Not convinced that camping is right for your family or that a few days or a week spent in the wilderness without the distraction of TV or video games is the ideal family vacation? These five reasons will convince you that a family camping trip is the idea vacation. You should go camping as a family because:
1. It’s educational – The kids will learn about nature and wildlife as well as about learning about national monuments and state parks. Kids also learn other skills from camping like independence, self-reliance, wilderness skills and first aid.
2. It’s active- Obesity is a growing epidemic among children. Instead of taking your kids to a theme park or taking them on a vacation where they will just sit around most of them time taking them camping will be encouraging them to swim, hike, and do other outdoor activities.
3. It’s a way to get great quality time – When you’re off on a family camping trip you will have lots of quality time to spend with your spouse and your kids because it will just be the family in a quiet, beautiful outdoor environment. No TV, videogames, movies, or other distractions will keep you from focusing on your family or keep them from focusing on you. For families where both parents work and are busy all the time it’s a wonderful way to reconnect with your kids.
4. It’s cheap – Most camping vacations cost a lot less than traditional vacations. Camping in state parks or other historical areas often costs less than $100 for a week’s worth of camping. You will need to spend money on gear, but later in the book we’ll look at ways you can cut the costs of buying camping gear.
The biggest expenses that you will have will be food and gas. Eating meals that you cook yourself with groceries you bring with you will be much cheaper than eating in a restaurant three times a day like you would on a traditional vacation, and gas will probably be cheaper than what you would spend on airfare for the whole family.
5. It’s something everyone in the family can enjoy – Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to relax and enjoy yourself without having to listen to one child complain that he or she wants to go to the pool while another cries bitterly because you won’t buy them a new boat/sweater/ toy or trinket and the other just sits in the corner with a sullen look and kicks the bed repeatedly?
A camping vacation is a real vacation for the whole family because there is always something fun and active to do for people who want to do something active and that leaves plenty of time for the people that want to do nothing (usually the parents) to sit and enjoy the quiet stillness of nature.
