After spending far too much time inside for over a year, the world population is ready to experience the wonders of the great outdoors again — but not everyone has been completely separated from the huge swaths of nature that stretch across the United States. During the pandemic, the RV industry saw a boom. The sale of RVs shot up during the pandemic, and some dealers are saying that as many as 80% of their customers are first-time buyers. When you think about that, it makes a lot of sense — we were told to stay home, and staying in a moveable home makes everything a whole lot easier.
RV Trends
RV trends over the years show that ownership has increased more than 62% in the last 20 years. With this kind of expansion, it is no surprise that the demographics of RV owners are changing considerably. Traditionally, traveling and camping using an RV is thought of as belonging to an older generation. But that trend is changing.
The Go RVing Program — and RV information aggregate — conducted the most comprehensive study of RV ownership that has ever been done. Their findings show that younger buyers are increasingly choosing RVs over more traditional vacations. In fact, they now make up 22% of the market.
Millennials and Gen Zers will lead the future in RV sales. In the millenial generation, these changing vacation trends began to appear before the pandemic. Approximately 73% of millennials said in 2019 and 2020 they were likely to take an RV trip in the future. Additionally, a Go RVing Program survey found that of the Gen Zers and millennials who had used an RV before, 84% were planning to purchase an RV in the next five years.
Why RVs?
Whether they’re families, couples, or individuals, travelers need a safe place to stay. Currently, the public’s safety from the global pandemic is shifting too often for travelers to feel completely safe anywhere — but transporting their personal space through cities and the countryside has offered them the combination of safety and freedom. Travelers who use RVs don’t have to worry about the sterilization protocols of a restaurant or if anyone staying at their hotel is carrying a deadly virus that they don’t know about. An RV vacation is the ultimate socially distanced adventure.
Another reason for the increased usage of RVs in younger generations is the rise of the “digital nomad.” Many workers are looking for opportunities to work remotely, combining their desires to travel the world and make a decent living for themselves. Digital nomads can do a wide range of freelance and full-time jobs from the road, and companies are becoming more open-minded toward employees spending large chunks of time out of the office.
Whether it be for work, play, or safety, younger buyers are choosing RVs over more traditional vacations and lifestyles. This is looking to become the new normal in the post-pandemic lifestyle, and the recent boom in RV sales is likely to see a long extension.
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