Rotel Capsule hotels are in vogue right now. The German tour company Rotel was always ahead of the game by providing capsule hotels on wheels since 1945.
No matter how much you enjoy staying in a five-star hotel, you will always be stationary, trapped in one district. So, to feed your sense of novelty and adventure, you decide to book yourself on a Rotel bus.
What next? Well, first, you choose your tour from hundreds of options all around the world. If the wilds of Africa are not your thing, perhaps the vast planes of central Russia are. Or maybe the frozen wilderness of the Arctic will appeal, or what about exotic Ecuador?
On the bus, you ride in passenger seats during the day and sleep in 6x6x3ft capsules at night. There is a large kitchen on board for food, but you may have to go a few days until you reach a shower as there is no one on the bus.
But who could complain about the smell of unwashed passengers when you wake up in a new and exciting location every day?
The idea is fifty years old but just as brilliant today. The long time since it started indicates that the concept is a commercial success.
Today, Rotel Tours offers as many as 3,400 beds on wheels and annually logs around 600,000 overnight stays.
Rotel is a combination of a tourist bus and a hotel. Even while you are "sitting in your room," you discover parts of the world you have never seen before.
The destinations are often far off the beaten track and wide tourist paths. You are offered considerably more comfort and safety than if you were to wander around with a tent on your back.
Guests should not expect five-star luxury at the Rotel. There is no shower, but there is a toilet on the bus. A camping kitchen can also be used while it's stationary.
The organization uses existing campsites as much as possible, but this is not always possible in remote areas. The travel organization is active in Africa, Europe, and Asia, and the destinations are often exotic and rural.
If more than 24 passengers come along, a trailer can be attached to the bus where you can stay overnight.
The typical Rotel bus travels with between 20 and 40 tourists. It usually has 22 passenger seats and 24 rooms, including one for the driver and one for the tour guide.
The bus stops as often as possible at places where you can have a shower. On certain nights, you will also have the opportunity to spend the night in a normal hotel room.
And if the bus gets in trouble, you and your fellow travelers will work as a team to get through challenging adventures.
You get your own little crawl space - about 3.3 feet (1 meter) high but with ample width - where you can spend the nights in a little more comfort than in a tent.
