Remember when you used to be the only caravan in the van park?
Now that the ban on Australians being able to travel overseas has been lifted, grey nomads are eagerly waiting to see what effect that will have on their lifestyle.
It is no secret that the Covid pandemic here has triggered a domestic travel boom as holidaymakers denied the opportunity to travel to Bali, take a cruise, or take a European tour, have seized the opportunity to discover their own backyard.
With young families and digital nomads discovering the joys of the caravanning and camping lifestyle, the demand for caravans and motorhomes has skyrocketed and ‘quiet’ van parks have suddenly become crowded.
And circumstantial evidence suggests the prices for sites has also surged.
So, what will the resumption of large-scale international travel mean?
From November 1, Australians will once again be free to leave these shores although, as things stand, they will only be able to return to NSW and Victoria without having to quarantine.
All of the experts agree that there is pent-up demand for Australians to get overseas. Qantas has wasted no time in laying on many more flights and bookings have been strong.
However, it is likely to take some time before grey nomads see a return to what used to be ‘business as usual’ on the Big Lap.
And maybe it will never happen.
There are certainly those who won’t be in a rush to it the airport until the whole Covid situation has settled down a lot more. And there is also the suggestion in some quarters that many Australians who have discovered the magic of their own country will be less inclined to travel internationally, especially those who have invested heavily in caravans and motorhomes.
So, for many grey nomads it is a case of wait and see … but there is no doubt that many will be hoping that things settle down quickly.
On the Grey Nomads social media channels, there are plenty who are eagerly awaiting getting back to ‘normal’
Lavena said she couldn’t wait for the outbound flight to get going in earnest.
“Us regular caravanners can get back to normal on the roads and enjoy the way it used to be without the crowds and young families,” she said.
And Greg thought the change wouldn’t take long.
“You will see a flood of people in a hurry to get out like dogs let off a leash,” he said. “Then, a flood of sales of hardly used caravans, motorhomes and tent gear.”
Herby agreed.
“The new breed of caravanners out on the roads in my opinion won’t stomach it long term and will return to Bali and other overseas travel in a flash!” he said. “Looking forward to that.”
It isn’t working out too good in England who have been out and about for a while now they are getting a 100,000 a day with covid and they were saying it’s way too many and something may have to be done as it’s not stopping the covid
Half that. 47,728 yesterday. 7 day average 46,900
Have been there this time of year see family,
COLD,DAMP,WET.
65 mill people ,not bad really
It won’t change in the immediate term. A lot of people will wait before heading off overseas – they won’t want to take a chance of being stuck overseas.
I hope the borders open soon. I’m waiting to buy a cheap, hardly used luxury caravan or motorhome
Dead right ,yards will be full of them
yeah, but the trade-in on your current device will also fall rapidly.
I don`t think it will happen as i have talked to lots of new van and motorhome owners and they have all said they dont want to go over seas now they want to see there own country , Me i would be happy either way if the sell or keep there new toy , I have been RVing for 30+years i will never go overseas agin ,
Rob n Loz
Nowra
NSW
Maybe things will sort of return to somewhere close to normal, it would be my opinion that people will still choose to holiday at home as overseas travel would seem to be very much up in the air as far as safety goes at the moment.
Live your life . Leave others to theirs . Enjoy the time you have.
Exactly and what other people think of me is none of my business
It’s likely that Caravan Parks have taken advantage of the increase in travellers and have boosted site fees. I hope that the fees will reduce again as travellers thin out. I’m still waiting for certain free camps to open again after last year’s fires and Covid closures.
They said the same about the prices of homes will drop because people loosing their jobs to all our surprise we seen the biggest jump ever in home sale in Queensland . Figure that one out ??
Can’t see things going back to the old normal in the near future because many of new travellers have realised what a great country we have at our fingertips and also just how big Australia is. The noticeable thing we have noticed is the demographic in parks has changed and not for the better. Just saying. Cheers
Great to see young families travelling. What an amazing experience for the kids!
Not all caravan parks have lifted their prices. We’ve been staying at. The anchorage holiday park at iluka $206.37 a week after a couple of months stay lovely well run park. Amenities are beautifully cleaned and it’s quiet during the low season . We’ve been here since July highly recommend
I hope they forget camping/caravanning until they learn the dos and donts of being on the road and discover the meaning of manners.
Just gave up as there is no comfort anymore on Roads or Campsites which are just cramming them in with no social distancing. Upside was made a great profit on everything
I agree with Graeme, it seems to me that the “stuff you” attitude seen in the cities has been driven out into the country by these Newbies in their $100,000.00+ rigs.
It will be a long time to see who will and wont sell. I for one will be on the road as much as befor. Slow down all enjoy the ride and the kids!! Got to love em 🙂
It is interesting to read about increases in park fees. I guess it depends on what you are looking for. We are Grey Nomads with a dog and look for Mum and Pop or family run Parks. We have never paid more than $30 per night. The surrounds are clean the bathrooms are cleaned daily there is a laundry and often there is entertainment. We don’t need bouncy pillows, swing sets and other family entertainment. Although the park we are in at the moment has play equipment, a river running past and water activities such as canoeing and fishing. We also travel in Spring and Autumn often cheaper and not crowded
Traveling Tasmania with the wife, cold,wet,miserable, but she’s good with the kids.