“Unfortunately, there are no images of that very first caravan,” says spokesperson Peter Hagenus of the still Hoogeveen-based company. “But if I can believe the stories, you could just call it a caravan.” In 1947 he met his girlfriend in Amsterdam, Miss Johanna Ans de Roos. Not just any free-range guy, but the love of his life. Because in the end Jan and Johanna marry each other and also have a daughter together.
In 1947, the two decided to travel together on weekends and meet in the Veluwe. For this gathering, Jan Kip built his first caravan and made the journey from Hoogeveen to the Veluwe many times. “And he was seen during those trips back and forth to the middle of the country, he attracted a lot of attention,” said Hagenus. “Not many people had a caravan at that time, they were only for the crème de la crème. It was the time immediately after the war, it was unique if you had a car and a caravan. Let alone that you also had enough money and free time for a holiday.”
A year later, due to many questions about his love nest on wheels, Jan Kip decided to build twenty caravans that were mainly used for rental purposes. “And these caravans were also for notables and the richer people in society. It was only many years later that the caravan also became more accessible to the average Dutch person,” explains Peter Hagenus of Kip.