RVs have advanced greatly since their introduction in the early 1900s, but the pleasure RV environment is changing the travel industry. Travelers can now get away from the most remote location on earth with everything they need, from a rooftop dance to a receptionist service. What is the RV’s story?
The RV’s history dates back as far as the automobile, perhaps in part due to the Roma wagons ‘ travels in 1800. The earliest RV was mounted on a vehicle in 1904, which had illumination, an icebox, and a radio, and was more popular with campers after the late 1800s.
Car owners continued to add on larger and larger designs, but it was n’t until 1910 that the first professional RV, Pierce- Link’s Touring Landau, appeared at Madison Square Garden—fitted with a chamber pot bathroom, a folding rear seat that turned into a bed and a landline to join the driver with the customers.
From then on, car campers, as they were called, were rolling off many company’s manufacturing lines and by the roaring twenties they were really big—think REO’s ‘ Speed wagon bungalow’ and Hudson- Essex’s ‘ Pullman Coach.’
It grew as more people started visiting national parks, and many of the leading Trailer manufacturers were avid users themselves, such as Wally Byam, the Airstream chairman, and Henry Ford, who became a household name in the RV industry in the 1990s/2000s.
In October 1926, a Pierce-Arrow engine apartment was constructed. Some RVs were used as affordable homes and/or inexpensive ways to travel following the Great Depression and the lean years following World War II. Trailers gained acclaim from the general public as a result of the Winnebago’s start in 1967 and the expansion of federal bridges.
You RVs Get Luxury?
RVs had a similar path to houses and have always followed present technology—as something new came on the market, it was always added to a new produce or type of an Car, whether that was a cooler, an oven, a microwaves, garbage removal, washers, dryers, showers or a satellite dish.
It makes sense because people use RVs because they want to travel, but with all the modern conveniences they already have, homes also became more expensive.
What distinguishes luxury RV travel from regular RV travel?
The construction of luxury RVs and the way they let their users move around without having to occupy any space are two of the main differences between how they are different from regular RV travel. Imagine modern, well-maintained equipment, well-designed floor plans ( so everyone feels like they have enough room ), and a sleeping area that is far removed from other areas of the RV.
It’s all about how someone feels inside too—meaning passive underfloor heating, lots of hot water, large refrigerators, walk- in showers, and handcrafted solid countertops.
Large panoramic windows are likely to give visitors a closer sense of the environment because luxury RVs typically consider how their owners interact with the outdoors. They might also allow off- grid living and merge sustainable- living features like off- grid energy production, LED lights, fresh water treatment, and indoor air quality purifiers. Luxury RVs typically have solar panels on the roof.
Luxury RVs are always connected to the internet wherever they are, with wifi boosters installed around the outside of the vehicle as well. This is of paramount importance. When traveling plans turn out badly, some luxury RV owners might also pay for a monthly subscription to a concierge service.
What Does Luxury RV Travel resemble?
Luxury RV travel is elegant, having everything to hand that one could want, including the ability to be able to block out everything that a traveler might not want—people, noise, light, and crowds.
Luxury RVs come with a price tag though—ranging from anywhere from$ 40, 000 to$ 1 million, depending on your view of luxury—although some luxury RVs can cost much, much more. The two- storey, 732 square- feet EleMMent Palazzo Superior, for instance, is one of the most luxurious RVs available. A 68-foot, automated rooftop Sky Lounge with a sound system to match any nightclub also has sun protection that can be adjusted to darken the glass as needed. No one knows the exact cost, but it is thought to be around €3 million. Only a few of these exist.
Other very luxury RVs may be a little more reasonable. The$ 1.6 million Newell Coach p50 has a Porsche-designed interior, and the$ 2.5 million Featherlite Vantare Platinum Plus has an in-built treadmill and gym.
What Are Luxury RV Destinations?
In the early 1900s, drivers would take their RVs to places that had everything typically associated with a holiday—a golf course, restaurants, the sea. Many RV travelers now choose to travel far from crowds, cities, and amenities, and luxury RV travelers have the large kitchens they need to entertain and cook in.
However, it might be harder to locate a parking spot for an RV the bigger it is overnight or over the course of a few days. Aside from the fact that RVs can visit the parks on large, paved roads and where it’s simple to see the park attractions from the roadside, Lonely Planet has compiled a list of wonderful national parks for RVs across the United States.
How Many People Travel in Luxury RVs?
Normal RV use has increased since the pandemic and the rise of remote-working because it makes it possible for digital nomads to travel for a vacation. There were 16 % more RVs shipped out to new owners in the United States during the pandemic, and it’s estimated that 11 million households in the country have a regular RV.
Since Covid, luxury RV sales have increased by a staggering 143 % as consumers effectively distance themselves from large resorts and crowds of people.
Is it anticipated that luxury RV travelers will increase?
Generally speaking, the market is becoming more and more popular with more people using RVs. According to the RV Industry Association, RV ownership has been increasing steadily for the past decade with 18- to- 34- year- olds making up 22 % of the market. In 2022, the median age of a first time RV buyer was 32, down from 41 just a few years earlier —a trend driven by an increase in remote working. Baby boomers who are retiring and who want to travel in an RV have also fueled the RV market. These trends indicate that the RV market is likely to grow, and there are more locations now, across the U.S., that welcome RVs.
It also fits with Pinterest’s Summer 2024 Travel Report, which found that, among a staggering one billion searches for “quiet life” and over 10 billion travel savings between February 2023 and February 2024, searches for the term rose by 530 % over the same time period, underlining the need for simplicity and calm, two other popular and growing search terms.
