Thinking of what kind of family camping vacations you should try? It’s never been a better time to plan. Even though summer is over, fall and winter are both prime seasons for getting together with loved ones and enjoying everything the weather has to offer. There are bonfires to create, dinners to cook up and hiking trails just begging to be explored! However, it can be a little daunting planning a vacation for multiple people, much less an entire family and group of friends. How do you get everyone to enjoy their time together when they all have different tastes and interests? All that and more will be explored below.
Americans Love Camping
The great American past time is gathering a bunch of supplies, hopping in an RV and enjoying the endlessly beautiful landscapes. The year 2008 saw the number of people who went hiking or backpacking in the past year amounting to a whopping 30 million overall. A few years later and that number has climbed to 38 million! Hiking and backpacking aren’t the only hobbies, however, and can become a little unpopular when done in the cooler months. Sitting around the campfire, eating popcorn and catching up with friends is a wonderful way to relax and unwind.
Many Ways Of Traveling In Style
Not sure how you want to travel during your family camping vacations? Never fear! The average camper spends around 14 days camping and enjoying the great outdoors, whether it’s staying in a tent, cabin or RV. A lot of people like to camp under tents to enjoy the open stars, but are also the least likely to camp for more than two or three days at a time. For those that want to camp a little longer, RVs and cabin campgrounds are popular options for their comfort and convenience. Campers traveled an average distance of over 185 miles for trips across the United States.
Enjoying Good Company
Why do people like family camping vacations so much, anyway? Well, they’re perfect ways of spending time with your family. When you’re worn out from a long work week or midterm finals, nothing helps you unwind better than getting together with good company, roasting marshmallows over an open fire and enjoying the beautiful outdoors. Studies have shown over 12% of adults first going camping with their immediate family, with another 13% saying they went specifically to spend more time with their loved ones.
Popular Preferences
Although there are a million and one ways to enjoy family camping vacations, some options have become more popular these past few years. Ongoing surveys have been conducted to analyze growing trends and the results have been rather unsurprising — the vast majority of camping, around 70%, is done on public campgrounds. Campgrounds have a variety of easily accessible resources, such as showers and campfires, to take stress off your back so you can spend less time preparing and more time relaxing.
Getting Started
There’s no time to waste! With winter right around the corner, you’ll want to start gathering all your resources and scheduling books so you can make the most of the end of summer and beginning of autumn. The simple act of camping is often the biggest motivation for taking a camping trip — over 45% of adult participants in a recent survey said they went just because they enjoyed it and wanted to make the most out of their free time. The year 2010 alone saw over 40 million people visiting camp resorts and campgrounds for a total of 500 million outings. Excited to go camping? The rest of America is too!
