by Donald Wood
Last updated: 11:07 AM ET, Sat May 16, 2020
RV rental company Outdoorsy launched a new program Friday presenting healthcare heroes in North America free road trips to thank them for their service during the coronavirus outbreak.
The program, dubbed "book one, we'll give one," will feature Outdoorsy matching each booking with free road trip nights donated to deserving healthcare workers through June 30.
Winners will be selected through an open-to-the-public nomination process, and the top prizes include a three-day, two-night RV rental from Outdoorsy and an annual membership to Harvest Hosts, a membership club offering free camping at top attractions.
In addition, contest winners will receive a gift card to cover the costs of a stay at Kampgrounds of America, a system of more than 520 campgrounds throughout North America. Winners will be selected each week as more nominations and bookings are made.
"The CDC has said spending time outdoors may improve overall health and wellness, so to thank our healthcare heroes for the sacrifices they're making now, we want to gift them peace of mind for later," Outdoorsy co-founder Jennifer Young said in a statement.
"Our mission is to make memorable outdoor experiences accessible for everyone, and we know Outdoorsy has an important role to play at this moment in time," Young continued. "Knowing that a road trip can help you to recharge and reconnect motivated us to launch this program, and to be able to give back together with our community of RV owners and renters makes this cause even more important to us."
People can get involved in Outdoorsy's program in several ways, including nominating a hero you know by sharing their story, booking a vacation or lending their RV to the company for use by healthcare heroes.
The first road trip recipient was Danielle Martin, an ICU nurse at Uvalde Memorial Hospital outside Rio City, Texas. Martin has been working full time throughout her pregnancy, treating coronavirus patients.
Earlier this month, experts revealed any return to travel would likely start with short, domestic trips, and the RV industry could become the go-to vehicle for travel this summer.
Though the outlook for RV sales entering the year was grim-504,000 RVs were sold in 2017 and that number slipped to 364,000 last year-many dealers across the country are reporting an unexpected uptick in sales.
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