Five years ago, Kyle and Olivia Brady set out on the open road in their 16-foot RV camper, and they experienced adventure and “sheer exhilaration the whole time,” writes Frank Olito for a story published by BusinessInsider.com.
Recently, however, that excitement has worn off, and they say the coronavirus has transformed their life on the road. Now the Bradys, who run an RV lifestyle blog, are quitting RV life and moving into a traditional home.
During the pandemic, motorhomes have become a popular vacation option among Americans, and the Bradys’ experience comes as RV manufacturers report a surge in demand.
Their story begins in 2015 when Kyle and Olivia Brady were living in a traditional home in Alabama but had an itch to travel.
The couple was inspired by a few friends who went on a monthlong road trip out west. But the Bradys didn’t want to go away for just one month — instead, they wanted to travel more long term. So, after saving some money, the couple bought a 16-foot Fiber Stream camper from the ’80s for $5,000 and then renovated it for an additional $2,500. After spending some time on the road they upgraded to an Airstream Argosy, renovated it, and hit the road again.
In 2019 the Bradys welcomed their first child, Nora, and the challenges or raising a toddler soon began. Since there are no barriers or doors in their RV, it was very difficult to create a space for Nora. When she went to sleep, Kyle and Olivia had to be careful to not make a sound.
“It was a new experience for us on so many levels,” he said. “It was probably the biggest driving factor in getting re-acclimated to life in a house, and it was one of the tipping points to make the decision to get off the road.”
And then came the pandemic in 2020.
In recent months, people have turned to RVs as a way to vacation because the vehicles are considered a safe way to travel amid the pandemic. In fact, Airstream said there was an 11% increase in sales between May 1 and 21 compared with last year’s numbers. Marathon Coach also said it expected a 30% growth in sales compared with 2019, Business Insider previously reported. The RV Industry Association predicted that 46 million people would take an RV trip in the US this year.
While on the road, Kyle said he has seen “steady growth in RV popularity.”
The Bradys said they have found RV parks completely overrun with people, and they’ve struggled to find places to book.
During the pandemic, they decided to continue traveling while practicing social distancing. They said they had reservations at RV parks in the first week, but in the second two weeks, they couldn’t find a place to park.
Some parks, such as the California State Parks, have reported an increase in demand. In 2019, California’s park service had 54,825 reservations between February 1 and March 11. This year, there’s been an increase in reservations, jumping to 97,417.
“Everyone is going to RV parks, national parks, and campgrounds, so it was literally impossible for us to make a reservation on our last trip out,” Kyle said. “We felt so frustrated.”
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