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Old 01-11-2016, 11:34 AM   #21
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Very interesting photos and history-
Thanks for sharing.
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Old 01-11-2016, 06:14 PM   #22
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Travelux - South Africa (more info)

I have reattached the picture below which was previously in the factory pictures section. My Mom corrected me and told me that this is an interior shot of one of the customized trailers for the South African government.

This shot shows the front of the trailer. What looks like an upside down bed is actually a desk. This was flipped over at night and turned into a bed. The three cupboards above it were for files and office supplies. Mom indicated these units were used as mobile offices and taken out into the desert. They did not contain kitchens.

After making these units in white aluminum for the South African government they decided to offer the white option to the public in a 21" model called the "Snowbird Series".
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Old 01-11-2016, 11:39 PM   #23
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Originally Posted by Travelux 20 View Post
Can you tell me if the Traveluxes came with their door hinge painted blue? Ours did and I've seen others painted too. Thank you again!
Mine originally had blue vinyl fabric wrap over the hinge but was pretty crusty and couldn't be saved.
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Old 01-13-2016, 07:30 AM   #24
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My vinyl covering was missing when we bought the trailer but the hinge was blue as well as the hitch/frame and we had a honking double bumper. The rubber(?) rock guards were deteriorated and sun damaged so we replaced them with snap on covers made of tonneau material.
We plan on taking the Travelux to a vintage trailer rally in Ontario one of these days and are hoping we see another. We're in NYS so it's usually the only one of it's kind at the rallies down here.
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Old 07-29-2016, 06:23 PM   #25
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Interview with Travelux Dealer

Mom and Dad (Gib and Eileen Waite) noticed Travelux trailers in approx. 1972. They spotted a Travelux trailer which had been in a rollover accident, and had been split open at the back corner, near the bath tub. With the trailer skin open Dad couldn’t help but notice, and be impressed by, how well built the trailers were, and from there Waite's Trailer Sales was born.

They soon became dealers and continued on as dealers until the company closed in 1978. They were not a large dealership, as they were not dealers for any other makes but Travelux; however they did sell other makes that came through the dealership on consignment or as trade-ins (Airstream, Argosy and Avion among them). As Travelux’s were their concentration, they were able to compete with the other dealerships. Dad became well known as the go-to-guy for Travelux’s, and they continued to be sold through him as used units. The final Travleux he sold was in 1988.

I have listed the Travelux’s we know of that sold through the dealership from approx. 1978 through 1988 on another thread on this forum, which can be found at:
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f417/travelux-vin-108344-3.html
Unfortunately I have not found at this point lists of the trailers that sold from 1972 through 1977. If this surfaces in the future I will update the list.

Many units were sold as used, because Dad would buy a Travelux and we as a family would use it until it sold. We would then get another one until it sold as well, and so on. We started with a small early model Travelux and the final one I remember was a 32 ft “President” model, with powder blue carpet and crushed red velvet drapes. Mom and Dad delivered this one to Williams Lake, British Columbia were it was taken into the forest and lived in by a tree planter. This particular trailer was both my Mom’s and my favorite one that we owned.

Mom remembers the first factory she visited being in Newmarket. It was near the original water tower on the main highway through town. It was a small industrial building and she believes they were there until approx. 1976. When they moved to Bradford, it was in the south end of town at 401 Dissette St. in a larger building, but it would still have been considered a small industrial building.

There were two gentleman Mom remembers who ran the company. Their names were Glenn Campbell and Doug Booth. One was an older gentleman and the other was a high school teacher in Newmarket. These two looked after the business side of things. There was a third gentleman named Bob Holliday who oversaw the manufacturing and construction of the trailers. In addition to this there were a few workers constructing the trailers.

The company was very cooperative to work with. They were not campers themselves and were very interested in hearing about our experiences with the trailers and happily instituted any suggestions offered into the design of the trailers. The idea of the built-in dirty clothes hampers in the bathrooms was my Mom’s. Initially they were behind the toilet and then shifted to the back of the trailer, in the counter beside the sink. Another item in the Travelux’s that came at their suggestion was the cabinetry at the front of the trailers across from the door. These cabinets came with a smoked plastic door with a pattern in it and were considered liquor cabinets. This was previously unused space in the trailers.


The company also custom-built a trailer for my Mom and Dad. It was a 25 foot trailer and built in approx. 1975. The trailer had a vanity across from the couch bed. The lid of the vanity lifted to reveal a mirror and there was a window over the vanity as well. There was just the one trailer built like this. If anyone knows the whereabouts of this trailer today, my Mom would love to know.

Mom remembers the trailers being constructed in lengths ranging from 17 through 32 feet. The 17 foot trailers were the ones built for the South African government, for use on the deserts as offices. The 32 foot trailer was the special “President” model, put out at the very end. Usually the lengths of the trailers were odd numbers (eg. 21, 25 and 31 feet).

The 17 foot trailers mentioned above were ordered by the South African government in white. With the leftover white material they decided to introduce to the North American market a white 25 foot trailer and named it the “Snow Bird” series. It was moderately received, with the silver trailers definitely preferred for their “prestige”.

The company did not carry a large inventory of trailers. When one was purchased you chose from a list of options exactly what you wanted and it was constructed for you.

Travelux’s were taken to the trailer shows in Toronto and put on display each year by the company. The dealers came to these shows and took their turns working in the booth, providing an excellent opportunity to familiarize themselves with each-other. Mom remembers Sicard’s from Hamilton and Hitch House from south of Barrie as well as a dealer from Peterborough (she thinks he was located along Shumong Rd.).

Mom feels the demise of the company was in part because they could not compete with Airstream. They were not big enough, or well enough known.

When the company closed there was a final auction, which my Mom did not attend, but my Dad did. There were no trailers in the auction and Mom cannot recall everything that Dad bought. We know he purchased much if not all of the remaining aluminum, the remaining paperwork (advertising pamphlets, brochures, etc.), metal name plates, Travelux decals and so on. Based on the parts inventory he had I would suspect he bought a lot of this as well. He was not the one who purchased the dies and forms (Mom believes this was Bob Holliday).

Many Travelux’s came in through my Dad’s garage when repairs were needed, so I couldn’t help but ask Mom what was the most common repair required. She said it was the rolling doors (tambour doors) on the upper cabinets. I would have said the window cranks because we were forever being warned to be careful or we would break them. I’m guessing maybe they were not an easy thing to fix.

Many of you have already had questions that I have asked my Mother but please feel free to send me a message if there’s anything further anyone wishes to know.
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Old 09-29-2016, 06:54 PM   #26
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Hello,
Im so glad I found your post. I just purchased a 1972, I think, 28ft Travelux trailer that has been parked near Tobermory for last ten years. I don't have much information regarding the trailer, or the company thus far, and would love to know if theres anyway you might be able to share some information with me? I live in Toronto, but will be going to see her for the first time this Monday. Im hoping to do a full restoration, so any ideas, pictures, brochures would be so helpful. Thanks in advance!
danielfaugustino@gmail.com 416 700 8084
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Old 10-02-2016, 06:12 PM   #27
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Hello 1972Travelux and congratulations on your purchase!! A year ago we purchased a 1970 (approx.) Travelux and are turning it into a bunkhouse so welcome to the renovations club. This past summer we carefully removed the existing interior of our trailer so as many of the parts and pieces would be available for people doing restoration work as possible. We now have an empty shell and hopefully next summer we will start to tackle the floor.

All of the documentation, etc. that I have found of my Dad’s, has been scanned and included on this thread. If I do find anything further I will scan and include it as well. In some cases I have multiples of items. You have included your contact information so I will connect with you this way.

You mentioned additional pictures in your post and I’m hoping to make this my next project for this thread. In speaking with people over the last year I found there was a big interest in photos of the interiors of the trailers from the 70’s as well as close up’s of the exteriors. I did not anticipate this and passed by a lot of pictures that I believe would help many of you with your renovations. I will dig out the albums again and see what I can find.

Thank you very much for your interest!!
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Old 10-03-2016, 05:45 AM   #28
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Travelux interiors

Hi 1972 Travelux,
I just wanted to point you towards some interior pics that are shown on Tin Can Tourist's site and show you our original interior (long gone due to rot) Our trailer is a lot smaller than yours but it will show you another layout. Good luck on your renovation. It's a lot of hard work but worth it in the end.https://www.tincantourists.com/wiki/...hp?id=travelux
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Old 01-10-2017, 05:31 AM   #29
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Hi! I am new to this site. I just purchased an 18ft Travelux. Likely an early one (end of the 60'). I am looking for information. I have not seen info on the small ones. I will need to provide the weight for registration. Anyone know the approximate weight? It will be towed for Reno before it is registered.
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Old 01-11-2017, 07:00 AM   #30
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Hi Juliec,
I'm glad to see another smaller Travelux owner. Mine is a 20', built in 1973. If you look through the vintage forums here, you'll find at least one other 18' owner. As to the weight, mine weighs 2800 lbs but I imagine you will have to go to a weigh station to get a certified weight to register it.
I'd love to see some pictures when you get the time!
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Old 01-17-2017, 06:02 PM   #31
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Thanks Travelux 20. I am from Quebec and purchasing from Ontario. The owner has to have registration paper made as he did not get any from previous buyers. He said that It will probably be registered as a Home built due to no current registration and VIN. Too old to track down. This is common and the Ontario ministry does allow it. Sort of unofficially. Anyone has gone through this before? Also, as I am thinking of renovating, having a floor plan would be useful and any information on structure and component as well. Looking forward to your responses Travelux friends.
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Old 01-17-2017, 06:07 PM   #32
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Traveluxkid, anything you have on Travelux (where to purchase parts/components), whether it is worth removing the internal sleeve to change the insulation, etc. would be useful. I need to change the floor. I will likely gut it and keep the components (still good: cabinets, counters, sinks). Not sure about plumbing and electricity. Washroom looks to be in good shape but need to dig a little more. All the white inside lining is falling. Parts are on aluminum already. Some windows need replacement either to the mecanisms or to the window itself.
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Old 01-17-2017, 06:09 PM   #33
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Travelux 20, how do you measure the 20 (inside dimension or outside including the hitch)?
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Old 01-17-2017, 06:27 PM   #34
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Where would I find this sticker in the Travelux?
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Old 01-18-2017, 07:35 AM   #35
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Hi Juliec,

We also got ours in Ontario where it was used as a bathhouse on the shores of Lake Ontario for a few years. We're in NY. We had the original reg papers but the sticker with the VIN# was gone. This sticker, in 1973, was next to the door, on the right hand side.
We ended up having to gut it due to finding a lot of rot in the bathroom, under windows and under the water tank. The only solid area was directly in front of the door, oddly enough. Our vinyl was also pulling away from the walls and ceiling so I removed that except for the upper ceiling. Goo Gone helped with the adhesive removal. We left the interior aluminum up and did not take out any insulation. The electrical system works well thankfully.
To measure your trailer you measure just the body of the trailer. You do not take the tongue and bumper into account.
Your floor plan is generally limited to where your vents are so unless you want to patch around and close up your fridge vent etc.. I have seen it done. We had a couch along the side that did not work for us so we changed it to a small dinette that turned into a twin bed.
I'm pretty sure I posted pictures of our redo on here. I also would suggest the Tin Can Tourist Facebook page where you can get many answers to any questions you have. There is also a Avion Trailer FB page that would be very helpful seeing as the Traveluxes were patterned after the Avion. It's a big job but very much worth it in the end. Good Luck
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Old 10-08-2017, 12:57 PM   #36
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First Travelux

When this picture was found I knew it needed to be included here. It's a picture of my Dad, Gib Waite, and the first Travelux we owned. It also is a prime example of why I choose Traveluxkid as my name on this forum as I'm one of the kids in the picture. I believe it would have been taken around 1974.
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Old 10-09-2017, 07:54 AM   #37
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1979 Travelux trailer photographs taken in the 80's.
That's a 1970 or 1971 Chrysler 300 as tow car. Lower in weight than the New Yorker, but a smarter look and nicer interior than the Newport.

Likely equipped with the TNT V8-440 and optional police-spec HD parts, it would have been recognized by customers as the high performance tow vehicle.

Great choice for a dealer!

.
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Old 10-13-2017, 08:49 AM   #38
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1969 Chrysler 300

I just checked in with my Mom. She said they originally had a 1967 Chrysler but when they started dealing with trailers they switched to a 1969 Chrysler 300. She doesn't remember hearing it had any of the extra's you mentioned but it might have. My Dad was also an auto mechanic so it doesn't surprise me he had a good quality towing vehicle. This was also the same car I learned to drive with so they still had it in 1983. I remember it as being "massive".
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Old 08-13-2018, 07:51 PM   #39
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bargman door locks

Hi guys, reviving an old thread here,

My partner and I are in the process of renovating our travelux, and I never got the original keys with it from the previous owner. Today, I took the latch to a locksmith, and they re keyed it, but it is missing the inner lock control. I've looked everywhere and can't find it. Is there anyway to find that piece? or is there a replacement that could potentially work?

Thanks in advance
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Old 08-13-2018, 07:53 PM   #40
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I should mention the latch is a Bargman, and the code is 10-40-030
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