A new sentiment survey from travel marketplace Outdoorsy spotlighted renter outlooks this year, including reasons why RVing has become 2021’s “de facto travel trend.”
Outdoorsy stated rental season is starting out strong with more than 145% growth in the marketplace’s bookings compared with last year. Type C and camper vans were the most popular rentals on the site.
“There are plenty of reasons why RVing has become the de facto travel trend of 2021,” Outdoorsy stated. “For starters, renting an RV allows travelers to be in control of their environment, the cleanliness of their accommodations and their level of comfort — all while getting to explore their backyard in a fun, unique and experiential way.”
The survey’s review of 2,000 respondents reported two-thirds feeling more inclined to rent an RV or camper now compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic began. When planning this year’s vacations, 59% of respondents expressed a goal to try something new for the first time.
Six in 10 people would spend “significantly more money” on their trips if it meant they were completely safe from Covid, Outdoorsy’s survey found. Compared with usual travel routines, 81% of respondents reported feeling “forced” to find alternative travel methods and different destinations because of the pandemic. Sixty-three percent would rather spend time camping on a beach as opposed to staying in a hotel or Airbnb, the survey found. The average trip length was reported as more than six days.
Respondents also considered vacation destinations, showing the most interest in Denver, Seattle, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Diego, Minneapolis, San Francisco and Las Vegas. The survey also found Portland, Oregon, and Anchorage, Alaska, among popular trip destinations.
Outdoorsy noted findings from this year’s North American Camping Report released by Kampgrounds of America (KOA). More than 48 million U.S. households reported camping at least once last year, the report found. First-time campers in 2020 were five times greater than that in 2019. Within those campers, KOA’s report found GenXers and millennials most likely to increase their camping trips this year.
“First-time 2020 campers are young and diverse,” Outdoorsy noted. “Looking at the rest of 2021, nearly half of first-time campers who do not use an RV to camp say they will purchase an RV in the next 12 months.”
