Note from RV Travel editor Chuck Woodbury The following message from RV Industry Association (RVIA) President Frank Hugelmeyer was published in the RV Industry Association newsletter RVIA News & Insights. He addresses the changing makeup of today’s consumer and the best ways for the RV industry to connect with new buyers. Translating this, what Hugelmeyer is talking about boils down to…
Read MoreCategory: Trends
Destination trailers getting popular with RVers
By Rick Kessler RVbusiness.com Park model RVs and destination trailers are similar, although there are some key differences. Destination trailers are fully contained RVs but are generally larger – 8 1/2 feet wide – than other towable RVs and less aerodynamic since they’re not meant to be transported as frequently. However, they are designed to be pulled by consumers. Typically…
Read MoreVideo: Thor Industries CEO talks about new tariffs, plunging stock prices
After riding high for years, Thor Industries has hit a bump in the road. In this eight-minute video from CNBC, Thor CEO Bob Martin talks with Mad Money host Jim Cramer about how the company is dealing with new Trump administration tariffs and the plunging price of its stock, which is off 39 percent from its highs. “It’s been brutal,”…
Read MoreVideo: Building the first 3-D printed RV
Here, from CTV News in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, is a report about the building of the world’s first 3-D printed RV. It’s 13-feet high and weighs 600 pounds, and is made entirely of plastic. It was created (er. . . printed) with the largest 3-D printer in North America. The inventor hopes to bring the trailer to the market by…
Read MoreGorgeous RV restorations will amaze you
Gorgeous! Is this stunning or what? It’s a restored 1954 Airstream Flying Cloud trailer. It’s just one of many old trailers, motorhomes and other vehicles restored by Timeless Travel Trailers of Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Some end up as classy RVs, others as mobile food businesses, company demonstration vehicles, even mobile barber shops. “While customization of new or vintage Airstream…
Read MoreRV park trend: Luring customers without RVs
By Chuck Woodbury You see the cover of the magazine? That’s Woodall’s Campground Management, the largest publication covering the RV park industry. Notice the headline toward the bottom: “Campgrounds See Growth with ‘Unique Accommodations’ Aimed at non-RVers.” The article runs five pages. It begins: Savvy campground owners understand that those looking to enjoy the great outdoors aren’t necessarily looking to…
Read MoreConstruction workers on temp assignments choose RV living
One of the reasons RV parks are so crowded these days is because many of the spaces are occupied by long-term residents. That includes Baby Boomers who live year-round in RVs, poor people in old or inexpensive RVs who can’t afford a traditional home or apartment, and construction workers who move from job to job with their own RVs rather…
Read More“Homeless” who live in RVs are not all the same
By Emily Woodbury It’s a problem much of America is facing: skyrocketing housing costs, abruptly forcing people out of their homes. Illegally parked RVs are showing up by the thousands parked along streets in neighborhoods across the country. Some of them, as seen in the video below, are occupied by mentally ill people and others with drug addictions. Laura Bliss,…
Read MoreMini electric car doubles as office, living space
This article was written for RVtravel.com by our friend James Raia at the Weekly Driver, one of our favorite websites about automobiles, including news, car reviews and reports of trends about new makes and models. No other vehicle at the recent Los Angeles Auto Show attracted any more bizarre reaction than the Redspace REDS EV. It’s the automotive version of a…
Read MoreRent a tiny house (like an RV) near a Florida beach
If you’re hankering to visit Sarasota, Florida, and plan to leave your RV somewhere else, here’s a way to stay in an RV park and enjoy an experience close to traditional RVing. Rent a tiny house at Tiny House Siesta, less than a mile from the beach. Tiny houses are small like most RVs (about 300 square feet), but they…
Read MoreRV ghettos along the road
By Chuck Woodbury Gail and I drove from Tyler to Kerrville, Texas, yesterday along mostly secondary highways. We passed through Waco on the way — the big city along the route. We saw at least 15 RV parks, all right along the road, the cheapest property. I wasn’t counting, but I’d guess a half dozen were nice, most fairly new.…
Read MoreRV just sitting in your driveway? Rent it and make money
Note from Chuck Woodbury, editor The peer-to-peer RV rental concept surfaced a few years ago. The idea is that someone who wants to rent an RV may prefer to do it from a private party rather than a RV rental company like Cruise America or El Monte RV. The private party gets paid, which can provide significant income from an…
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