Greg Gerber posted on December 02, 2008 11:47
VENTURA, Calif. — Despite the current state of the economy, 71 percent of RVers claim that the current financial crisis will not impact their RV travel plans this holiday season. An overwhelming 81 percent said they will travel the same, if not more than last year, with more than two out of three RVers reported planning to travel more than 250 miles this holiday season.
According to a recent holiday travel survey conducted by the Good Sam Club, an RV owner’s organization with more than 1 million member families, most RV owners plan to use their motor home during the holidays, breaking the myth that RVs are only used for summer vacation travel. RVers point to the overall sense of freedom as the most valuable component of RV travel.
“RV travel will be up significantly, with 33 percent of our members planning to travel more and another 48 percent planning to travel the same amount as last year,” said Sue Bray, executive director of the Good Sam Club. “With gas prices continuing to go down, RVers appreciate the convenience and cost effectiveness of traveling in their RVs without having to deal with extra airline costs, lost luggage, or flight delays. Something fun we learned from this study is that RVers find it tougher to stick to their diets than to their travel budgets.”
The survey results also showed that RVers don’t forget their holiday spirit when celebrating the season in their motor homes, as more than a third plan to decorate their rigs this year. Among those that do, 43 percent decorate their rigs with lights, 38 percent decorate their entire RV campsite, 36 percent decorate their dashboard, while 34 percent put a Christmas tree in their rig.
Eighty four percent of respondents said the comfort of home was their biggest motivator for choosing RV travel over airline travel this year. RVers prefer the advantage of cooking their own meals, having their pets nearby, and putting their own personal touches on their motor homes.
The survey was sent to 10,000 Good Sam Club members, Nov. 10-16, 2008. This is the first year that the Good Sam Club has polled its members on holiday travel and the factors behind their 2008 travel plans. For the complete survey, and for more information on the Good Sam Club, log onto www.goodsamclub.com.
SOURCE: Good Sam press release