Road Trips Reign Supreme This Fall

The open road beckons with 27 million Americans planning to go RVing this fall and 7.3 million hitting the road over Labor Day weekend alone. The destination of choice for these RV travelers is the journey itself with 65% saying they are planning a road trip. 

In a significant shift, RV camping has overtaken rental properties as the preferred accommodation for Labor Day vacationers, according to the latest Fall Travel Intentions survey conducted by Cairn Consulting for the RV Industry Association.

"The allure of the open road and the freedom of RV travel continues to resonate with travelers of all ages," said RV Industry Association President & CEO Craig Kirby. “The fact that RVing has surpassed traditional rental properties for Labor Day weekend underscores the unique experiences and flexibility that RVing provides.”

Millennials and Gen Z are driving this surge in RV popularity. 33% of Millennial leisure travelers express a desire to take an RV trip in the coming year, with 32% even considering purchasing one. Gen Z isn't far behind, emerging as the most active travelers with keen interests in food tourism and music festivals. 

Key motivators for fall RVing among leisure travelers include escaping the daily grind (52%), enjoying destinations at their peak in the fall (48%), seeking less crowded experiences (47%), and embracing favorable weather (43%). The love of road trips, visiting family, exploring the outdoors, and traveling in comfort also resonates across all generations.

Millennials and Boomers favor fall RVing for the unique experiences the season offers, while Gen X seeks to escape the busyness of everyday life. Gen Z is drawn to the pleasant fall weather.

Tailgating remains a beloved fall tradition, with 3.5 million people planning to partake. RVing at festivals leads the tailgating scene (59%), closely followed by college football (58%), professional football (57%), and concerts (54%). While younger generations are more likely to tailgate overall, older generations maintain their enthusiasm for tailgating at high-level football games and concerts.

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Commissioned by the RV Industry Association and conducted by Cairn Consulting, 1,707 surveys were completed by a statistically balanced cross section of U.S. leisure travelers. The survey results have an associated margin of error of +/- 2.74 percentage points. Leisure travelers are defined as any U.S. residents who has taken some type of leisure trip in the past 12 months.