The working holiday reinvents the humble caravan
Does taking work with you on a caravan holiday hold appeal? The trend has Aussies hitting the road and making money from an office on wheels.
Seniors love their caravans and motor homes. COVID-19 sparked a huge rise in people travelling around Australia for extended periods and occasionally finding work along the way.
Workers have also discovered the benefits of working from home and are moving on to caravanning, where they can take their work with them while travelling.
Sounds a bit silly? After all, driving off into the sunset in one’s caravan is supposed to be a total escape. Or that is what we thought!
But the caravanning industry reports COVID-19 has inspired more people to purchase caravans and see their own country, and changed how people live, holiday and work on the road.
An emerging caravanning trend has given rise to the concept of ‘B-Leisure’ (mixing business and leisure) for the new or experienced caravanning fraternity.
This new ‘hybrid holiday’ trend is seeing many caravanning fans explore creative van customisations that enable them to make a living while on the road.
Sales of caravans have continued to rise over the last couple of years, with Queensland leading the way nationally for the highest number of recreational vehicles (caravans, campervans, camper trailers and motorhomes) registered in Queensland, accounting for 26 per cent of the nation’s registrations.
The increase in requests for interior caravan customisations means they want to do this while still making a living. Being off-grid in a van can also mean being self-sustainable - physically and financially.
The caravanning industry says there has been an increase in customers looking to mix business and leisure, whether it is working remotely from a laptop or creating a (mobile) face-to-face business model.
One indicator of this is the significant increase in customers demanding more freedom from gas or electricity supply requirements by specifying lithium batteries, allowing them to run their business from anywhere, while retaining important creature comforts.
Jason Plant, Caravanning Queensland Trade CEO, says there has been an increase in the number of Aussies who have hit the road in recent years.
“The previous trend was renovating old vans into food trucks, but we are now seeing an emergence of manufacturers working with specialty businesses to create bespoke caravans, specifically modified for Aussies to run face-to-face businesses from the road. Some of which include portable coffee shops, on-the-go hairdressers, travelling massage stations and soon-to-be cocktail bars,” he said.
