exactly the right place. The Bel Air offers great value for money.

CW’s extensively equipped review model usually sells for around $62,000, comparing favourably with others, but at the SA Caravan, Camping and Offroad Show (February 22-26) it will have a special price tag of $59,990.

Northland Caravans is at 326 Main North Road, Blair Athol, SA 5084, (08) 8344 1335. For your nearest Traveller dealer visit www.travellercaravans.com.au or phone the Melbourne factory on (03) 9357 0163.

We liked:
• Small but thoughtful touches like the handy little shelf behind the sink
• Well placed powerpoints and sensible storage space
• The way everything comes together to make a very liveable caravan

We would have liked
• A bookshelf in the bedroom
• A chance to try out the awning, TV, picnic table combination