Max Schmidt, Head of CamperDays, the booking.com of campervans, says: “Just as Brits were ready to give up on having a proper summer and retire their flip flops and sun cream for the year in exchange for raincoats and jumpers, the sun has made an unexpected but very welcome return.
“It seems that Brits are certainly ready to make the most of the second round of summer sunshine by getting in those spontaneous, last-minute holidays. In fact, we’ve noticed that in July, last-minute bookings represented nearly a quarter (24 percent) of total camper trip bookings made in the UK. For last-minute bookings made in August, the percentage already represents 43 percent of all British bookings for the month.
“It’s not hard to see why last-minute bookings are up almost 20 percent following the return of the sun. A summer road trip with family or friends is a great option for those who want to enjoy time in the outdoors without going to great lengths preparing a full-on, back-to-basics camping itinerary. When travelling in a motorhome – fit with a working kitchen, fully functioning bathroom and proper bed – there is no need to dig out the Trangia or wrestle with flimsy tents.
“The recent lift on the wild camping ban in England following the Dartmoor appeal may also have contributed to a spike in last-minute bookings, with many users realising that there is once again opportunity to explore the wild from the comfort of a campervan.
“And it’s not just last-minute bookings that are on the rise. The sun has certainly encouraged Brits to plan for future holidays too, with booking data showing that the average total number of bookings in the last two weeks increased 21 percent vs in the previous four weeks.”
