RV Owners Will Travel More, Feel Better This Summer
16 May 2000
RESTON, Va. - As summer vacation season rolls in, recreation vehicle (RV)
owners will roll out, hitting the roads more often and traveling farther this
summer than last.
RVers surveyed for the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA)
"Campfire Canvass" expect to use their motorhomes, travel trailers, truck
campers and folding camping trailers a total of more than five weeks on
average this summer, or 36 days -- up from 32 last year. In all, from
Memorial Day through Labor Day, they plan to log 2,780 miles on average, or
nearly 600 miles more than last summer. Only 2.6 percent plan to use their RV
less than last summer.
Long holiday weekends will be enjoyed by many RV travelers this summer.
Over six in ten (61 percent) plan to head off for the Memorial Day weekend; 58
percent for the July Fourth holiday; and 64 percent for Labor Day.
With national surveys showing the U.S. workweek is longer than ever and
frequent short getaways are becoming the norm, RV owners have a clear edge.
The great majority (81 percent) say they will also use their vehicles for
spur-of-the-moment trips this summer whenever they get the chance.
Eighty-five percent report that RVing makes them feel healthier, with two-
thirds (66 percent) saying their travels help them counter the stress brought
on by life's daily pressures. They cite greater family togetherness, the
ability to control their own travel schedules, meeting friendly people in
campgrounds, controlling their diets on the road and enjoying nature as key
reasons.
The most popular summer RV destinations will be state parks and forests
(70 percent). Beaches and mountains beckon roughly half of RVers polled.
National parks and forests, RV resorts and historical sites rank next on their
travel wish list.
Nearly seven in ten, or 68 percent, of RV owners will travel with their
children or grandchildren this summer. Popular family activities along the
way will include sightseeing, fishing, swimming, shopping and boating.
During their summer travels, RV owners reported they will take advantage
of the conveniences offered by a wide variety of state-of-the-art amenities on
board their RVs, including:
* VCRs
* satellite TVs
* cellular phones
* personal computers
* slideout rooms
* rear video cameras
* automatic leveling systems
* global positioning systems
The "Campfire Canvass" survey is conducted by Hitlin Research Associates,
a Reston, Va.-based firm specializing in industry survey research.
A free 18-minute "getting started" video full of RV shopping and travel
tips from actual RVers, accompanied by a detailed companion guide and list of
local dealers and campgrounds, is available by calling 1-888-Go RVing. More
detailed information, including a directory of RV shows, publications, rental
sources and clubs, can be obtained by writing RVIA, P.O. Box 2999, Dept. P,
Reston, VA 20195. Internet users can order these and other publications
online, as well as access extensive information, news and tips on RV travel at
http://www.rvia.org and http://www.GoRVing.com.
RVIA is the national association representing over 500 manufacturers and
component suppliers producing 95 percent of all RVs made in the U.S.
