4:52 pm, July 7, 2020
Caravans and motorhomes aren’t simply the new staycation for Brits who don’t feel comfortable in hotels – they’re also the solution for the 15 per cent of the UK workforce who have to travel for work.
That’s according to the latest research from Auto Trader, who when surveying 2,000 people found 48 per cent wouldn’t be comfortable travelling for work right now.
Of this, 32 percent would feel more comfortable staying in a caravan or motorhome than a hotel or serviced apartment.
The research follows a 51 per cent increase in views of motorhome adverts and an 80 per cent year-on-year rise in caravan ads for the last two weeks of June.
The data reveals a shift in the age ranges of people searching for motorhomes and caravans since before the lockdown, with a reduction in people over the age of 55 searching, replaced with an increase in 18-34 year olds.
Almost one in five (18 per cent) said they feel employers should provide caravans or similar for employees if they are required to travel during the current climate. A further 16 per cent feel employers should contribute towards the cost of one for this purpose.
Of the employees who would ask their boss to buy a caravan for work use, 50 per cent said they would be more likely to now because of the pandemic.
The data also showed that 27 per cent of respondents would believe having access to a caravan or motorhome would create an ideal quiet space to work in or self-isolate if they became ill.
Auto Trader’s Rory Reid said: ‘We’ve recently seen a huge spike in interest for caravans and motorhomes across our app and website.
‘Whilst a large portion of this is down to people needing a staycation this year, there’s a really interesting trend emerging of using caravans for contact-free ways of working, or even self-isolating to keep key workers safe.’
He added: ‘Businesses need to adapt to a greater need for safety when sending employees to travel and stay overnight for work.
‘Using caravans and motorhomes can facilitate this, as well as providing a quiet space to help optimise working. It may well be in a business’ best interest to start looking into caravans and motorhomes!’
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