With covid-19 knocking travel plans for the foreseeable, new travel trends are emerging. Searches for sustainable travel have been surging, so could campervans offer an eco-friendly and local travel option?

There’s an old saying that goes: ‘don’t leave home until you’ve seen the country’, which is applicable for the coming months as domestic travel could arguably become the new standard. Currently, the impact of the 2020 covid-19 pandemic is being felt across the travel industry. While last year Brits took a total of 72.6 million trips abroad (Finder 2020), it looks certain that these figures will not be reached again for at least a few years.

“…This situation provides some time to rethink travel and focus on local recreation instead of long-distance, and in ways that are more aligned with social distancing. (It’s very likely that) travellers will refocus on local travel and explore all the wonders we have domestically in the UK,” says Hugo Oliviera, CEO at Indie Campers.

As lockdown regulations are gradually lifted, UK based campervan rental company Indie Campers is encouraging aspiring travellers to spend time planning for future local getaways and rediscovering the many wonders within their own country.

Travelling in a motorhome provides the flexibility to be independent, plan your own way points, and spend the night anywhere, waking up surrounded by nature. It makes this mode of travelling a truly adventurous holiday. Moreover, travelling by camper van limits contact with people and reduces the risk of infection compared to public transport. Taking a road trip in a mobile home gives you an opportunity to reconnect with nature, and experience the outdoors and make a break from your own backyard. 

Some of the benefits of local travel with a camper van include:

• Microcations – less travel time, more travel pleasure: Take a short trip. As you no longer need to lose time at the airport upon arrival and return, you have the opportunity to go on several shorter weekend breaks and use the days to the fullest. Take a little break, get some change of scenery and recharge your batteries. 

• Travel locally and sustainably: Support your local community. Grab your loved ones and drive the campervan to a remote location. On the way, make sure to stop in local villages and support local shops and artisans. Go on meaningful trips with conscious decisions. Reduce flying & support the local community along the way.

• Break into the wild: Drive out into the wilderness and enjoy a few days of hiking, climbing, walking, playing board and ball games. Have you always wanted to learn to juggle or just read a book in a hammock in the forest? Take your time and take in the silence of nature or fall asleep with guitar music around a campfire. 

• Independent travel option with social distancing: Exchange busy hotel receptions and breakfast buffets with the forest, the lake or whatever you want outside your bedroom window. You can avoid public transport, airports and a cramped flight and limit human interactions to your fellow travellers. It is not about where you are going, but what you are experiencing. 

People have always been explorers and, after spending so much time at home, we’ll likely be more adventurous than ever. Live the adventure while being considerate: grab your partner, your family or your roommates and head out on mini trips in a camper van.

Many businesses are changing the way they accommodate travel bookings during the covid era. As an example Indie Campers have taken extra measures in prioritising everyone’s health and safety, including deep cleaning of all vans, providing online check-in and support together with online tutorials of each vehicle, in order to minimize human interaction during the rental process.