Well, I just got back from a 4000 + mile trip traveling from Washington to Texas.  My wife and I drove our Subaru and pulled a teardrop trailer all that way, cute as could be, for the purpose of preparing a family home for sale in TX.  Like many people these days, we had trepidation about flying right now, so we opted to attempt the ambitious “get” of a trailer in order to be able to be more self-contained, and hopefully safe, as we made this epic road trip. 

As luck would have it, we somehow had the good fortune of being in the right place at the right time and were able to find a 2018 T@B teardrop a little less than a month before we had to get on the road.  The next few weeks were a crash course in trying to understand and outfit this rig, because our first time out in it, we were literally driving across the country. 

In the eleven total days of driving (of the eighteen days we were gone) we saw some of the most beautiful country in the US.  Growing up in Montana, The Big Sky Country, I thought I understood wide open spaces. However, there’s nothing like a trip of this magnitude to reaffirm what “vast” means.  I was struck time and again, as I saw signs welcoming me to one state or saying good-bye to me as we left another, that without the signs, I would not have been able to tell where the borders were.  The very idea of a border was arbitrary and insignificant in those expanses of space.  The grass and the mountains and the sky were the same on both sides of the sign and have been forever that way.  It was a powerful concept to take in. 

The Nurture of Nature (Observe)

The gravitational pull that many people, young and old, are experiencing toward localized travel and getting out into the great outdoors, is very real in 2020.  As reported in the WGSN Insight article, Adapted Lifestyles: Travel, by Joe McDonnell in May of 2020, “Coronavirus has fundamentally changed the way consumers think about travel. New priorities have emerged, along with a renewed focus on localism as international restrictions make it difficult to travel abroad.” He goes on to say, “Post-pandemic, consumers will display a newfound desire for outdoor and active holidays away from people, enjoying the therapeutic effects of being surrounded by nature. In a survey conducted by Destination Analysis, 57% of those surveyed said they'd be avoiding crowded places on their next trip, with 4 in 10 surveyed saying they'd be looking at camping and RVing.” 

National Geographic reports that, “While industry-wide data has yet to be fully compiled, RV dealers that reopened in early May report{ed} monthly sales are up 170 percent year over year; bookings through rental site RVshare for the Fourth of July weekend are up 81 percent over 2019.”  I can attest to the accuracy of that information through my (non) scientific assessment that 80% of the road traffic between Seattle and TX and back again was either an RV or a semi-tractor trailer hauling goods.  It seemed like almost no one else was on the road. 

What I enjoyed more than I expected, was how much nature I saw even just from the road.  Due to the trip and timeline we had, taking time to enjoy any side trips was out of the question.  However, the grandeur and incredible beauty of the rock formations of mountains and buttes in New Mexico, Utah and Colorado were right there as you looked out of the car window.  The colors were so varied and dramatic, the shapes and textures rich and inspirational.  The other surprise was the night sky.  In New Mexico we stepped outside in the darkness and looked up to see a clear, inky sky full of stars – perhaps even a glimpse into the Milky Way – they seemed to go on forever in a way I haven’t seen often since my childhood on the prairie. 

Our Phygital Nature (Interpret)

We’ve already seen a return to Western style references in Calvin Klein (Spring 2018 line shown in September 2017 runway shows). The influence of the natural world is definitely making an impact on tie-dye-esque prints. In fact, a company called Parks Project has done a co-lab with National Geographic and created a beautiful Tie-Dye hoodie. The proceeds help support projects done in the National Parks system.  

There is also a boom in digital prints that populate tee shirts (digital), pillows and hardgoods (physical). Everything from coasters to room dividers, wall papers and the faces of credenzas can tout a digital print in full color.  Check out Society6 and you will see what I mean.  You can even give them your own travel photo and make your own fabric for drapes or a framed masterpiece for your wall (digital image of a physical experience – moving back into a physical world of a homegood). 

Getting out in nature is to slow down, to reduce stress, to remember that some things in life are best when they are uncomplicated, like watching clouds or smelling wild flowers.  Cottagecore as a movement exists because of this.  Driven by GenZ-aged women and adopted by other generations in various forms, the references and influences of this aspirational lifestyle cannot be mistaken.  Again, from WGSN, “Into the woods: one knock-on effect of lockdown is that consumers are turning towards the natural world, exploring parks and taking up new hobbies such as running and cycling.”  Google trends in the 12 months between August 2019 and 2020 indicate just what is on the minds of consumers.  ‘How to start running at 60’ + 110%, ‘How to start running at 50’ + 70%, ‘Best running shoes for older runner’ +100%.

Many industries and artists are currently setting their photoshoots in outdoor settings.  It is a safer way to achieve a marketing campaign right now, reducing the chance of virus spread. It is also because the concept of being in (calm, benign, safe) nature is what we all seem to need.  A recent survey by Outdoorsy found that “…44% of those surveyed responded that their job has the flexibility to work remotely, and 72% of those say that now they can work on the road, they’d like to take more road trips.” 

Or how about whole families that are going on the road indefinitely to explore the world instead of being in one place all of the time.  There is an amazing article that Sonia Mulford brought to my attention from CNN Travel that outlines the many reasons that people of color are becoming digital nomads with their families.  A line from the article caught my eye… This struck her when she attended the 2018 Family Adventure Summit, a conference for family travelers. Out of about 200 attendees, there were only two biracial families. She started an Instagram account, brownfamiliestraveling, to highlight other mobile families of color. 

 Check out the Family Adventure Summit – there are so many lives out there in the world that are creative and interesting.  These are the groups that can also be customers for the promotional products industry. Knowing who they are and what they do helps businesses connect, possibly providing just the right items to make business happen for these digital nomads as they conduct their 8-5’s from their mobile offices.

 Natural Instincts (Activate)

 So how will this flexibility translate?  Since March, those who had the option to do so have been working as remotely as possible, from bigger houses (their own or friends and family) or more interesting surroundings. For the next twelve to eighteen months, creatives of all walks of life are going to be doing what I did,  jumping in a car, RV or Campervan and hitting the open road, What ideas will come of it? Marketers, designers and craftsmen will see many new things as they get out of their normal routines.  How will that change their work, their perspectives, their products?  Will there be geological, botanical and astronomical references in textiles and graphics?  I know I can’t wait to find out.