People Turning To RVs To Save Summer Travel Plans From Coronavirus

Matt and Mary FaJohn planned to take their two young boys to Iceland in March. 

“And that got canceled,” Matt FaJohn said as he packed up a new, two-bed camper trailer he bought last week with their refunded vacation money. “So we decided we would do more camping around Colorado this summer.”

North Denver’s FaJohns are among thousands of travelers turning to RVs and campers as the tourism industry tentatively steps into a new way to holiday. RV makers, suppliers and campground hosts are reporting a wave of first-timers who changed gears because they’re reluctant to get on planes or visit resorts and hotels. 

“This is our way of social distancing. I’m sure I’m not the only one with this idea,” said FaJohn, whose new camper is built for off-road adventures beyond established campgrounds. “The guy at the dealer on Federal, he was like ‘Honestly, there’s zero haggling to do on these things right now. People are coming out of the woodwork.’”

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Now the industry is turning back to consumers and lobbying rulemakers to open campgrounds to social-distancing vacationers. As states craft plans for phased openings, the RV industry is pushing for campgrounds to open in the first or second phases, not later. 

The generally accepted plan for reviving the country’s tourism industry starts with people traveling closer to home. It’s not likely vacationers will be jumping in planes anytime soon, so the RV industry is hoping more people start looking at self-contained campers as a way to vacation while distancing and controlling their own environments. 

Check out the full article from the The Colorado Sun here.