UPFRONT
Image: Rob Suisted
CARAVANNING AND CAMPING
BLEISURE Business and leisure are increasingly combining with digital nomads, who use technology to work remotely, now taking their families with them. “We’ve stopped talking about work-life balance and now talk about work-life integration,” futurist Carolyn Childs, from My Travel Research, says. Airbnb data shows a quarter of all work bookings made in Australia in the past financial year included stays with children. Airbnb for work APAC regional head Alvan Aiau Yong says listings popular for such trips feature all the essential amenities business travellers need to be productive and comfortable, such as designated desk and study areas, laundry facilities and Wi-Fi. “There’s also the added benefit of listings with fullyequipped kitchens, family rooms and big backyards to cater for family members, so that a business trip can easily transition into a leisure stay,” he says. 38
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Image: Parks Victoria
into adulthood. “It’s a moment where you are creating precious memories, and navigating the new normal in relationships,” she says.
With its long stretches of road and outdoor lifestyle, Australia is the ideal destination for a caravan or camping holiday, and the number of families choosing such getaways has been steadily rising for the past few years. The 2019 Tourism Research Australia National Visitor Survey shows a 19 per cent increase since 2012, with a whopping 3.76 million overnight caravan or camping trips taken by family groups with children in the last financial year. BIG4 holiday parks is among the companies evolving to attract the market, offering a range of kid-friendly attractions, such as water parks, pump tracks for bikes and scooters and jumping cushions.