This fall, more people are falling in love. And no, we’re not talking an increase in chiming wedding bells; romance is not our area of expertise. What we’re talking about is RV travel. More people are choosing to travel by RV this fall season than ever before!
We reached out to renters who had returned from a trip within the past 90 days. Based on a survey of 1,069 respondents, we found some industry trends worth noting.
Why People are Choosing Road Trips
Getting Outdoors
With the stress of 2020, from the pandemic to the election, it’s no surprise that people want to get away for a while and head outdoors.
In fact, 81% of travelers feel that their family is more in need of a road trip vacation this fall than seasons before. And 62% said their kids are more likely to need a road trip vacation this fall.
Work from Anywhere, Learn from Anywhere
Since the start of the pandemic, most people have transitioned into a work from home environment. Months later, they’ve realized why work from home when you can work from anywhere? When asked if the freedom of virtual work and learning make them more likely to take a road trip at “off-peak” times, 75.3% said yes!
This also translates to what we call “roadschooling.” As more students have also entered a more virtual learning environment, schooling on the road is more possible than ever before. And travelers agreed that this would benefit their children.
77% said a fall road trip could boost their children’s wellness and lower their anxiety. And 72% also felt that this could very well supplement their children’s education while still maintaining their remote learning schedule.
Safe Holiday Travel
The holidays may look a little different this year amidst the pandemic. 61.8% may not even be gathering with their extended families this year, but 51.8% are considering alternatives like RV lodging as a way to safely visit relatives. And of those who are traveling, whether home for the holidays or just on vacation, 75% say that driving will be their main mode of transportation.
What does this look like for Outdoorsy?
More Growth
Since Outdoorsy’s beginnings in 2015, there have been 3 million booked days on Outdoorsy.com. Of those, about 1.3 million have been this year! Just the month of September, the company has seen 350% year-over-year growth.
Growth by State
This September:
- Texas saw a 190% YoY growth in booking requests.
- New Mexico saw a 170% YoY growth in booking requests.
- Montana saw a 140% YoY growth in booking requests.
- Arizona saw a 135% YoY growth in booking requests.
- Florida saw a 130% YoY growth in booking requests.
- California saw a 112% YoY growth in booking requests.
- Utah saw a 107% YoY growth in booking requests.
More Renters
This immense growth comes with new renters. 90% of September renters were first-time-renters.
More Owners
Not only have there been a lot of new renters this year. There have also been a lot of new owners to the Outdoorsy platform. In September, 40-50% of Outdoorsy owners were new to the platform with at least 1 new published listing.
An Outdoorsy Love Story
This is a love story for the century. More and more people are discovering a love for RV travel like never before, and we can’t blame them. Have you seen all the gorgeous rides on Outdoorsy? All renters are sure to find their perfect match.
