RV Caravan Tours:
Press Releases
Your Road Trip to Outdoor Adventure TM

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE ON THIS DRIVING TOUR OF OREGON

RV Caravan Tours gives active folks a chance to experience nature hands-on. Bring your hiking boots and your adventurous spirit, because you won't be hanging around the campsite watching TV. All tours are one- and two-week regional loop trips; the first tour is a 15-day "Discover Oregon Tour." This best of Oregon and the redwoods tour includes events such as a sternwheeler cruise, aquarium visit, several unique museums, a world-famous Shakespeare festival, a naturalist-led underground cave tour, and a ranger-led boat cruise on a lake inside a volcano, plus more.

There's hiking almost everyday: an old growth forest, a coastal rain forest, a mile of the Oregon Trail, on a beach, to an ocean bluff, and among the towering redwoods, for example. Other explorations include a wilderness alpine lake, up to 19 waterfalls, and a small town with great theatre, art galleries, restaurants, and shops. Most hikes are easy to moderate. Driving is every other day, with free time for relaxed exploration on non-driving days.

The rustic luxury of this tour appeals to people who want to get close to nature, but who understand that the heart of nature doesn't contain hotels. Tours are designed for participants who will fly-in and rent an RV, although people who already own an RV will save money by driving their own. A community campfire and charcoal grill will be provided nightly. Don't delay; sign up is limited.
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MERGING TRAVEL TRENDS AHEAD

Two hot travel trends are heading for a collision course, with a tour operator from Oregon poised to lead the way. "People are looking for outdoor fun and adventure. They don't want to be stuck in hotel rooms far away from nature, they want to be in the middle of the action, and they want to smell the pine needles and see the stars," says Teri Barton of RV Caravan Tours.

One trend concerns those over-achieving baby boomers who want to play as hard as they work. They're not content with sitting on a tour bus watching the scenery go by; they want to experience a place and the people who live there. No whirlwind "See Europe in a week" trip for them; they want to slow it down, see an area from all angles, exploring each region one at a time.

USA Today featured this trend, called multisport vacations, in a 2001 article. Tour companies offering trips that include two or more sports, such as hiking, swimming, fishing, and kayaking, are among the leaders capitalizing on this trend. "Tour members are encouraged to bring their trekking poles and fishing poles on our 'Discover Oregon' tour. On this best of Oregon and the redwoods offering, we have the best spots all picked out and we shuttle folks to the hiking trailheads," Barton said. "We also take care of the advance reservations and fees for the usual activities that visitors enjoy in Oregon, like the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, Columbia River Gorge waterfalls and sternwheeler cruise, and the Shakespeare Festival, for example. Plus we know how to participate in these high-demand activities in the summer season while avoiding the crowds."

The other travel trend is one that people usually associate with retirees, but the numbers may surprise you. The University of Michigan Survey Research Center has determined that more than 45 % of current RV owners are between the ages of 35 and 54, compared to 40 % aged 55 and older, which is the traditional core market of empty nesters. From these statistics, RV Life magazine projects that the number of RV-owning households will rise from the current 8.6 million to 10.4 million in the year 2010. That's a gain of 21 %, outpacing overall US household growth of 15 %. "These days lots of active people are thinking about buying an RV, but they're not sure if they fit the RV lifestyle. Most of our one- and two-week regional tours are loop-trips; designed so people can fly in and rent an RV and take our tour during their annual summer vacation," says Barton.

Another benefit that this combination of travel trends offers is community with privacy. You have the community of a small group of like-minded active fellow tour members, while at the same time you have the privacy of your own RV. Barton says, "On our tours, we provide a community campfire and charcoal grill every night. We love it when people from other countries take our tours; it really gives the evenings an international glow. Also, we provide 2-way radios for each vehicle, allowing us to communicate while on the road. I can give historical and local narrative about the areas we are driving through without stopping the vehicles. All in all, RV travel with the multisport and wilderness experience is a really great combination."

We think you'll be hearing more about this RV Travel / Adventure Travel genre that we are introducing. Tell them you saw it here first!