May 23, 20212 min read

#Camping

I don’t know about you, but I am ready for summer! Not only does that bring warmer weather, but in our house that means we are that much closer to summer vacations! We can’t wait to get outdoors and explore. Wherever you are from or where you want to explore, camping is a great way to do it! Just a back story, I camped when I was a kid and so did my husband. We both knew that when we had kids, we wanted them to experience camping in some way. We started off tent camping, graduated to a pop-up camper that we had for many years, and just recently moved up to a travel trailer as the kiddos and us needed more space. Why camping vs hoteling it? I wanted to share the benefits of camping and why I think it might be a great option for you and your family this summer!

Cost-friendly

The simplest way to put it, camping is the cheapest way to vacation! State Parks would be your most cost-effective way to camp but private campgrounds can be an affordable option too. No camper or tent…not a problem! Many campgrounds offer cabins that can fit your whole family and you can still have that camping feel. If you are going the State Park route, book early as those campgrounds fill up fast.

Great way to sightsee!

There are many different types of campers. We “nomad” camp a lot. What is that you say? We book multiple Campgrounds over one vacation to maximize the places we can see. Most recently we took a trip the Smoky mountains where we visited 6 different Campgrounds over an 8 day period. Now, I may not have enjoyed packing up every couple days after I felt like we just set up, however, we were able to cover a lot of ground and see many beautiful places in process.

Making Memories

My fondest memories with my kids are those made during summertime camping. I can even remember those from when I was a child. S'mores over a campfire, trips to the beach, ice cream for dinner, rainy days in the camper playing games. Even as my kids get older (now 13 and 16) we still have so much fun when we are camping. Although now the trips may have changed. Now they may have a friend tag along or have cellphone in tow, we still love the stories at the campfire and time we get to spend together.

Over the years we surely have done other vacations that consisted of staying in hotels and doing other things which we do enjoy! However, we seem to always come back to camping. We hope to keep camping even as the kids grow up and move away as a way to see the US! Our bucket list is the Grand Canyon, which we hope to do next year before my son leaves for college, sniff…sniff. Not sure if you are a camper - that is ok! Glamping is a good trade off too! Camping and all the amenities can have its benefits!

Whatever you plan to do this summer…hope everyone gets out there to explore, have some quality time together and make some memories!