A camper's life traveling the open road

Sun Jiandong, a 30-year old graduate in tourism administration who has been working in the outdoor sports industry for about seven years, has also witnessed the growth in the camper industry, especially in the Yangtze River Delta region.

He says there are still too few campsites in China and most have poor facilities.

"But I am sure the industry will catch up with other international markets soon. The overseas camper industry has a history of more than 100 years. We cannot seek growth overnight. We have to do it step by step," he said.

As well as more dedicated campsites, Sun says some of the country roads that users like to travel on are very poor.

He added more laws and regulations are needed to ensure safety standards are maintained in the industry, particularly on where campers can drive and park-up.

He would like to see closer scrutiny on the types of modifications being made to campers, clearer restrictions on how many people can travel within a vehicle, and what kind of license is needed to drive different sizes of vehicle, for instance.

And he said that being able to drive a 6-meter vehicle, capable of carrying seven people, using just a C-class driving license, the same as an ordinary sedan, is a problem that needs to be addressed.

"Traditional forms of travel are so tiresome and boring compared to traveling in a camper," said Sun.

"Tourists are so often taken to places, dropped off after long journeys, and that's about it. But travel should not be this way.

"I do hope that with the further development of the camper industry in China, people can really start to see places in a much more relaxed and natural way," he said.