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Why Do Celebrities Love Caravanning?

The traditional perception of caravanning is that it’s the domain of Mr and Mrs Boring, bumbling along on their annual getaway to the Keswick Pencil Museum. However that perception seems to be changing. The Caravan Club currently has 1.7 million members and each year it sees a 40% rise in advance bookings. No longer are caravans the sole pastime of pensioners and eccentrics – young people and families can now see the attraction, and so, it seems, can celebrities.

Being in the public eye at all times must surely be draining, hence why a number of celebrities are drawn to caravanning. It offers the opportunity to get some peace and quiet, the chance to be on the move away from all the hype, as well as the ability to stay one step ahead of the paparazzi…

Here’s a list of some high-profile caravanners and the reasons why they find caravanning so attractive.

 

Katherine Jenkins

Katherine Jenkins

She’s got the looks, the voice, and the charisma to match, however the Welsh classical singer has said that she feels most content when she’s away from it all. One of her happiest moments was when she was with her mum, dad and sister in their little touring caravan in France playing card games for pistachio nuts!

 

Jarvis Cocker

Jarvis Cocker

Jarvis is the English singer-songwriter best known as the frontman of the alternative rock band Pulp. It seems his vehicle tastes are correspondingly alternative as he is often spotted on the King’s Road in London driving his Toyota mobile home.

 

Tara Palmer Tomkinsin

Tara Palmer-Tomkinson

Tara is no stranger to the outdoors being perhaps most famous for her infamous appearance on I’m A Celebrity in 2002. She came in second place and went on the following year to open the Caravan and Leisure Show at Earl’s Court. She always likes to keep up to date with the latest caravanning models on the market and currently owns a cute little custom-made caravan, which she hopes to be making the most of this summer.

 

Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Martin, Jay Z and Beyoncé

Two years ago it was reported that Gwyneth Paltrow and her husband Chris Martin had organised a caravanning trip with Jay Z and Beyoncé along the coast of Florida. Although this was intended as a quiet getaway, in order to give Jay Z and Chris Martin some quality down time after their whirlwind tours, they travelled in a huge luxury Winnebago.

 

CHeryl Baker

Cheryl Baker 

The Bucks Fizz singer who won the Eurovision Song contest in 1981 is no stranger to the limelight, however it’s been said that she likes nothing better than to hitch a caravan to the back of her Austin Allegro and drive down to Cornwall for the summer.

 

Rowland Rivron

Rowland Rivron

Roland is the television host of a number of travel shows, however it wasn’t until he was aged 42

that he began taking an interest in caravanning. He has been quoted as saying, ‘I’ve no idea who it was that said ‘all good things come to those that wait’ but with me and ‘vanning’ they couldn’t have been more on the money.” Rowland is featured in the image to the left driving away with his brand new Bailey Ranger.

Jamie Oliver

Jamie Oliver

Jamie is well known for his down-to-earth, no-nonsense, cooking style, and it seems this rustic spirit rolls over into his choice of transport. He currently drives a converted 1959 Porsche-powered VW Spiltscreen Camper when moving between locations for his TV series. It is, of course, complete with a cutting-edge kitchen and stylish interior.

 

Patsy Palmer

Patsy Palmer

The EastEnders veteran is a frequent caravan user and takes regular trips to Sheerness on the Island of Sheppey in Kent with her family. Although she says she prefers her luxurious holidays she continues to caravan because of her children. She says, ‘If you get a good campsite, then it’s just heaven for them.’

Patsy has also come up with an innovative way to ensure she catches the sun no matter where she travels with what she calls the ‘Tanvan’. This is a caravan which has been fitted out as a mobile tanning shop! She takes it along to summer music festivals and offers fake tans along with her range of tanning products for the fairer skinned.

Gary Numan

Gary Numan

The new wave post-punk singer Gary Numan has strong ties to the caravan, and in fact liked them long before they were considered ‘cool’. He used to holiday at Weymouth with his parents when he was a boy.

After his initial success with Tubeway Army at the end of the 1970s he went out and rented one of the big caravans on the site, thinking he was really ‘lording it up.’ Gary likes to put on a show for sure, but it seems his heart is where the home is.

 

For those people who want to live the celebrity lifestyle whilst enjoying the great outdoors, Glamping.com offer various quiet getaways all over the world. Gwyneth and Tara would no doubt feel right at home staying at the Silver Bullet Retreats in Florida, taking a Combitrip around Chile, or driving a 69 Camper across the South of France – all enviable trips where rusticity meets vintage style and luxury. There are numerous classy outdoor trip options on offer, not all of which are confined to caravanning: whether you decide to stay in a tent, yurt, airstream, hut, villa or treehouse, you’ll experience the pleasures of the countryside furnished with all the amenities associated with a hotel.

 

 

 

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How Millennials Relate to Adventure and The Outdoors

As a Millennial, one of roughly 80 million Americans born between the early 1980’s and the early 2000’s, I know that understanding my diverse generation can be challenging.

While ample research and media coverage has focused on our addictions to cell phones, laptops and social media, more could be understood about how Millennials relate to adventure and the great outdoors.

For insight into this topic, let’s look at the shifting marketing practices of outdoor retailers — those responsible for “selling” nature.

Speaking at an Outdoor Industry Association trade event, Jill Levinsohn, who lead a research project on the future of outdoor retail conducted by design and innovation firm, IDEO, found that “many young people view the outdoors as something that starts at their front door, is part of everyday life and is best experienced with friends and family.” Levinsohn added that to reach Millennials, retailers must “think of it as going from ‘Outdoorsy’ to ‘Outsidesy.’

If you look at the marketing messages of outdoor and adventure retailers, you may notice a shift away from high-octane images, like a solo kayaker traversing a waterfall, to images of groups experiencing a picture-perfect nature scene in a more leisurely fashion. This is the idea of adventure and the outdoors that Millennials are drawn to. Here’s why:

1

Millennials want to be together

 Millennials are highly social creatures who, according to research conducted by HVS, a travel and hospitality consulting firm, “are more likely [than any other group] to travel socially with friends and family.” HVS also notes that more than any other generation, Millennials will travel to pursue their personal and shared group interests, such as food, entertainment, shopping and outdoor activities.

2

Millennials want unique and special experiences (that they can share online)

There’s an old Millennial saying, “If you hike to the top of a beautiful mountain and don’t take a selfie, did it really even happen?” Alright, I’ll admit I made that up, but nonetheless, it holds truth.

According to a survey conducted by Chase Card Services, “Three in four Millennial travelers post to social networks at least once a day while traveling.” HVS add that when it comes to accommodations, Millennials search for “something extra” and the “cool factor,” as “they do not wish to Instagram a photo of a boring room to share that with their friends.”

3

Millennials want the finer things 

Millennials don’t like being too far from creature comforts. Leading travel and hospitality public relations firm, Turner PR, says, “Millennials are adventure seekers. [They] want to be immersed in the local culture while still maintaining the conveniences of home while on the road.”

Findings from the Chase Card Services also note that “Millennials are a tech savvy generation that values social connections, convenience and opportunities to indulge in luxuries.” The survey also found that more than any other group, Millennials are willing to indulge in luxury services while traveling.

What does this mean for Millennials and the outdoors?

When it comes to adventure and the outdoors, Millennials appear to natural born glampers. Here’s why:

  • Millennials want to be together – Like camping, glamping (glamorous camping) is an activity made better with the addition of friends or a significant other.  Simply put, sitting around a campfire alone is no fun.
  • Millennials want unique and special experiences (that they can share online) – With friends in tow, Millennials crave unique experiences that reflect who they are. Glamping experiences like sleeping in a safari tent on the beach in Fiji at Maquai Beach Surf Resort or in a treehouse in Costa Rica at Finca Bella Vista certainly fit the bill. Plus, glamping is guaranteed to produce a social media worthy photo.
  • Millennials want the finer things – The word ‘glamping’ can be misleading. It just sounds expensive. While you can indulge in splurge-worthy $1,000 per night accommodations, there are plenty of affordable ways to glamp that provide luxuries far beyond a tent with a sleeping bag on the ground — like staying in a cabin at Dale Farm Holidays in the United Kingdom, a yurt in Canada at Wya Point Resort, or an Airstream trailer at Santa Barbara Auto Camp in California.

Speaking from experience, I know that Millennials enjoy the great outdoors in different ways. No matter whether you like to get dirty or prefer a more refined experience, as long as you get outside and put down your cell phone (fine, just a few photos for Facebook) you’ll be on the right track.

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Getting off the tourist track: Why glamping is trending now

If you came across a gorgeous tipi camp perched by the seaside, would you broadcast your vacation find to the masses? Unlikely. Same goes for a collection of geodesic domes outfitted with crackling fires and Eames furniture. When accommodation is that awe-inspiring, we’re reluctant to share (until we want our friends to join us and the word gets out).

Glamping has been around awhile. I’d like to think cavewomen started the trend when they outfitted their plots with comfortable pelts and artifacts. Yet, ten years ago, glamping was still an indie getaway. In fact, it wasn’t even called glamping. Early adopters simply said they were “going on a chic camping excursion.” Nobody asked questions because “chic” and “camping” were rarely used in the same sentence.

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Fast forward to 2014 and you’d be hard-pressed to find an in-the-know traveler who a) doesn’t know about glamping, or b) hasn’t tasted the upscale tent-life themselves.

Ever since posh pioneers and word-of-mouth built the bones of the business, I trace glamping’s indie-to-mainstream move to A-list influencers. Take Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves. When they tied the knot in an epic three-day celebration in 2012, their wedding guests were treated to one of 47 air-conditioned, Hollywood-worthy tents erected at their Austin, Texas estate. And let’s not forget when now-divorced Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds got hitched at Clayoquot Wilderness Resort, a woodsy hideaway in British Columbia’s coastal rainforest. Located so far off the beaten path, the paparazzi didn’t even get wind of the star-studded glamping affair until after it happened.

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Social media and our constant need for connectivity is another glamping influencer. With no escape from nonstop notifications, travelers are heading back to basecamp-style basics in search of a simpler time and some R and R. Think of it like a smartphone sabbatical. Ironically, glamping has grown in popularity due to the internet. Now the uber-connected are retreating into its out-of-the-way clutches to actually get away from it all.

For celebrated travel writer, glamper and safari enthusiast Mark Sissons, “glamping is all about enjoying the best of both worlds—a pristine wilderness experience coupled with all of the comforts of home, and then some. It’s getting back to nature without roughing it in the bush.” Think of it this way: Time-pressed, urbanites still yearn for the great wide open without the hassle of towing a U-Haul stacked with gear. With haute couture tenting, it’s all there.

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Finally, like a pair of worn Levi’s, glamping is cool. But don’t take our word for it, ask Oscar-winner and glamping guy Matthew McConaughey. Or, check out why Mashable, one of the internet’s most popular news outfits, just waxed on about “11 essentials for the glampground.”

Glamping: Trend of travel mainstay? You decide.