A new program run by Outdoorsy RV rental marketplace is helping healthcare workers find some much-needed rest and recuperation off the beaten path.
Outdoorsy launched its “book one, we’ll give one” program today as a way to gift free camping or outdoor recreation trips to healthcare workers throughout North America. For trips booked with the company from now until June 30, Outdoorsy will match the booking with free road trip nights donated to a new “healthcare hero” recipient each week.
People can nominate a deserving healthcare worker now through Outdoorsy, or contribute to paying it forward by booking an RV or campervan trip of their own.
According to the company, the “book one, we’ll give one” program builds on Outdoorsy’s mission to make memorable outdoor experiences accessible to all by connecting RV owners with travelers wanting to reconnect with nature.
“The CDC has said spending time outdoors can 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,” said Jennifer Young, Outdoorsy co-founder and CMO.
For trips booked from now until June 30, 2020, Outdoorsy will match the booking with free road trip nights donated to deserving healthcare workers. The road trip recipients will be selected through an open-to-the-public nomination process to win a three-day, two-night RV rental from Outdoorsy and an annual membership to Harvest Hosts, a membership club for RVers offering free camping at more than 1,000 wineries, breweries, distilleries, farms, golf courses, museums and other unique attractions. Each week, winners will be selected and shared as more nominations and bookings are made.
To kick off the give-back program, Outdoorsy’s first road trip recipient is Danielle Martin, an ICU nurse at Uvalde Memorial Hospital outside Rio City, Texas.
Martin and her husband, who nominated her, are both nurses. Danielle, who is eight months pregnant, has been working full time throughout her pregnancy, treating COVID-19 patients despite her worries about contracting the virus and putting her own health and unborn child’s health at risk.
“This means the world to me as I begin my new journey as a mother. This means my husband and I can take our new baby on his first trip this summer,” Martin said. “We are both working full time as nurses right now, so we can take time off when our little one is born and take him to see family. We love road trips and cannot wait to share this experience with our son.”
Prior to launching the Healthcare Heroes give back program, Outdoorsy launched its Healthcare Housing program to connect RV owners with healthcare workers in need of temporary, self-contained housing alternatives. Outdoorsy kicked off this program by teaming with Sutter Health to provide medical professionals across their network of hospitals and clinics in Northern California with accommodations to self-quarantine close to home while keeping their families protected.
“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 said. “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 the Outdoorsy give-back program in a few ways:
- Nominate a hero by sharing their story. Outdoorsy wants to hear about doctors, nurses, EMTs, or anyone working in healthcare who is making a difference and deserves a trip. Nominations can be submitted now in the nomination section of the program page.
- Book a trip and Outdoorsy will give a trip to a healthcare hero. With the ability to control the environment and travel close to home, road trips will likely be one of the first types of vacations we’ll be able to enjoy. By booking a trip now, RVers can feel good knowing a trip is also going to someone deserving for later.
- Turn an RV into a vehicle for doing good. RV owners who want to lend their vehicle to the cause can sign up in the contribute section of the program page.
According to Outdoorsy, the Healthcare Heroes give-back program was inspired by the en masse trailer donations and other charity efforts by RV owner partners nationwide. One example came from Outdoorsy professional owner GoCamp Campervans, which launched a Road Trips for the Rock Stars program Outdoorsy is proud to sponsor.
“With the launch of our Healthcare Heroes give back program, we want to expand the reach of give back efforts across the wider RV owner community and, in doing so, create a ripple effect of positive impact in the healthcare space,” Young said.
