How to become a caravan influencer

Thanks to the rise of video platforms like YouTube and the availability of cheap vlogging gear, the past few years has seen an exponential rise in the number of online caravan content creators.

It's got to the point where it feels like every family caravanner and their dog are showcasing their road trip highs and lows, for anyone keen to click on and go along for the ride....

But the questions remain: how easy really is it to turn RV touring into a full-time job, and how do you get a manufacturer to lend you a brand new 'van to cruise around Australia if you're not already a well-known celebrity?

For Jayco's newest 'vanbassadors', it's been a five year slog of DIY and travel filming and editing, to build an online audience big enough for Jayco to come knocking with an offer too good to refuse.

The young couple quit their jobs in 2020 and after selling most of their belongings, moved into a self-converted Toyota LandCruiser Troopcarrier to explore Australia full-time.

What started as a dream lap of the country evolved into careers as 'full-time van lifers' with enough social media followers (120,000-plus) and associated income generation to keep them out of the 9-5 rat-race since.

No strangers to confined mobile living, the young couple have renovated two vintage caravans, before recently picking up a latest 50th Anniversary Jayco Discovery 21.66-3 Outback couple's caravan.

As well as posting regular updates on their own channels, Megan said the 12-month brand ambassador deal includes "helping out with (Jayco) marketing and photography for their socials as well as their website".

"I think (the aim is to) encourage more younger couples to get out and explore, so (promote) the younger side of jumping in a caravan and travelling around Australia," she explained.

As well as the standard slide-out bed, lounge, kitchen and ensuite, the $100K-plus Discovery off-roader is optioned up with a 400Ah lithium battery system including a 3000W inverter, plus there's a Starlink set-up so the couple can work online wherever they pull up.

The 'van will also serve as a 'test-bed' for some of the latest Jayco features including airbag suspension, and is currently sitting at around three tonnes behind the couple's 70 Series LandCruiser ute.

"Because we're doing so much travelling we can really put all the gear through the test," Jack explained.

The intrepid pair is promising to report on both the good and not so good aspects of luxury caravan touring.

"We want to be honest and talk about any hiccups along the way, and be as natural as possible," he said.

With a big online reach across a number of social media channels, the couple now earns decent on-the-road money, thanks to up to "10 different streams of income" including brand photography, sponsored posts, YouTube Adsense dollars, Instagram collaborations and sales of digital travel guides and cookbooks they've written.

It's not all Happy Hour cocktails and killer sunsets though, with the pair claiming they put in 80 hour weeks to keep their full-time travel creator dream gigs going.

"Basically your brain is always on because if we stop we don't make money," Jack said.

"But we love it because we're so much happier when we're out in nature, it's just the way we are," Megan continued.

Since hitching up the Jayco she says they "haven't stopped smiling because we travelled Australia for four years in a Troopcarrier, living out of the tiniest place you could ever imagine and coming into this now, is just 'Oh my goodness!".

The big Jayco 'van won't slow them down either, as their tow vehicle carries enough camping equipment for them to unhitch and head off into more remote, caravan-unfriendly locations whenever they desire.

So what are their tips for aspiring caravan influencers?

"Just sort of find what you enjoy and just run with that because you know if you're doing it to earn an income you're gonna have a tough couple of years while you're first starting off," Megan said.

"You need to make sure you actually love what you're doing and finding out what you love... With Jack that was blogging and for me it was more the photography and the editing.

"Our original plan was to do a 12 month lap and then I just started to find myself thinking this is what I wanna do full-time," Jack explained.

The couple has hit rock bottom and was at "zero dollars at one stage", and managed to learn all the skills required along the way, from caravan renovating to video editing.

"When we started I didn't even even know what a drop saw was, so lots of trial and error," he said.

Unlike Jack and Megan, Craig and Miranda had no caravanning experience before they were recently picked by New Age Caravans as the Melbourne manufacturer's second official ambassador.

Like the younger couple, they were approached by the company (not the other way around), and appear genuinely surprised to be handed the keys to a 'free' caravan for a year to play around with...

While attracting a much smaller online following than the newest Jayco ambassadors, and not planning to travel full-time in the 'van, the WA couple and their two children do come across as a very marketable 'family next door' trying to squeeze some great outdoors' experiences into a busy schedule.

Their laid-back, conversational videos cover a range of topics, from house renovations to Outback adventures in their own MDC Robson XTT camper trailer.

A New Age Caravans spokesperson said the family were chosen to represent the JB Group-owned Melbourne RV builder due to their on-screen charm, extensive camping experience and itchy feet.

"They are really nice and genuine people. Once people see their content, they will warm to them," the spokesperson said.

The freshly-built 19ft Road Owl Expedition off-road bunk 'van is loaded up with features including Cruisemaster XT airbag suspension, 48V EcoFlow 5Kwh lithium battery system, an OGO composting toilet and Wi-Ti security, while it also gets New Age's latest aluminium frame construction.

The first-time caravanners admit they have a lot to learn, with all of their camping experience up until now under canvas, in either a camper trailer or tent.

“I never saw ourselves as caravanners… It’s pretty overwhelming, there's a lot included (in the 'van)," the couple remark on their 'Roamin in the Robbo' YouTube channel.

"A washing machine is something I never thought I’d have while travelling… We’ve never had a TV before (either)," they say.

“We used to refer to the Robbo Mk1 as the Taj Mahal… (but) now we’ve got this thing, which has storage for days. We always struggled with storage (in the camper trailer)."

The couple admit there are "pros and cons to both (caravans and camper trailers)… one’s not better than the other, everything is a trade off".

Miranda said “it’s going to be nice not having the wind gusting the sheet against your wet body in the cold," referring to the stark difference between showering in a fibreglass cubicle and a flimsy vinyl pop-up.

However, there are also early signs of 'buyer regret', with some concerns about how the 'van will hold up without a dust reduction unit fitted, when they head off on a dusty Outback holiday later this year.

While they plan to pack in a few trips in the $100K-plus caravan over the next 12 months, they said they're under no obligation to sugar-coat the experience, as New Age is seeking their “honest feedback" and wants them to retain their “authenticity".

“It always feels a bit funny taking something for free, as you have to give something back," Craig said.

"At the end of the day we are under no obligation to pull any punches. We are going to be honest and open and transparent. If things break we are going to talk about it, if there are things we don’t like we are going to talk about it."

“We don’t want to become salespeople for New Age, and that’s not what they were looking for,” he continued.

“We have 12 months to try it, test it out, put it through its paces and see what it’s capable of."

The WA couple said they never intended on making a living from Youtube videos when they started 'Roamin in the Robbo', but said the New Age offer was an “opportunity we couldn’t pass up”.

“It was just to have the videos and connect with some really awesome people, which we’ve done… (But) after thinking about it, when these opportunities arise which is probably not that often, let’s see where the journey takes us…"

They also admitted they were starting to out-grow the family tent trailer, with their son and daughter no longer willing to share a bed, while there's now room for a friend with the New Age 'van boasting triple bunks.

The couple's 200 Series LandCruiser should also be a good match for the 3500kg ATM 'van, with some handy safety features fitted to help keep the caravan newbies out of trouble, including hands-free electronic trailer sway control and a fully articulating off-road coupling.

"It’s the biggest thing I’ve ever towed, off the showroom floor it's just over three tonnes, so once this is fully loaded we will be at our max," Craig admitted. "We probably could have reduced some weight in the build process. Do we need a washing machine? Probably not.”

So far, they appear to be living up to the 'no BS' promise, calling out at the end of the 'Big Reveal' video for suggestions on “must have” caravanning items “because we have no clue!”

And in case you were wondering, the lengthy 36min launch video clocked up 4400 views and 94 comments in two days, with New Age Caravans saying it's already seen an uplift in the number of visitors to its website.

Meanwhile, another big-selling caravan manufacturer, Snowy River, is currently advertising for brand ambassadors on its website, for those keen to throw their hat in the ring -- having already handed out four complimentary caravans, including to MasterChef Australia contestant Rhiannon Anderson.