Families choosing to live, home-school and work in RVs amid pandemic
Families living in RVs, using them as mobile classrooms
By: Alicia Nieves
The RV industry has seen a significant increase in rentals and sales over the summer. One company, RVshare, reported more than a 1,000% increase in rentals.
Now, the trend seems to be moving beyond just a summer vacation alternative. Some are turning to it as a new way to home-school and work during this pandemic.
Some families are turning these RVs into their primary or secondary homes.
"I think it is difficult for families to be cooped up," said Julie Partridge.
Partridge was already considering making the switch to RV life before the pandemic, but after five months of social distancing and quarantining in her home, she decided to finally do it.
She sold the family home and hit the road to live, home-school her kids and work from an RV.
"Obviously our camper is much smaller than our house," said Partridge. "Substantially smaller, but you have this vast open world available to you. You feel less cooped up in this camper than you do in this 3,000 square foot house."
She also feels the move to full-time RV life this fall will also give her kids a unique educational opportunity.
"We really want to see the national parks," said Partridge. "I want my kids to do the park ranger program. I want to use that as their science and social studies curriculum from the road. So, we are really excited about those parts."
The Partridge family is just one of many either committing to or newly considering RV life in the fall, according to a survey done by the RV rental company RVshare.
"We have, from our survey, seen that over 30% of people are considering homeschooling from the road and over 40% of people are considering working from the road and that is something that is new to the industry," RVshare Jon Gray.
"You have school not opening on time, you have a lot of employers turning to work from anywhere models for the extended future and those things have made it to where RVs are appealing deep into the fall," said Gray.
The pandemic has changed so much in our lives. Many people are looking to get away from the uncertainty and continued concern with it. This seems to be one way for some to do that.
"It is saving us money, it is teaching them lessons, it has really been kind of refreshing," said Partridge.
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