VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The coronavirus is forcing many families to rethink their summer vacation. Fewer may be taking to the skies or boarding a cruise out of concern of virus spread.
"You have power, water, cold food; you can warm up food in your microwave, stove or even cook in your own oven," said Jeremy Snyder with Snyder's RV in Virginia Beach.
For the past two weeks, most recreational vehicles on the lot at Synder's only stay parked for about 48 hours.
"The phone started ringing off the hook when the governor said its okay to go to campgrounds and beaches," said Snyder. "We have seen a huge uptick in lot traffic, phone and web traffic."
The pandemic has families looking for a new way to travel, and the allure of what is basically a self-contained plush hotel room on wheels is bringing out first-time customers.
"You are with your family, and you can wake up in Virginia Beach and then go to bed in the Blue Ridge mountains or the Outer Banks," he said.
It is a way to hit the open road while staying safe.
"The RV lifestyle is social distancing at its finest," said Snyder.
The freedom on wheels is hard to keep in stock at this lot. Snyder says they are the busiest they've been since 2008.
"We have sold seven RVs in the last 10 days, where we would normally sell 15 a month," he said.
While the increase in sales is good, Snyder says they can't get more in stock quick enough.
"The factories have been shut down for months; they are slowly starting to produce more," he said. "It's really the hot product right now."
