The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association’s (RVIA) latest RV Consumer Demographic Profile, scheduled to be released to the industry this fall, shows RV ownership has reached a new peak while also offering promising news on future RV purchase intentions.
The research, conducted by Richard Curtin, RV industry analyst and director of consumer surveys at the University of Michigan, reveals the number of RV-owning households has grown to a new peak of 8.9 million households, up from 7.9 million in 2005. Nearly one-in-nine (8.5%) U.S. households now own RVs, up from 8.0% in 2005, according to an RVIA news release.
“Today’s record RV ownership levels reflect the enduring appeal of the RV lifestyle despite recent economic challenges,” said RVIA President Richard Coon.
In addition to showing that RV ownership rates have climbed steadily, the new RV Consumer Demographic Profile also offers promising news on future RV purchase intentions.
When RV purchase intentions are combined across current owners, former owners and new market entrants, a total of 21% of all U.S. households stated intentions to purchase an RV in the 2011 survey. This is on par with the 23% rate in 2005 and ahead of the 16% rate in 2001.
“These purchase intentions expressed in the new RV Consumer Demographic Profile are very encouraging for the industry,” added Coon. “The survey results gathered this year in a challenging financial environment track closely with the 2005 data when the economy and consumer outlook was much brighter. Overall, the results clearly indicate continued strong demand for RVs in the years ahead.”
Seventy percent of current RV owners plan to purchase another RV to replace their current unit. When compared to the purchase intentions of current owners in prior surveys, the 2011 data indicates a strong increase in new vehicle purchase intentions.
Among new market entrants, defined as households that have never owned an RV in the past, 14% planned on purchasing an RV in the future with more than a third of them intending to purchase a new RV.
Of all former owners, 27% plan to purchase another RV in the future. Here age was a determining factor with younger former owners (age 18-34) more likely than older former owners to purchase another RV. This underscores the need for the RV industry to stay in touch with recent former owners and to continue to present them ownership options.
A new survey of RV owners indicates that they have strong travel plans this fall/winter and expect to save significantly, despite the soft U.S. economy and fluctuating fuel prices.
According to the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association’s biannual Campfire Canvass, 34 percent of RV owners plan to travel more this fall and winter than last year, 43 percent plan to travel the same amount and just 11 percent plan to travel less.
“My wife and I are planning a fall trip in our motorhome to Virginia and New Jersey to visit relatives,” says George Dougherty of Ankeny, Iowa and a former chief technology officer at Faith Baptist College. “Since 2006, when we bought our first RV, we’ve traveled over 22,000 miles. We’re having a great time seeing America and we enjoy the RV lifestyle. We just got back from a two-week trip that took us through six states, including South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska and Kansas. During the winter months, we’ll head south to get away from the snow in Iowa.”
Like the Doughertys, many families are buying RVs to see America. According to the survey, 71 percent ranked “seeing America” as the most important reason for buying an RV in the last two years.
Along with seeing America, another primary reason why millions of owners will be traveling and enjoying the RV lifestyle this fall/winter is because they appreciate the value that RV travel delivers. Nearly 90 percent said that RVing is an affordable way to travel.
Almost 65 percent of the respondents said that they save at least 25 percent when traveling in their RV compared to other types of travel, while 27 percent save 35-50 percent. This reflects a new study by PKF, an international travel and tourism consulting company, which found that RVing is 23-to-59 percent less expensive than other types of vacations for a family of four.
In addition to saving on rising hotel costs and airfares, RV owners also avoid the expense of eating in restaurants. The study found that 49 percent of RV owners said that they eat at least two meals a day onboard their RVs, while 44 percent said three meals.
Despite these uncertain economic times, 45 percent of RV owners said that they’re considering another RV purchase within the next two years, with 79 percent of those respondents citing the availability of “great deals” in today’s RV market. More than 60 percent will attend RV retail shows this fall and winter.
Owners surveyed will use their RVs in a variety of ways during the fall/winter travel season.
• 69 percent of the respondents said that they plan to sightsee
• 64 percent visit state parks and 55 percent national parks
• 46 percent attend festivals and fairs
• 39 percent take part in foliage tours
The survey also reveals that owners are physically active on their RV trips. For example, 41 percent said that they enjoy hiking, 38 percent fishing, 23 percent biking and 12 percent canoeing and kayaking.
Results also show that holiday travel remains popular with RV owners. Among the respondents, 42 percent said they plan to travel in their RVs over the Thanksgiving weekend and 21 percent over the Christmas/Hanukkah season.
Milt and Kay Olson spend every Christmas in north central Wisconsin with their children and grandchildren, enjoying a meal together, sharing stories of Christmases past and exchanging gifts, according to a report in the Wassau Daily Herald. Then they take down the Christmas tree, load up the fifth-wheel trailer and head south to escape the below-zero temperatures and snow.
The Olsons, who live in the town of Weston, are some of the more than one million “snowbirds” in the U.S. and Canada who flee winters in colder climates for Florida, Arizona, Texas and other snow-free states. Snowbirds flee the frozen north to live in retirement communities, RV parks and condominiums where they walk the beaches, play golf and participate in other social activities while Wisconsin residents count the days until summer.
The Olsons stay in Wisconsin longer than most snowbirds, who typically are getting ready to hit the road right about now — as leaves turn and temperatures drop near freezing at night. The recession, high gasoline prices and a struggling housing market haven’t slowed the migration.
The Olsons, for example, retired in the early 2000s from jobs at Northcentral Technical College. They decided it was time to go someplace warm, but they weren’t content on picking just one place. They bought a fifth-wheel trailer and a pickup and alternate among Arizona, Texas and Florida, staying at RV parks for three months and seeing sights throughout the area.
“In the grand scheme of things, the price of fuel is the biggest factor,” Milt Olson, 65, said. “It adds a couple hundred dollars, but you don’t decide to stay home for that.”
Tracking the number of snowbirds is difficult because studies are inconsistent and dated. A University of Arizona State study found that more than 300,000 winter residents were living in Arizona at the height of the 2002-03 winter season. A University of Florida study showed that 818,000 people spent the winter of 2005 in that state.
Stefan Rayer, a researcher for the Bureau of Economic and Business Research at UF who conducted the 2005 study, said the economic downturn and high unemployment likely have caused that number to drop slightly in recent years.
To read the entire story click here.
Nothing's more American than a road trip to fun destinations across the country. But with so many amazing places to explore, it can be overwhelming for travelers to plan their ultimate getaway. That's why Valero has launched The All-American Road Trip, a website designed to excite the imagination and inspire vacationers to hit the road in pursuit of their dreams.
Conceived by digital agency Last Exit Group, The All-American Road Trip site conjures the spirit of the open road with powerful interactive elements, eye-catching graphics and thorough descriptions of destinations near and far. Along with detailed route maps, destination finders, driving directions and itinerary tools, visitors will find tips, tricks and time-savers to make planning any size trip easy and fun. Listings of local restaurants, hotels/motels, campsites, rest stops, and more are all at travelers' fingertips.
The All-American Road Trip's destination finder allows users to select a region of the United States and discover major cities, national parks and points of interest, including the locations of Valero stations and convenience stores along the way. With the itinerary maker, users can designate their point of origin and their chosen destination to generate customizable routes, directions, local features and helpful links. They can then print or save their map and itinerary or send it to their mobile phone for easy reference.
The All-American Road Trip maps are powered by Google Maps and populated with Yelp reviews for suggestions on local stops.
Thanks to The All-American Road Trip's seamless integration with Facebook, travelers can also post their itineraries for their friends to view and comment upon. And once they're out on the open road, they can instantly share their adventure with pictures and video on Facebook and Twitter. Friends can follow their progress across America via updates tagged by time and location.
"With money tight at home, more and more families and individuals are rediscovering the joys of the classic road trip," commented Dave Parker, SVP Marketing, Valero Energy Corp. "Americans have always enjoyed creating their own agendas and setting out on free-spirited adventures in the comfort of their own vehicles. The difference today is that with this new website, they can plan their whole trip out in advance and bring their friends, family, and fellow travelers into the experience with the site's social media integration."
Paul Newnes, Partner and Managing Director for Last Exit, said, "We're very excited about the functionality and immersive experience The All-American Road Trip site offers. It's a one-stop source where drivers can plan their trip from start to finish, with all the necessities of gas, food, lodging and entertainment provided to them in an appealing and engaging experience."
Furthering the experience, Facebook and Twitter pages are dedicated to The All-American Road Trip to promote the microsite and engage in conversation with fans. The social media platforms will be used as communication tools among users of the microsite — to share ideas and tips/suggestions on road trip planning, etc., to tell their favorite road trip story, or simply to find out more information about the All-American Road Trip microsite itself. Bringing the microsite into the social media realm creates a complete community to share what most people consider an ultimate experience.
With so many natural disasters going on around the country including fires in the south and southwest and floods in the midwest, you can't help but wonder where some of those displaced folks go.
Well, we found a very interesting story on how RVs and RV parks are turning into places for "refugees." It's really heartbreaking to hear how these people have lost their homes, some permanently, but it's also nice to see the camping spirit has lifted them up and has taken their minds off the gravity of the situation, if albeit briefly.
Read the story.
From all of us at Princess Craft, you're in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.
We love our pets. And in the world of RVs, unlike cars and especially planes, pets are not a burden when traveling. In fact, that's a reason many of us choose the life of RVing is because we can make special memories with our pets on those trips wherever they may be.
Bringing our little furry friends with us, we want to know they are safe. Here is a new video that offers up some pretty creative ideas on keeping your pet safe as well as an efficient way to bring along their food and water supply. We know the video is motorhome-specific, but we still think you can come up with a few other ideas of your own tailored to your RVing needs.
Happy traveling!
The comfort, convenience and affordability of RV travel are attracting new RV owners every day according to the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA). Over the past decade, RV ownership has increased from 7.6% of U.S. households in 2001 to 8.5% in 2011. According to new demographic data, 8.9 million Americans are RV owners, an increase of 1 million households since 2005.
Results of a new consumer survey conducted by Dr. Richard Curtin, a prominent economist and director of consumer surveys at the University of Michigan, show that RV ownership remains strong among people 55 and older. In that demographic, RV ownership grew from 8.6% in 2005 to 9.4% in 2011. More interesting is the impressive growth of RV ownership among younger consumers in the 35 to 54 age bracket. Today, middle-aged consumers comprise 11.2% of the RV market compared to 9% in 2005. Reflecting the struggling economy and high unemployment rate, RV ownership among people under age 34 dipped slightly from 5.0% in 2005 to 4.7% today.
Travel trailers continue to be the top choice of American RV buyers. Travel trailer ownership grew from 4.1% in 2005 to 4.8% in 2011.
If you ever watch Home and Garden TV, you know about the show House Hunters. The show is looking for new content and it's taking the hunt to the road…literally!
The producers are casting buyers of RVs for an upcoming RV-themed episode! Whether you’re seeking a primary residence on wheels, or a vacation home on-the-go, they want to hear your story!
Producers are looking for people who are seriously considering buying an RV or have recently purchased an RV to feature on the program. They are looking for people who have a fun, compelling story to tell about their interest in RV ownership, such as those looking for a life on wheels, planning a fabulous family vacation, or pursuing dreams across the U.S.
Personally, we think truck campers might get a good look to be on the show because truck campers are a unique breed and have lots of great stories to tell.
As each RV buyer is selected, the production team will spend three days shooting with them: one day at their current home to set up the story; one day at the RV lot to tour three models; and one day on the road in the new RV.
Anyone interested should go to Pie Town Productions website for more information.
Mistakes while traveling in your RV are bound to happen. When you're in unfamiliar territory, chances of mistakes naturally increase. That said, the results from a recent survey may still surprise you.
According to a survey of more than 1,000 RVers from across the nation to find out the most amusing mishaps experienced while traveling, The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies, discovered that a spouse is more likely to be accidentally left behind than the dog. It didn't mention anything about being intentionally left behind.
But wait, there's more.
The survey revealed the most common blunders made while traveling are:
• Driving away with the steps extended
• Backing into something
• Misjudging overhead or side clearance space
• Not connecting taillights correctly
• Running out of gas
Have you had a similar experience? Something better/worse? Do share.
We don't know if you saw it, but CNN had an interesting article on its website last week titled, "Is an RV right for you?"
The author of the article, George Bauer, works at CNN and is also the creator and host of "The Seasoned Traveler," which airs on U.S. public television stations and Travel Channel International. His background for writing the article was he had rented a class C RV for three vacations.
As the old adage goes, "Good publicity. Bad publicity. It's all publicity." Bauer was mostly fair in his assessment of the RVing industry as a whole, but he did get a little on the negative side when it comes to upkeep and getting around.
Bauer accurately detailed rising gasoline prices as being a major consideration when purchasing an RV, but he also said repairs, when needed, may take longer and cost much more than repairs on cars or trucks. As far as turnaround time on repairs, that really depends on the shop you work with. With regard to costs, like any car, the more expensive the vehicle, the more costly the repairs will generally be. You can't expect repairs on a Kia to be as expensive as those on a Cadillac. It's the nature of the beast.
He also talked about how the RV ride can be bumpy and uncomfortable, especially for those sitting at the dining table. We know he's referring to motorhomes and not truck campers, but it's worth mentioning that even motorhomes can ride uncomfortably. As far as campgrounds, he pointed out the variety across the nation with some 16,000 public and private campgrounds to choose from, but he also mentioned that in addition to some being very costly, during peak season, campsites can be crowded and noisy. While these campgrounds may have lots of campers, that's one of the best parts about camping — meeting all those campers around you and sharing stories about camping, about your family, and whatever else comes to mind. It's a unique experience that you can't find anywhere else such as a hotel.
Lastly, Bauer talkes about the challenges of backing into an RV campsite location. He compared it to putting a tractor-trailer in reverse. While again we know he's referring to motorhomes, we also know if someone ever has trouble at a campground, such as backing into a space, you can bet there will be more than a few campers around willing to offer their assistance. That's what campers do. That's what camping is all about.
To read the full article, click here.