Travel Trailers Top Sales as Millennials Head to Luxury RV Parks and Campgrounds
Norwall PowerSystems News— July 15, 2019: More than 9 million RVs hit the road each year. The industry reports annual sales of 355,000 new travel trailers, motorhomes, and pop-up campers totaling over 15 billion dollars. RV owners fill all age groups from 35 to 75 and take an average of three vacations every year.
Owners reported that RV Travel allows them to experience nature and outdoor activities with quality family time. They cited stronger bonds with family members and benefits to their children. Travel in an RV enables healthier eating on the road, sleeping in their own beds, and having their own bathroom facilities.
Many owners report taking a number of mini-vacations closer to home. each year. They spend less time on the road, save fuel, and have more time to relax and enjoy the campground
A family of four can save up to 62 percent on vacation costs by traveling in an RV including cost of ownership and fuel. Two people still save up to 48 percent. Factoring in the healthier, more active lifestyle and the benefits of taking your own room with you makes RV travel and ownership a great value.
Motorhomes and camper-trailers remain popular, but RV travel trailers make up the bulk of new sales. Anyone traveling by car on a weekend this summer will notice the luxury trailers towed by large and small SUVs, vans, and pickup trucks. The big draw? Neighborhoods of like-minded RVers at camping resorts who come together around bonfires to share food and drinks and swap stories like families at a reunion. Many form long-term friendships and meet year after year or several times during the summer.
Often secured behind locked gates, the RV Parks and Resorts feature game rooms, tennis courts, play areas, swimming pools, snack bars and other attractions. Frequently located near popular destinations, they offer a place to go with more to do than the average hotel.
According to a 2018 article, more than 1 million Americans live in RVs by choice. Couples who ditch the suburban lifestyle for the open road claim happier lives and improved marriages.
Washington Post Business–Nov. 12, 2018
An RV Generator Takes Home on the Road
Neighborhoods are nice, especially when you can take it all with you, but RV travel means the freedom to boondock—park and stay almost anywhere. Away from RV parks and resorts, the RV Generator supplies all the amenities and luxuries of home—air conditioners in the summer, heat in early spring and fall, television, entertainment centers, and your favorite coffee fresh from the pot.
National Parks make popular destinations, but many don’t offer an RV hookup. To keep noise at a minimum for all users, some limit the hours of generator use and all have noise standards. Fortunately, Motorhome Generators and Travel Trailer Generators have come a long way in reducing noise. Park service requirements specify 60dB (A) or lower sound levels measured at 50 feet.
The ability to park anywhere and supply your own electricity is one of reasons people choose RV Travel. Portable Inverter Generators sip fuel and supply clean, power when the RV generator cannot. Ultra-Quiet noise levels of 52dB(A) make them unobtrusive even with nearby neighbors in a campground.
Unlike portables, models from manufacturers like Cummins-Onan install on the trailer, motorhome, or fifth wheel and start at the touch of a button from a control panel inside the RV. A luxury diesel-powered Class A motorhome generator can provide the same power used by the average suburban home.
RV Travel and Living
According to the RVIA, an industry trade association, “There’s an RV for every taste and budget.” Travel trailers cost anywhere from $6,000 to $95,000, and motorhomes from 100 thousand to half a million dollars. Not unexpected since they are literally a home on the road.
In 2018, the U.S. government recognized outdoor recreation as an undeniably important economic sector for the first time. Outdoor recreation and travel accounts for an impressive 2.2% of the U.S. GDP. The Department of the interior recently established the Outdoor Recreation Advisory Committee to boost access to public lands.
RVIA 2018 Annual Report
RVs aren’t just for family travel or a home away from home. Owners use RVs for tailgating, travel with pets, business, outdoor sports, and leisure activities. Some rent them out for weekend or week-long excursions.
And not always a second home. Those who travel for a living may abandon overcrowded suburbs for local RV parks or even the local big-box store parking lot. It’s not hard to imagine a home with granite countertops, a king-size bed in the master suite, washer-dryer, and a 60-inch television over the fireplace. Now the dream home comes on wheels and goes anywhere you want.
