Baby Boomers Are Leading the RV Revival
The American Dream of the 20th century often involved rounding up the whole family, jumping in the RV and hitting the highway for a good old fashioned cross-country road trip. It’s a common plot in American film of the 1970s through the 1990s. Somewhere along the way, the RV dream lost its way, veering off the path of popularity.
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Until now.
The RV revival is afoot, and it’s being spearheaded by Baby Boomers, the same generation that popularized it. In fact, many boomers are selling their homes, buying RVs and actually living on the road. Easier said than done, sure. But RV sales are through the roof, further incentivizing those who might be on the fence about making that life-changing decision.
“People are retiring and living more for today than the future,” Jeff Nobbe, general manager at Shorewood RV Center in Anoka, Minn., told Fredericksburg.com. At Shorewood RV Center, RV sales have skyrocketed to 40 percent since the recession. Nobbe said whereas boomers may have been buying vacation homes and lake houses, many are now looking at purchasing RVs.
Why is this a trend?
There are a few reasons. First, many boomers are now retired and have the disposable income to live lives of adventure on the road. It also helps that gas prices are plummeting and the economy is on the rise – the latter meaning lenders aren’t nearly as hesitant to open up lines of credit as they have been in recent history.
Take Evelyn and Leo Carey, for example. Five years ago, as Fredericksburg.com reports, the couple decided to sell their home, move into a small condo and buy a trailer. That’s when they got a taste of the mobile life. It only took a year of owning that trailer until the couple caved and bought a 17-foot RV.
“When we travel, we follow our nose,” Evelyn told the site. “And follow our bliss.”