Luxury RVs Let You Travel In Style And Independently

Americans have long been enamored of the open road. There was John Steinbeck circling the country in Travels With Charley. Buz and Tod tooling west on Route 66. Clark Griswold loading up the family for a National Lampoon’s Vacation.

Today, though, motorists are increasingly traveling in style.

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The earliest RV was said to be a converted 1915 Packard truck that could sleep 11. Winnebago, founded in 1958, was the first company to mass-produce motor homes accessible to a growing middle class. As incomes increased and more people began to take vacations in the early ′70s, “our industry really began to gain traction,” Baer said.

Since then, the RV industry has exploded in variety and popularity. In 2019 alone, it contributed $114 billion to the U.S. economy and supported nearly 600,000 jobs, according to the RV Industry Association. More than 11 million households now own some type of RV: The typical owner is 48, married, has an above-average income and uses the RV three or four weeks a year. Although you could spend a lot of nights in some very nice hotel rooms for what a high-end coach costs, the association says RV vacations are 27 to 62 percent less expensive on a per-day basis than other vacation options.

The pandemic has undeniably boosted interest in RVs, especially among people who want to travel but avoid crowds. In January, 53,290 RV units of all kind — coaches, camper vans, fifth-wheel trailers — were shipped. That’s a 16 percent increase over 2020, the industry association says.

Tiffin Motorhomes annually makes about 30 Zephyrs, its top model, and 600 to 700 Allegros, its second costliest. Baer said the company is currently sold out of Zephyrs, with a yearlong waiting list, and nearly sold out of Allegros, with a wait time of six to eight months.

“It’s been crazy,” he said of pandemic-era sales. “I think people realize this is a safe way to travel, you get to take all your own belongings, your own linens. You are essentially independent for much of your surroundings if you need to be.”

Read the full article from Tampa Bay Times here.