With the ongoing issues facing worldwide air travel these days, it can be tempting to forego a vacation that involves flying somewhere in favour of staying a little closer to home.

Before COVID, RV rentals at CanaDream, Canada’s leading RV rental company, were about 80% international travellers, primarily from Europe. With borders closed during the pandemic, those numbers obviously dropped and the fleet number adjusted as domestic demand increased from travellers who were looking for a safe option to still vacation.

Now with borders open again, the influx of international vistors has returned, and the demand among domestic travellers has also continued. So much so, that last week, the company announced the timing of new fleet deliveries just as additional units are needed for peak summer.

“Now that the international markets are open and the world has opened again, people want to travel,” Klaus Gretzmacher, VP Tourism tells TravelPulse Canada. “All of a sudden, demand was outstripping supply and we are very pleased to be receiving our new fleet.

Unfortunately, as borders opened, a lot of industry partners have had a hard time keeping up with the really high demand, especially the airlines and the airports. So while there are hiccups in that area, we have been happy to service the higher volumes of pick-ups thanks to efficiency improvements and system developments that benefit our guests."

With rising gas prices, one could naturally think there would be some effect on bookings, but Gretzmacher says the company hasn’t seen any.

“It has not affected our bookings, especially amongst the European travellers who were already paying closer to our current gas prices. Domestically, it affects the traveller more, however when you factor in the cost of the average trip with us for a family of 4, it’s still less than paying for flights, hotels and such.”

“What we are seeing is that our domestic bookings travel less distance, they put less kilometers on the vehicle and spend much more time in one location.”

CanaDream offers a wide range of options from smaller mini-van style campers for 2 people, to its largest which sleeps 7. All are new, modern, and constantly updated or rotated to ensure each one is of the highest quality. Prices fluctuate based on model and time of year and all come with a variety of options such as dishes/linen included, pet friendly units and perks such as discounts on attractions and parks via the CanaDream Club. There’s a gas discount available at participating gas stations via the JournieRewards © app, which when combined with a partnership with CIBC, can offer up to a savings of 12 cents/litre.

The company works with many travel agents such as TDC, CAA Travel, The Travel Agent Next Door and many independent agencies, making CanaDream bookings commissionable for agents. It's a a good option for travellers hesitant to book vacations involving flights right now.

“I don’t like to say we rent motorhomes, because what we’re really doing is providing the Canadian experience. When you look at the website, you see all these different destinations and all these itineraries we have. We’re highlighting all that Canada has to offer when you travel by RV.”