RV rentals are up for the holidays in response to social distancing
Families are planning to park RVs outside their relatives' homes rather than stay in close quarters under one roof
RV companies are seeing a boom in business this fall.
RV rental company Outdoorsy shared that it is already “on pace to exceed last year’s November bookings” in a statement sent to FOX Business, which it suggests could be a response to the coronavirus pandemic.
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“Initially, we saw demand stemming from quarantine fatigue, where travelers were eager to spend more time outdoors, in a safe and socially distant way, after months cooped up inside,” Outdoorsy’s CEO Jeff Cavins told FOX Business. “Now, we’re hearing from our RV owners and renters that the new catalyst for bookings is coming from travelers in search of a safe way to visit family over the holidays.”
“In order to visit extended family this holiday season, renters are planning to park RVs, trailers, or campervans outside their families’ homes rather than have people stay in close quarters under one roof,” he explained.
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RV rentals for the holiday season are reportedly on track to surpass the amount Outdoorsy received last year. (iStock)
Over Labor Day weekend, the company reportedly received a 400% increase on RV bookings compared to the amount it had last year, according to internal data.
“We expect to see these growth numbers accelerate as we get closer to the holiday,” a note in Outdoorsy’s Labor Day travel report says.
For the month of September, the company determined that 90% of its bookings for that month were made by first-time renters.
In a recent survey, Outdoorsy found that 75% of travelers intend to drive as their main mode of transportation this holiday season whereas the American Automobile Association found that 80% of travelers will go on a road trip this fall.
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The 10 states where Outdoorsy has received some its highest booking volumes throughout the year include California, Texas, Colorado, Utah, Florida, Arizona, Washington, North Carolina, Oregon and Michigan.
More than 8.6 million Americans have contracted the novel coronavirus, according to data from the Johns Hopkin’s COVID-19 Dashboard.
Anthony Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, whose children are not coming home for the holidays, said in a recent interview with Good Morning America that people should practice caution during the holidays.
“Each individual family should evaluate the risk-benefit in [getting togehter], particularly when you have people coming in from out of town,” he said.