RVs: Recession Victims?

With the dollar playing scrappy underdog to the euro, the airline industry in disarray and some Americans staying close to home for their vacations this year, you might think that your local recreational vehicle dealer would be in better shape than many of his colleagues in the travel business. After all, as Slate’s Daniel Gross writes, “RVs are cheaper than a vacation home, help travelers save on hotels, and appeal to those who prefer leisure and economy over speed and glitz.”

Instead, as Gross explains in this Moneybox column, the recreational vehicle industry is taking a serious hit: “For 2008, the industry expects that, thanks to a combination of higher gas prices, a slowing economy, and a reluctance to extend credit—essentially the same factors that are hurting sales of everything from homes to appliances—sales will fall to 305,000, a 30 percent decline from 2006.”

Is this yet another nail in the coffin of the great American road trip? Or could it be good news for those of us who want to hit the highways and keep the tradition alive—preferably without a giant Winnebago blocking our view?

Photo by batsignal via Flickr (Creative Commons)

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