The magic of the road trip is back, according to new data from the United States recreational vehicle (RV) industry, showing the appeal of RV holidays has grown by almost a third in 2025. The latest RV Industry Association’s Holiday Travel Intention Survey, carried out by Cairn Consulting, shows 28 million Americans are planning RV trips between four and seven hours from home this winter – a year-on-year increase of 33%.
Seven million Americans are planning to go RVing over the Christmas period, the research shows, while nearly 4-in-10 leisure travellers (39%) plan to take an RV trip in the coming year, described as “a significant increase” compared to 2024’s survey, and the Association says, meaning RVing ranks among the top leisure travel choices.
In addition, over 40% of RV owners will be using their RV to stay in, or for family and friends to stay in during visits, effectively turning their RV into a mobile guest suite. And as well as family and friends, fur babies also get to experience the thrill of the open road, the survey indicates, with 67% of RVers planning to bring their pets along on winter RV trips, making RVing “the most pet-friendly travel mode this season,” the Association says.
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After the uncertainty of air travel during COVID-19 and the staff shortages, delays, and cancellations that have characterised the post-pandemic period of recovery, Monika Geraci, RV Industry Association spokesperson, said RVs help to reduce the unpredictability and overwhelm associated with the season’s travel.
“Whether you’re parked at the base of a ski slope in Colorado, visiting family along the coast, or chasing sunshine with your pets in tow, RVing delivers the comfort of home and the freedom to roam without the cancellations, delays, or stress that often come with other forms of travel, Geraci said, noting: “Twenty-eight million Americans know that just because it’s winter doesn’t mean you have to hang up your keys.”
RV owners are getting younger. 🚐
— RV Industry Assoc. (@RV_Industry) April 1, 2025
According to the latest @GoRVing special report, 62% of RV owners are 35 to 44 years old and 38% are 18 to 34 years old.
Interested in reading the full report? Visit 👉 https://t.co/2hRKYWSanE#NumbersToKnow #RVIndustryAssociation #RV #Travel pic.twitter.com/Y62Bf5vbSO
The popularity of RVs is being propelled, the Association claims, by planned purchases in 2026 by the “younger” Millennial (32%) and Gen Z (35%) generations (though perhaps the sector has forgotten that the oldest Millennials are now nearly halfway through their forties). Overall purchase interest remains “steady,” the figures show, at 26%. Prospective purchasers see RVs as “a tech-friendly, flexible, and affordable way to explore,” the press release said.
Perhaps thanks to that affordability, 70% of RVers will plan three or more trips in the next year, spending roughly $1,500 (around €1,290) per trip, which the Association says will “generate millions of dollars into local economies nationwide.”
