Employees that travel for work could turn to caravans instead of hotels

Almost half of Brits are nervous about travelling for work during the coronavirus pandemic and are seeking alternative accommodation options.

A survey of 2,000 British adults by online marketplace Auto Trader found 48 per cent would not be comfortable travelling for work right now unless they could use their own vehicle and accommodation.

In fact, 32 per cent of respondents said they would prefer to stay in a motorhome or caravan if they had to travel for work, amid concerns about social distancing and hygiene standards at hotels or serviced apartments.

According to Auto Trader, 15 per cent of the UK’s workforce are regularly required to travel for work, with 18 per cent of adults saying employers should provide caravans or motorhomes for these employees.

The marketplace reports that it has seen a 51 per cent increase in views of motorhome adverts, with a year-on-year rise of 80 per cent for the last two weeks of June. The number of over 55s searching has declined while the number of 18-34-year-olds has increased.

Auto Trader’s Rory Reid said: “We’ve recently seen a huge spike in interest for caravans and motorhomes across our app and website. Whilst a large portion of this is down to people needing a staycation this year, there’s a really interesting trend emerging of using caravans for contact-free ways of working, or even self-isolating to keep key workers safe.

“Businesses need to adapt to a greater need for safety when sending employees to travel and stay overnight for work. Using caravans and motorhomes can facilitate this, as well as providing a quiet space to help optimise working.”