about us
the Airstream story
The Airstream story began in the late 1920s with Wally Byam who was the grandson of settlers who travelled out to the west on the Oregon Trail in a mule-drawn wagon. He began building trailers in his backyard in Los Angeles and also published a magazine selling "how-to" kits to customers wishing to build their own trailers. In 1936, the "Airstream Clipper" was introduced with a design which cut down on wind resistance and thus improved fuel efficiency. It was the first of the now-familiar silver aluminum Airstream trailers.
In 1951 Wally travelled to Mexico with the first RV group tour (caravan). He did it to encourage people to get out and use their travel trailers and to get them to see and enjoy the world around them. These caravans were also used as a test environment for the Airstream trailers he manufactured.
This activity continued and eventually his caravans travelled almost everywhere in the world. On one of them, to Eastern Canada in 1955, the Wally Byam Caravan Club International (WBCCI) was founded. The goal of the club was to foster fun, fellowship and adventure as members enjoyed the lifestyle offered by traveling with the comforts of an Airstream.
Airstream Club Europe
In the 20th century Airstreams were rare in Europe. However, we became interested in them when visiting the US and seeing them in films and other media. Some entertainers who toured both sides of the Atlantic used them and Perry Balfour, a circus clown, used them for his touring circus nearly forty years ago.
Today there are hundreds of Airstreams across Europe, ranging from 1940s models through to this year’s European range. In various countries small groups of owners formed and rallies got organised. However, there was no central source of information about these and most were held without details being made available to all owners or even the regular rally-going owners.
For years various groups discussed the formation of a European club, but lack of numbers and lack of contact between owners dampened the enthusiasm. In the summer of 2015, a few friends contacted each other again about the possibility. After countless emails and a struggle with the WBCCI rules, a tiny branch of the much larger American club grew week by week. Now independent, Airstream Club Europe now has over 100 members with a mix of ages and backgrounds across 12 countries.
Most of us are experienced Airstreamers, helping with questions and problems and sharing our experiences of travel throughout Europe. Rallies are organised by volunteers in different countries and our independence in 2022 has given European members greater value for money and a much closer engagement with their club. If you own any trailer or motorhome manufactured by Airstream, the club offers you many opportunities to enjoy it more.
With members and rallies throughout Europe, we offer fun, friendship, adventure and support for owners of all Airstream products. People are the biggest assets in the Airstream community and socialising with them is very easy. Joining us is the key to participating in the ethos that makes our European international club unique in the world.
the trailers
The interest in iconic Airstreams became a need in Europe and, when a few trailers were brought across the Atlantic, the enthusiasm was infectious. The first European owners of these vintage models had to be determined to make the dream work out. It was easier to buy cheaper, more reliable European trailers and American owners posting online gave plenty of signals that vintage Airstreams needed a lot of work! In addition, importing a trailer also involves shipping costs, taxes, risks, insurance and time. Around $3,000 is needed on top of the purchase price as well as a leap of faith. Finding value for money is also difficult and the costs do not end when the trailer gets to Europe.
However, as the numbers of vintage imports continues to grow, small life-style businesses provide modifications to meet European regulations and to repair, restore, refit and polish them. Older Airstreams have to be modified for Europe and some get refitted and polished. Other uses have appeared, like street-food outlets, mobile recording studios, beauty parlours and hairdressers. Almost half of our club's members own vintage models dating back to around 1950.
the european specification
Anthony Slocock, an engineer in England, visited US rallies in the 1990s. He had been a vintage Airstream enthusiast for several years and was a founding member of a vintage-focused club in Washington DC. In the late 1990s, he started the website ‘Eurostream’ promoting the concept of a new Airstream with a European specification. In 2001, a new management team at Airstream encouraged Slocock to form a company and put a business case to the American company for what were to become the new European trailers.
The engineering work took two years with many changes including a new narrower body shell, a German galvanised chassis and suspension, Swedish heating, German furniture and a composite floor. The first European Airstreams were put into production in Ohio in 2005 and from 2011, the internal build was carried out at the UK dealership in Cumbria. In early 2014 the fit-out returned to the Ohio factory because other overseas markets were becoming interested in the European specification.
Their popularity spread due to the hard work and clever marketing by that pioneering business and there are now dealerships in several European countries. See the links page. Although Europeans are now familiar with Airstreams, they still attract interest on the road and in campsites.
the people
We have a diverse group of members with ages ranging from 30s to 70s. A few are retired but the majority are a mix of young enthusiasts from a wide range of backgrounds. Most are experienced, able to help with questions and to share experiences of travel throughout Europe with Airstreams ranging from 1950s models to the latest ones. Our club is now firmly established as the central place where Airstreamers can communicate across European borders.
Just as in the US, the biggest assets in the European Airstream community are the people who own them. Socialising with them is very easy and, throughout the countries, members are having fun meeting and communicating with people they look forward to seeing at the rallies.
Wally Byam did not just sell trailers. He sold an idea, a way of life, a way of seeing life and then developed trailers for those. By joining Airstream Club Europe you are extending and promoting the spirit that comes with owning an Airstream-built trailer.