Jayco promotes work and play travel

The COVID pandemic has contributed to the creation of a new type of RV buyer: one who likes to mix business with pleasure, resulting in the rise of 'coffee caravans' and other forms of revenue-raising RV modifications, not to mention peer-to-peer renting.

Local dealers and manufacturers have been tapping into this so-called ‘B-Leisure’ trend which has seen a rise in creative van customisations that provide new and younger buyers with the opportunity to make a living while on the road.

Josh Carnavas, the Managing Director of Queensland Jayco dealer Brisbane Camperland, said the appeal of being off-grid and fully self-sustainable, both physically and financially, reached a peak during the pandemic as many RV travellers looked at income-generating modifications for their vans.

“We’ve certainly seen an increase in customers looking to mix business and leisure, whether it’s working remotely from a laptop or creating a portable face-to-face business model,” he said.

“One indicator of this, is the significant increase in customers opting for lithium power and moving away from gas or electricity requirements which support them in running their business from literally anywhere, but without losing any of the creature comforts."

At this year's Queensland Caravan Supershow, Brisbane Camperland displayed a Jayco CrossTrak 'coffee camper' converted by Queensland outfit Espresso 79, which specialises in turn-key, off-grid fit-outs of 4WD utes that include canopies, big lithium battery systems and 'coffee bar' set-ups complete with plumbed espresso machines and grinders.

"Because of the sort of customers we were seeing (during the pandemic) we saw the opportunity to build something to show people what potentially they could do to earn an income while still exploring the country, because not everyone can be a digital worker in IT or customer service," Carnavas said.

The modified Jayco CrossTrak hybrid camper was fitted with a Safiery 48V lithium battery system as part of Espresso79's off-grid pack option.

"The beauty of the full off-grid system is that it will run the coffee machine and equipment for seven hours on just the lithium batteries, without any external inputs including solar power," he said.

"It means you can operate the business all day on the beach if you want to."

Caravanning Queensland Trade CEO, Jason Plant, said the 'hybrid holiday' phenomenon had led to a spike in requests for specially modified caravans that allowed travellers to generate an income no matter where they are, and make their nomadic adventure a more permanent lifestyle.

“The previous trend was renovating old vans into food trucks, but what we’re now seeing is an emergence of manufacturers working with specialty businesses to create bespoke caravans, specifically modified for Aussies to run face-to-face businesses from the road, just some of which include portable coffee shops, on-the-go hairdressers, travelling massage stations and soon-to-be cocktail bars,” Plant said.

Carnavas said the CrossTrak 'coffee camper' won't be on hand to serve complimentary flat whites to showgoers at the upcoming 2022 Let’s Go Brisbane Caravan & Outdoor Sale, but there will be other Jayco models on display that could be suitable for B-Leisure modifications, like the latest JPod X.

Also on display at the show which runs from October 27-30 at the Brisbane Showgrounds will be the latest Jayco Wren camper trailer that, with its pull-out external kitchen, could be the perfect option for a mobile 'sausage sizzler'...