Campervans & Caravans become new COVID beating mobile office!
WITH SOCIAL distancing set to be in place for the foreseeable future, a new trend is emerging amongst British workers in need of ways to manage remote working and travel for work, according to new research.
A survey of 2,000 British adults commissioned by the UK’s largest digital marketplace for new and used cars, AUTO TRADER, has highlighted a nervousness around work-related travel, revealing that almost 1 in 2 Brits (48%) would not be comfortable travelling for work right now, unless they were able to travel in their own vehicle and stay in their own accommodation.
The data suggests that if they had to travel for work, almost 1 in 3 UK adults (32%) would feel more comfortable staying in a motorhome or caravan, rather than a hotel or serviced apartment, as social distancing and hygiene standards continue to be a worry for much of the UK.
This is a particularly significant concern for the 15% of the UK workforce who are regularly required to travel and stay overnight for work.
The data shows that 27% believe having access to a caravan or similar motorhome alternative would create an ideal quiet space to work in and almost 1 in 10 (9%) say it would give them somewhere to safely self-isolate if they became ill, so they could protect their family.
The research suggests that almost 1 in 5 adults (18%) feel employers should provide caravans or similar motorhome options for their employees if staff are required to travel and stay overnight for work in the current climate. An additional 16% also feel employers should at least contribute toward the cost of buying a caravan for this purpose.
Of those who would consider asking their employer to buy a caravan for work use, 50% say they would now be more likely to ask the question, given the current pandemic.
The research follows reports by the automotive marketplace revealing a 51% increase in views of motorhome adverts and an 80% year on year rise in caravan ads for the last two weeks of June. Notably, 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.
Auto Trader’s Rory Reid comments: “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.
“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!”
