Why nostalgic British caravan holidays are surging in popularity with Gen Z
YOUNG people are returning to a much-loved British holiday, according to one caravan expert.
Adam Howard is the director and spokesperson for Seals Direct – a family-run business that supplies rubber seals to caravans, vans, and other vehicles.
Seals Direct launched 25 years ago after Adam’s father, Phil Howard, spotted a gap in the market.
Since joining the company in 2019, it’s safe to say that Adam has met his fair share of caravan owners.
In the last four years, he’s witnessed an increase in the number of people from the Gen Z population buying their own caravans.
Adam told Sun Online Travel: “We are seeing younger people, who can’t afford a house deposit, or a mortgage on a house, turning to caravans to get freedom from their parents.”
According to the caravan expert, Gen Z is buying and refurbing caravans, so they can live in them full-time.
It’s not just Adam’s anecdotes that have seen more Gen Z turning to caravans, data from Google Analytics, which Seals Direct shared with Sun Online Travel, showed an 8.56 per cent increase in the last four years in the number of 18-24-year-olds who are looking to refurbish caravans.
Adam explained how the change in behaviour has been driven by cost, with caravans proving to be more affordable than the property ladder.
Not only is Gen Z buying caravans and motorhomes as a permanent place to live, but they’re also using them to indulge in more UK breaks.
Adam added: “We have also seen an increase in the number of new owners within the caravanning space.
“Conversations with these people show that they are switching to more frequent caravan holidays within the UK (long weekend breaks) rather than longer two-week trips abroad.”
Not only are caravan holidays cheaper than some trips abroad, but they also require little planning – something the Gen Z generation is enjoying, according to Adam.
Adam said: “Caravans, vans, and other motorhomes give people more freedom. For example, you can park a caravan right on the beachfront.”
While the return of caravan holidays may be nostalgic for some Brit holidaymakers, Adam believes that the younger generations are making the staycation switch out of necessity.
Adam added: “Since COVID there has been an increased demand for going on holiday within the UK.
“We believe that this change in holidaying has been caused by concerns about going abroad and the cost of living crisis affecting a lot of families and restricting their disposable income.”
In the last few years, Adam has also started going on more and more caravan holidays with his wife and young daughter, aged 3.
Not only are the caravan holidays cheaper, but they’re more convenient too.
He added: “It’s about being able to drive yourself to the destination, and pack everything you need without having to worry about weight restrictions.”
Because of the many perks behind caravan holidays, it’s a trend that’s set to stay and could prove to be rather popular in 2024.
While Gen Z is starting to enjoy the nostalgic caravan holiday, the younger generation is shunning other travel trends.
A report by UK staycation company Sally’s Cottages found that younger Brits are more likely to pick bikes over booze, with outdoor activities seen as more important than getting drunk.
From a survey of 1,000 Brits, the answers threw up some surprising results, none more so than the fact that 18–24-year-olds are more than twice as likely to swap drinking staycations for outdoorsy holidays.
Meanwhile, youngsters are also a lot more likely to pick experiences further afield than typical boozy holidays.
And a new UK tour operator has promised to disrupt the all-inclusive market with new package holidays.