RVshare Celebrates 10th Anniversary
Turning the Big 1-0
RVshare, the largest online community for RV renters and owners, celebrates its 10th Anniversary, marking a decade of innovation, expanded access, and millions of trips for happy RV campers within the outdoor travel space. As the world’s first peer-to-peer marketplace for RVs, RVshare has revolutionized RV travel, empowering RV owners to become entrepreneurs, broadening the industry, and introducing new travelers across generations to RVing.
Looking Back: 10 Years of Exponential Growth
Similar to many tech start-ups, RVshare was born in a founder’s basement, launching its first landing page in June 2013 and a website in August 2013. In 2018, RVshare brought on Jon Gray, the former chief revenue officer of Vrbo (formally HomeAway), as its new CEO to build out the executive suite and scale product and marketing capabilities for the brand. Within Jon’s first month leading RVshare, he secured a $50 million commitment from Austin-based investment firm Tritium Partners, setting the tone for the company’s explosive next chapter. Over the past few years, RVshare has experienced unprecedented growth, raising $100+ million in Growth Capital from private equity giant, KKR, and 10x in the past five years.
Now, with over 100,000 listings across the United States, RVshare offers a diverse selection of vehicles, ranging from luxury motorhomes to cozy camper vans, available in all 50 states. The ever-growing community includes 60,000 RV owners who are sharing their passion for outdoor travel and RVs with generations of RV and adventure-loving communities. The peer-to-peer platform has seen over 4 million nights booked and 203 million miles traveled by RVshare renters.
“Since 2020, the trajectory of RVshare has been like a rocket ship. We watched bookings stall in March 2020 and then jump – growing our business exponentially in the months following,” shared Jon Gray, CEO, RVshare. “The pandemic sped up the RV rental industry by 5 years in the span of 12 months, and the demand for RV travel has remained high since. We have seen a fundamental shift around the industry – it is no longer just your parents’ retirement plan but a way for families to visit Disney World or young couples to work remotely from a National Park.”
The RV Boom
Following the initial periods of upheaval and unpredictability in the travel space brought on by the pandemic, RVshare turned to travelers at the beginning of this year to hear from Americans directly on their travel plans. RVshare’s 2023 Travel Trend Report compiled that data, revealing that nearly all Americans (99%) were planning leisure travel in 2023. The influence of RVshare’s growth is undeniable, as the company found that of all Americans planning leisure travel in 2023, 61% planned to take a road trip or vacation in an RV this year. As remote work flexibility continues to evolve into a more permanent lifestyle for many, travelers continue to make outdoor adventure part of their lives. RV interest continues to rise too, with 62% of travelers reporting that they are likely to consider renting an RV for a trip in the future, a 9% jump from 2022. Not to mention, the undeniable lift in popularity across demographics, as RV enthusiasts of all ages continue to travel. In 2023, millennials make up the most interested age group in RVing, followed by Gen X and Gen Z.
To learn more about RVshare’s 10 years in the industry, check out RVshare’s new edition of The Road Ahead.
