Seven Signs Caravan Life Might Be Calling You
If you’ve ever wondered whether caravan and camping holidays are having a moment, the answer is a very big yes.
According to new data from Tourism Research Australia, Australians took a whopping 17.3 million domestic overnight caravan and camping trips in 2025, a 14 per cent increase and the highest year on record. That’s almost one in every seven domestic overnight trips.
So what is it about caravan life that has so many of us hitching up, packing the fridge and hitting the road? We’ve crunched the numbers and come up with a few signs that caravan life might just be calling your name.
1. You’d Rather Wake Up Somewhere New
If your ideal morning involves opening the caravan door to a completely different view, you’re in good company. In 2025, caravan and camping travellers spent 57.9 million nights away, with 87 per cent of those nights spent in regional Australia.
From coastal campsites and mountain towns to dusty outback roads, caravanning gives you the ultimate excuse to explore the parts of Australia that sit well beyond the city limits.
If your response to “Where should we go this weekend?” is usually “Somewhere we haven’t been”, this could be a sign.
2. You Think the Journey Is Part of the Holiday
There’s something satisfying about being able to pack up your house on wheels and simply point it towards the horizon. And the numbers suggest caravanners are very much a road-trip bunch. Previous TRA visitor profiling found 96 per cent of caravan and camping trips were self-drive.
You’re in charge of the playlist, the coffee stops and, most importantly, how many times you pull over because someone spotted a quirky roadside attraction.
3. You’d Rather Spend Money on Experiences Than Airports
Forget rushing through an airport with three bags and an overpriced sandwich. Caravan and camping travellers spent $12.6 billion in 2025, including $10.3 billion while travelling. Regional Australia picked up $8.6 billion of that travelling spend.
That means more money being spent in regional towns, local cafés, pubs, attractions, fuel stops, shops and tourism businesses along the way.
Basically, your road trip is helping keep regional Australia moving, one coffee, counter meal and fuel stop at a time.
4. Your Idea of Entertainment Involves Getting Outside
If “entertainment” to you means a bushwalk, fishing spot, beach or national park rather than a theme park, you’re definitely speaking the caravanner language.
TRA data shows popular activities on caravan and camping trips include going to the beach, sightseeing, bushwalking, visiting national parks and fishing.
And that’s part of the appeal. You don’t necessarily need a packed itinerary. Sometimes the best plan is no plan beyond finding somewhere beautiful, putting the kettle on and deciding what to explore next.
5. You’d Happily Trade a Five-Star Hotel for a Million-Star Campsite
There’s something pretty hard to beat about sitting outside your van as the sun goes down, looking up at a sky full of stars.
Maybe you don’t need room service. Maybe your definition of luxury is a hot shower, a comfy bed and a camp chair with a cracking view.
And with almost 938,000 caravans and campervans registered across Australia in 2025, you’re certainly not alone. Registrations have increased by 32 per cent since 2019, reaching an all-time record.
6. You’re Happiest When There’s No Reception
Let’s be honest, sometimes the whole point of getting away is getting away. No emails. No meetings. No notifications. Just you, the van and whatever happens to be outside the window.
With 88 per cent of caravan and camping holiday trips and nights taking place in regional Australia, there’s certainly no shortage of places where you can swap screen time for scenery.
7. You Don’t Need Much Convincing to Take Another Trip
Perhaps the biggest sign of all is that once you’ve caught the caravan bug, you’re already thinking about the next adventure before you’ve unpacked from the last one.
And with 17.3 million trips taken in 2025, it looks like Australia has well and truly caught the bug.
So, if you love a road trip, prefer a campfire to a conference room and think the best holiday souvenirs are stories rather than fridge magnets, there’s a pretty good chance caravan life is for you.
The statistics certainly think so.
