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Will 2019 Be The Stand Out Year For The Caravan Holiday?

Get the family and go outdoors more in 2019

By William Coleman

2019 marks the 100th anniversary of when the first caravan was hitched up and towed by a car, and how timely this is as a century on its seems as though caravan holidays are more popular than ever as 2019 sets to a marquee year for caravan tourism.

The caravan holiday is as British as a bag of chip and a cup of tea, and I think that is why we all love it so much. It is a pastime we have all taken part in and it seems that this year could be another huge bumper year for the leisure vehicle holiday.

Reports are pointing to a handful of factors that should positively impact the caravan, motorhome and campervan world this year. The main one being the B word, “Brexit”. Love it or hate it, there will be some outcomes that will get a lot of holiday makers opting for beach side caravan holidays instead of the all inclusive European destinations.

If you have ever spent time in the coastal towns of the UK you will know just how truly wonderful a week there can be. A lot of people may not be keen on the potential extra costs that a post Brexit world could provide, renewed passport costs and potentially paying to get into EU countries. Yes it is speculation at this point but it has not been taken off the table so it could possibly happen.

A family holiday can be quite costly without adding the costs of a visa type charge and new passports for the family. Add to that the feeling that us UK residents would maybe feel unwelcome and you have all the ingredients to go for a caravan or motorhome stay here at home in the UK.

More Access To Vans

2017 saw the sales of leisure vehicles skyrocket as thousands of people, couples and families across the UK decided that a “staycation” was the way forward.

According to figures from the NCC in 2017 there was an increase of 13.7% in the production of touring caravans within the first 6 months of 2017. With a staggering 44.7 million Brits taking domestic holidays in 2016, 10.4 million of those using caravans, motorhomes or camping as accommodation.

Travelling from site to site you can see the effect this has had on both touring parks and local tourism. Even in the winter sites are 75-100% occupancy!

Not only are there more vans being purchased there are also tons of different routes you can go down to get your hands on a caravan or motorhome for a holiday. The Caravan and Motorhome Club have introduced the their href=”https://experiencefreedom.co.uk/” rel=”nofollow” target=”_blank”>Experience Freedom brand where you can rent a motorhome or even stay on site in an Airstream.

There is also Camplify who have been dubbed the “AirBnB of the caravan world”. They have hundreds of listings on their site from your normal touring caravan to the weird and wonderful like a converted fire engine.

All of this has been designed to get more people into vans and taste that sense of freedom that only a touring holiday can provide.

Long Summers and Great Weather

The Great British summertime of 2018 was bar far one of hottest I can remember. Due to the fact that the UK is getting warmer and warmer each year why would you spend thousands on going abroad when you can go away every single weekend of summer for a fraction of the cost?

Having a caravan, motorhome, camper or even renting a static is much more cost effective than going abroad. Due to the fact that you can wake up at 7am and be on a beach by 10am why wouldn’t you do this every week?

There are so many beach front sites that the biggest problem you will have is choosing which one to visit next.

Even if you cannot get a beach front spot there are a huge amounts of sites that are just a short drive away from the sea side.

Time Is Money

Unfortunately for those of us who have not retired or won the lottery there is a limited amount of time that you can spend on holiday. One of the biggest issues with going away is the time it takes getting to another country and the all the problems that can come with it.

So you wake up really, really early to then travel to the airport 3-4 hours before your flight. You then have to go through security control, which is enough to put anyone off of air travel for good, to then just sit in an airport and wait with your fingers crossed that your flight is not delayed.

One issue I have found, which really does grind my gears, is how a travel agent will consider the day you arrive and the day you leave as actual paid for holiday times. Due to not having much control over this your 7 day break in the sun actually turns into 5 days. Day 1 and 7 are basically a write off, flight time dependent.

With a caravan holiday you do not face such dilemmas, unless you decide to travel the length of the country. No passport control, not crying kids on planes and you get to decide when you leave and when you arrive. Freedom at its finest.

A fraction of the cost, more time, more control and if the weather is bad you won’t feel as bad having not spend £1000+ on a holiday. Mexico, 2016. Day 1 and 5 gone because of travel and it rained every day in between. Never again!

Youthful Investment

The cost of living is not getting cheaper and younger people are finding it a lot harder to maintain a good balance between work and social life when it comes to going on holiday.

With property value and rent prices soaring in certain parts of the UK some young people and families cannot justify the spend on going away. Does that mean they shouldn’t? No, far from it.

We all need a break away from reality now and then and that is where a staycation can come in handy. Taking the kids to a caravan site for a few days over a bank holiday costs nowhere near as much as a trip abroad, especially during half term time, so we are seeing a large influx of younger families opting for this over flying.

Younger people in their early 20s are opting to buy campervans as their primary method of transport as they can use it as a dual purpose vehicle. A practical driving vehicle Monday to Friday and the perfect escape van for weekends or weeks off work.

So as time goes on you are seeing a shift in who is buying what vehicle and what types are selling more than others. Motorhome and campervan sales are very quickly catching up to the caravan as a lot of younger folk are now buying into the idea of staying home for their holidays.

There are more sites popping up all over the UK, more vans being sold, younger people are staying home to take holidays, sites are staying open all year round now and access to vehicles is easier and cheaper than it has ever been before.

All of these factors will make this year’s season one of the best the industry has seen in a long while and I really cannot wait.