Self-driving has been the transportation method of choice for travelling since the pandemic started, so it's no surprise that there's been a significant uptick in camper van and RV rentals as a result. The rental company Outdoorsy has seen significant growth in bookings for this one-of-a-kind experience. It's perfect for travellers of all ages, families, is pet-friendly (sometimes), and allows for the ultimate outdoor exploration. "One of the built-in benefits of RV travel is that it's socially distant by design - no matter where you choose to camp, you're always at least six feet away from other travellers," Jen Young, Outdoorsy's Co-founder and CMO, told POPSUGAR.
"Vanlife" has been on the rise already the past few years, so it makes sense that this all-in-one type of road trip has gained interest during this time of more self-contained travel. The most popular destinations have been in the south and the west this past year. "We started to see an uptick in bookings, and at one point we saw a 4,500 percent increase in bookings on our platform," Jen shared. "One interesting trend we've seen is the influx of first-time renters and that trend has continued."