Hands down, the RV lifestyle has grown since the start of the pandemic. People have opted to get out and travel instead of staying cooped up at home, while still avoiding an abundant amount of contact with the outside world. RV’ing was seen as a great escape to explore while still staying COVID safe. Although RV’ing has stayed constant and similar throughout the pandemic, there are a few changes and shifts that were made. This past year has changed RV travel in little ways by the high demands of RVs, low supplies of RVs, limited RV service availability, and limited campground vacancies.
High RV Demands
Since the booming trend of RVing started since quarantine, the demand for RVs has been very high. Those people stuck at home behind a screen opted to take their office on the road and purchase an RV. Some of these people have never even considered buying an RV until corona! The RV industry as a whole flourished because of these unexpected purchases!
Low RV Supply
Since COVID-19 and the increases in buying RVs were very unexpected, the RV industry wasn’t ready for it. Although it is a great problem to have, there was no way to prepare for the limited supply that would occur. According to TruckCamperMagazine.com, it claims that “RV inventory on dealer lots across the United States and Canada is the lowest we have ever seen.” Many RV manufacturers and factories had to close or limit workers because of the pandemic which lead to more limitations. This means when people are looking to purchase an RV they might have limited options and may not be able to find the newest models.
Limited Servicing
The RV service industry was also not prepared for the RV trend that hit during quarantine. There was a large increase in customers for servicing RVs. Some shutdowns also occurred for these types of businesses, or at least lead to a limited number of workers. This meant it was hard to get your RV in for repair or service because of the demand and business within the shops. This can be considered a great problem to have for these shops because of the boom in business!
Low Campground Availability
Lastly, throughout this past year, the openings and availability at campgrounds have been low. It can be difficult to get a reservation because they are all booked! The increase in RV travelers and the itch to get out of the house created an unexpected boost in campground reservations. Some campgrounds took COVID precautions by spacing out plots and weren’t making some spaces available. This was to limit traffic in and out of the site and to encourage social distancing. It is said that this problem won’t last much longer. Once other forms of transportation are opened up and normalized again, the campgrounds will start to offer more availability. They will also start to open up their sites to full capacity again.
Although there have been a few changes to the RV lifestyle because of the pandemic, most of them are good problems to have. The increase in RV sales, increase in RV services, and increase in campground reservations can be difficult to navigate but is great for the industry as a whole. Soon this business will subside and go back to normal. The RV lifestyle may continue to stay popular, but the industry will adapt and some people will go back to their normal lifestyles and traveling. Once people start getting back into their offices and can no longer clock in at any location behind a screen, availability will open up and RV’ing should feel normal once again