Newsweek: The Popularity Surrounding RVs Continue During Pandemic

For those who typically use summer as a time to travel, many are rethinking their plans due to the coronavirus pandemic and the risks that traveling presents. Though many travelers still feel uncomfortable with flying, one popular way to get around this summer is by RV.

RV rental platforms have continued to see huge increases in numbers since the pandemic broke out across North America as people search for alternative forms of travel this summer.

Outdoorsy, an RV renting platform, conducted "The Road to Wellness" survey to get a sense of what American and Canadian travelers are looking for this summer when thinking about travel. After spending much of the last five months indoors, the survey found that 94 percent of respondents say that spending time outdoors improves their mental health. Seventy-one percent said they are looking for new ways to get away in light of the pandemic; the survey was taken by 1000 American travelers and 400 from Canada.

[…]

Though like many industries, RV manufacturers took a hit when factories shuttered at the end of March and into April. Though, in June, overall shipments of RVs around the country increased 10 percent from the same time last year.

While the RVIA tracks the shipments of almost all RVs in the United States—from the manufacturer to dealerships—one model is seeing the most significant increase of shipments: van campers. Van camper shipments are up 90.2 percent from last June which might be in due part to the "van life" trend of those looking to hit the road on a more full-time basis. Outdoorsy's survey found that Millennials are 2.13 times more likely than any other generation to spend their COVID-related stimulus funds on a road trip this year.

Check out the full article from Newsweek here.

Photo credit: Thor Industries // Ben Christensen and family.