(TAN): American travellers desperate to go on trips after months of staying home are increasingly turning to campers and recreational vehicles (RVs), reports said.
While a major portion of them think a second wave of the virus could be imminent, and that the politicians have pushed for the country’s opening too hastily, they are not ready to compromise on their safety during a getaway, as per reports. As they plan to hit the roads this summer, they are busy arranging to remain in relative isolation, sending the sale of RVs through the roof, reports said.
Manufacturers and suppliers of RVs, and campground managers reported an influx of customers and users of these vehicles, many of them first-timers – people who are hesitant to travel by planes or trains, or spend their nights at hotels, reports said.
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“Every dealer that I talk to is just blown away by the reaction of people that have never even thought about an RV. A lot of people are really going to look more at this lifestyle,” Bob Martin, Chief Executive Officer of United States-based RV manufacturer Thor Industries, was quoted by Bloomberg Quint as saying.
While sales are going up, demand for RV rental is reportedly growing too. Jennifer Young, co-founder of American RV rental platform Outdoorsy reportedly said bookings shot up after having dropped during the start of the pandemic.
“‘I won’t visit any place where a lot of people will go,’ so that pretty much [cancels] out all the big city centers and air travel. There’s just so much more flexibility in recreation vehicle travel,” she was quoted by Travel Pulse as saying.
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Although the interiors of RVs are not as glamorous as that of hotels or resorts, the perceived sense of safety that the vehicles gives means travellers can finally step out of their quarantine shelters and travel without constantly worrying about the health risks they might potentially be exposing themselves to, as per reports.
After the FaJohns’ trip to Iceland got reportedly cancelled because of COVID-19, they bought a new, two-bed camper trailer with their refunded holiday money. The North Denver, Colorado-based family therefore, decided to camp around the state in summer, a report said.
“This is our way of social distancing. I’m sure I’m not the only one with this idea. 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,’” Matt FaJohn was quoted by The Colorado Sun as saying.
Pam and Jeff Sandberg, both 69, have not camped in three decades but are reportedly confident RVs would be the ideal way to travel in the near future.
“The next few years are going to be kind of shaky. We can all get together and go somewhere, drive to Florida, do some of the things we’ve talked about without having to risk everybody,” Pam Sandberg was quoted by Bloomberg Quint as saying.
The couple reportedly bought a used, 35-foot motor home at Hilltop Camper in St. Paul, United States for USD 70,000.
“We’re calling it the Covid Camper,” she added.
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