For many Australians, lockdown has provided an opportunity to test out new skills, try new recipes, learn a new language, get creative with DIY project, or pick up a new hobby. With creative juices flowing and the desire for adventure on many Aussie’s minds, one of the latest trends sweeping the nation is van renovations. The caravan, camper van and motorhome hiring platform, Camplify has seen a whopping 100% increase in van renovations from owners between, January 2020 to March 2021. While in the month of June alone, it saw a huge 150% Year over Year growth of renovations in both, Australia and the UK.
For many months now, Australians have looked at their caravans, motorhomes or camper vans sitting in the driveway and have found inspiration to transform them into stylish and trendy homes on wheels while in lockdown, ready to hit the road once lockdowns lift. For others, lockdown has given them time to reflect and explore the opportunity to transform unused vehicles and begin building a side hustle from their passion for adventure.
In the month of January 2021, there were approximately 741,000 RV registrations within Australia. 51% of owners sold their RVs due to low utilisation or economic reasons. Many Australian RV owners are instead now jumping onto the renovation bandwagon and are sprucing up and bringing a new lease of life to under-used camper vans and caravans to hire them out on Camplify.
Meet The Aussie Lockdown Van Renovators:
Julia & Sam from Open Road Campervans in Brisbane have successfully built their very own business, Open Road Campervans in the last 12 months. Their true passion for van-life has seen them secure over 70 five-star reviews and over $100,000 in hire income. 28-year-old Thomas from Adelaide, in just three months, secured over $12,000 of bookings for his cruiser camper. It only took a few weeks to convert the 76 series cruiser as it already had most basic needs. However, Thomas added awnings, a rooftop tent, rear drawers, fold-out tables and a dual battery system.
Meanwhile, 22-year-old Marcus from Sydney, has spent his time during lockdown building an additional three vans to add to his camper van hire fleet. Young couple Sarah and Mason, from Melbourne, have also converted two of their new vans in the recent Victorian lockdowns. Both Marcus, Sarah and Mason are preparing their vans, as they know there will be huge demand from both, Sydneysiders and Melbournians booking and planning trips as soon as lockdowns ease.
“Whilst many Aussies are embracing local trips with Camplify in Western Australia, Tasmania, South Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland, our van owners in Victoria and New South Wales are ready to give locals a much needed escape as soon as it’s safe to travel… It’s fantastic to see so many Aussies bringing to life the magic of camping at home, and using this time to embark on a passion project that they will be able to both enjoy themselves and also reap the income benefits by sharing with others in the future”.
– Justin Hales, CEO of Camplify
Top Trademaster Products For Van Renovations:
If you are looking at jumping onto the van renovation trend yourself, here are some products that renovators have been raving about…
Melamine Faced Lightweight Plywood: This particular plywood is often used to make carcasses, cabinet doors, drawers, cabinets and even beds inside a camper van. The benefit with this plywood is that the colour is already on the ply, so there is no need to paint.
CDC Non Structural Plywood: The Trademaster CDC Smooth Face Plywood, features a lightweight poplar core. This particular plywood can be used again for the structure of van fit outs, carcasses and beds. The benefit behind this product is that it gives an authentic wooden ply look.
About Camplify:
Camplify is one of Australia’s leading peer-to-peer digital marketplace platforms, that connects the owners of RV’s such as caravans, camper-vans and motorhomes to hirers from around the country. A wide variety of caravans and campervans are available on Camplify to suit you and your needs, whether you are travelling with solo, with family or pets, looking for an easy set up, or looking to travel luxury.
Start planning that Aussie road trip you’ve always wanted to go on, as it won’t be too long until you and your travel companions can start loading your bags into the back of the van, to set out on your very own adventure! With over thousands of vans for endless adventures, there is one for every trip on Camplify. For more information, or to book your next adventure visit: www.camplify.com.au
