DUBLIN, Calif. (KRON) – Summer is unofficially here and planning a vacation is going to look a little different during this pandemic.
As families want to make memories, RV rentals are becoming very popular.
One company already saw a 1000-percent increase in bookings.
A big change from in mid-March when Recreational Vehicles rentals came to a grinding halt for El Monte RV Rentals in Dublin.
It stayed running because of rentals to essential workers but in the last two to three weeks, RV travel is on the rise as people consider their summer plans.
“There has been a massive uptick in demand from customers who want to buy and rent RV’s,” Gordon Hewston said.
Gordon Hewston, the VP of El Monte RV tells KRON4 30-percent of the rentals now are for first time users.
To him showing, peoples plans now include hitting the road versus flying in the sky, while most trips are close to home.
People are also traveling up and down the West Coast, even across the cross country.
“People are tired and frustrated with staying at home and ready to go do something different,” Hewston said.
RVShare.com, which is the RV rental company like Airbnb is for homes, reached recorded breaking numbers in company history with bookings up more than 1000-percent since early April.
The draw to an RV, families are considering how to minimize their risk of exposure to the virus, and overall safety.
At El Monte, cleaning the motor homes is how they make happy campers, during COVID-19.
“Soon as unit comes on lot we disinfect it and then we clean it thoroughly and we are finished with it we disinfect it again lot of sanitizing which we didn’t do as much of that as before,” Hewston said.
Another draw to RV’s right now, gas prices are low.
Other Bay Area RV rental companies say they expect booking to increase even more when National Parks and campgrounds reopen.
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