One could say oneupmanship, as we have a side awning as well. Its a dead heat to install either (although only one has a built in floor off the ground) but in our case the van proper is set up for 2 oldies, plus cooking/ablutions, with the veranda, complete with mosquito net, providing the perfect sleeping platform for our grandies.
By the time they outgrow that area, I'll be in a wheelchair anyway, and the van will have passed on to younger family members, or sold off.