With gas prices rising at alarming rates many of us are rethinking our travel options.  Several years ago, when the other half retired, we purchased a small RV, a 22 ft, Rialta made by Winnebago.  We took a four month trip across Canada, and back through the northern U.S. States.  We loved it and plan to do more traveling by RV.  In fact we enjoyed ourselves and this mode of travel so much our thoughts turned to getting a newer and slightly larger RV and spending 6 months less a day on the road each year.

The lure of the west - and the family and friends we have in Vancouver, Victoria and Edmonton - not to mention the possibility of heading south to travel before the snows fly, really encouraged the idea of upsizing.  But then gas did another push upward and got us thinking all over again. The industry isn’t really looking at the needs of consumer yet.  We have looked after rig after rig, but so far they have all come up lacking either comfort or storage.  Wish they would learn to cut out some of glitz, bling and glamour, and put more focus on practical storage, comfortable seating and TV viewing and realistic decor.  Who on earth wants to camp with white furniture. But then that is me, and I’m always different.

 

What, I wondered, were other folks doing?  Are people giving up on live on the road?  Are they buying big motorhomes, or opting for smaller?  We have been looking for something 2 or 3 feet longer, but with slideouts to give us a big more room when parked.  

So we were really interested in a release from Go Rving Canada. This coalition, formed in 1997, consists of RV manufacturers, RV dealers and campground operators.  It serves as the Canadian RV camping industry ambassador to provide the public and media with information about the benefits of RV travel. In other words they are the “in-the-know” folks.

In May Go RVing Canada revealed Canadian show attendance and sales figures, demonstrating that the industry is healthier than ever. The numbers were notable across the board, as thousands visited RV shows over the past few months to see this year’s latest trends.

 

Go RVing Canada revealed total retail sales at dealerships in Canada have surged close to pre-recession levels. With sales up an impressive 18.4% across the country for 2010, this represents a very strong outcome for an industry coming out of one of the worst economic downturns in recent history.

 

More good news: summer bookings in campgrounds are up 12 per cent this year, according to the Toronto Region Conservation Authority. Similarly, Ontario Parks says it has also been seeing much higher numbers than usual at Canadian provincial parks, with reservations up by 11 per cent.

 

“These recent figures confirm that regardless of the increase in fuel prices, Canadians still believe that RVing is the most affordable and flexible vacation option,” said Go RVing Canada spokesperson Angèle Lapointe. “An RV vacation remains an extremely economical way for families to travel.”

 

Depending on the RV model, a typical family RV vacation can be up to 75 per cent less expensive per day than other forms of vacation travel. According to a recent cost-comparison study conducted by PKF Consulting, an RV trip is shown to be more economical when compared to a traditional week's vacation for a family of four, when you consider the costs of flights, car rental, hotels and eating out at restaurants.

Hmmmm, maybe the old fella and I will keep saving the $$$ for a new baby to park in our yard!

Even if we don’t the prospect of spending 8 to 12 weeks living in our rig through early spring in Vancouver offers grand appeal and will surely draw this traveling due to head west.

 

For more information on RV shows and exhibitions and the RV lifestyle, you can visit www.GoRVing.ca.

Got a comment email me at julie@seacroftpei.com