The Growth and Evolution of Caravans in the UK
British holidaymakers have a great love affair with caravan holidays. The origin of caravans can be traced back to Charles Dickens who references them in The Old Curiosity Shop. Their popularity gained traction in the early 20th century with the birth of clubs like The Camping and Caravanning Club in 1901. When caravan mass production started in the 1920’s, caravans became more affordable and accessible than ever before. Caravanning is now mainstream with many adopting a nomadic lifestyle for a few days or weeks per year.
Caravans and motorhomes give holidaymakers the freedom to go where they want when they want. Nature lovers, young families and retirees drive around to explore the natural beauty of the UK and Europe in the comfort of their caravans, enjoying the off-the-grid living for periods of time.
UK Statistics on Caravans
The UK is the third biggest caravan enthusiasts in Europe according to the National Caravan Council (NCC) and the market leader in caravan manufacturing.
The latest NCC statistics say:
- There are over 555,000 touring caravans, 365,000 caravan holiday homes and 225,000 motorhomes in use in the UK.
- More than 2 million people take holidays in caravans and motorhomes every year.
- Nearly 65 million nights were spent camping and caravanning in Great Britain in 2018.
- 39% of UK adults took a caravan or camping holiday in the last three years.
The 2020 Covid-19 pandemic propelled the popularity of caravan holidays even more. With the foreign advice office warning against any overseas travel, 20% of Brits planned a Staycation holiday in a caravan according to Car Dealer Magazine. The National Caravan Club reports that caravan sales rose by 71% in July 2020. 37% of those were by people who had never owned a caravan before and 34% of those buyers were under 44.
The Office for National Statistics reported in June 2021 that the return to the shops with lockdown restrictions easing has given the UK economy a boost as people spent on clothes, cars, and caravans.
“Consumer spending on resorts and accommodation, which is reflective of the UK staycation market also continued to rise, as spend increased by 25.5% compared to the same period in 2019. Consumers over 50 led the growth in staycation spend with spend up 36.2% for this age group, a likely consequence of vaccine.”
(source: Barclays Consumer Spending Report)
Poor Mobile Signal In Caravans, Campsite, Holiday Parks And Local Roads
The appeal of some caravan parks is their remote and rural locations, typically in areas of natural beauty. The distance from mobile phone masts often leads to poor mobile connectivity whilst travelling to and at caravan sites and holiday parks.
Parkdean Resorts is one of the biggest holiday park operators in the UK with 67-holiday parks in locations across England, Scotland, and Wales. They make it abundantly clear on their website that a good phone signal is not guaranteed at all their parks.
In its Connected Nations 2019 report, Ofcom estimates that 4G data coverage from all four mobile operators is available inside vehicles on 62% of motorways and A-roads, and 46% of B-roads.
Whilst discerning caravanners might enjoy the peace and tranquility, others might find it distressing to not be able to stay in touch with friends and family when away or whilst travelling. Holidaymakers, particularly those with older children, understand how quickly a holiday can turn if their teens are unable to keep in touch with their friends or post their holiday snaps to social media.
Not many are aware that there is an Ofcom-compliant solution that will resolve mobile connectivity troubles in their caravans, or whilst they are travelling on the road.
CEL-FI GO M Vehicle Bundle for Caravans
The CEL-FI GO M Vehicle bundle is the ideal solution to boost mobile signal for cars, vans, caravans, and motorhomes. The CEL-FI GO M Vehicle bundle features two of the best-performing antennas in their footprint on the market. The CEL-FI Mag Mount donor antenna and intuitive CEL-FI Mobile server antenna dynamically adjust
gain whilst on the road. The weather-resistant IP68 plastic casings are built to securely attach to cars, vans, caravans and motorhomes.
The CEL-FI GO M uses Nextivity’s award-winning, network-safe technology to automatically adapt to the moving environment and boost 3G and 4G for voice and data. The CEL-FI GO M is the first carrier-class IP65 weather resistant mobile coverage solution. The rugged design combined with a thin film coating across the entire PCB assembly enables the device to withstand harsh conditions including dust and water exposure.
The CEL-FI GO M Vehicle bundle is great value for money, easy to deploy by an installer and can be optimized and monitored by the CEL-FI WAVE Platform. Click here to resolve your caravan signal woes and buy a CEL-FI GO M in-vehicle bundle today!
A version of this article was originally published by Frequency Telecom.
