Contrary to popular belief, family vacations aren’t about spending money, going to exotic locations, and seeing all the sights—or even
about meeting Mickey Mouse! Family vacations are a vital part of healthy living—and healthy families. If you’ve been putting a family
vacation on the back burner for financial reasons or if you’ve set yourself up to believe a “great” vacation has to cost a lot of money
or take you far from home, it’s time to rethink your approach. Camping is the perfect low-cost, lots-of-fun vacation for your entire
family.
We all know that regular breaks from the stressful routine of work, school, chores, bill paying, and everyday life are essential to
maintain your sanity and reconnect with the people you love the most—your family! So the last thing you want to do on your vacation is
maintain a hectic itinerary, overspend or stress about staying within your budget, spend hours driving or waiting in airports, or stand
in lines with other tourists.
A family camping getaway capitalizes on the benefits of taking a real vacation. When you go camping as a family, you truly can get away
from everything and just relax!
All of the essential elements of a great vacation take center stage when your family goes camping: spending time together; sharing
adventures (and yes, that includes mishaps along the way, some of which make for the best and funniest stories your family will re-tell
for years); fresh air and sunshine; time away from the office, the telephone, the computer, the television and all the other modern
conveniences that have a way of taking over our lives; relaxation; and laughing and having fun.
Great vacations build strong family bonds, create memories that will last forever, and help your family reconnect with one another. And
when you do it in the woods, in a tent, or in a camper, the wonderful break from the hustle and bustle of our fast-paced modern lives
becomes a blessed retreat.
After making the initial investment in tents, sleeping bags, flashlights and lanterns, a few cooking utensils, a small hatchet or ax, and
some other miscellaneous accessories, taking your family camping becomes a very cost-effective family outing. In fact, it is so low
cost that you can plan several camping vacations per year for less than the cost of a single trip to Disneyland!
Do some online research to locate a great campground within a few hours’ drive of your home. Once you’re out in the woods on a national
forest preserve or set up on your campsite, it really won’t matter if you’re only 25 or 100 miles away from home—you’ll feel like you’ve
escaped to a whole new world.
Campground fees range from just a few dollars per night for your entire family to pitch their tent on a rustic site to $30 or so per
night at campgrounds that offer amenities like electrical hookup, game rooms and camp stores at a central base, showers and modern
plumbing, small restaurants, boat rental, swimming beaches and playground equipment, and more.
State parks are a wonderful, yet inexpensive option. Whether you visit a park in your own state or a neighboring state, stay for a day
or stay for an entire week, a quick search online will yield lots of fun family activities the entire family can participate in on the
property. Inexpensive options including hiking, biking, fishing, boating, camping, rock climbing, exploring caves, swimming, tubing one
of the rivers, kayaking, cross country skiing, and snowmobiling, just to name a few. Be sure to call ahead for reservations, though,
particularly during peak times from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
By planning ahead and purchasing coolers, ice, and groceries at a local grocery or discount store and cooking your meals over a campfire,
you can avoid expensive meals at restaurants and afford to take daily outings to nearby attractions—or rent a boat and spend time
fishing or waterskiing as a group. You may need to purchase a small amount of firewood and make a couple more trips to the nearest town
or the camp store to buy additional food and ice, but you’ll only spend a fraction of what you’d spend on meals at a fancy resort.
Our kids will always remember hiking through the woods, chasing chipmunks, fishing on the lake, swimming and splashing, playing checkers
by lantern light in the tent on rainy days, roasting hotdogs and marshmallows over an open campfire, snuggling into our sleeping bags
together in one tent, and watching raccoons invade our camp in the middle of the night. Every trip is a once-in-a-lifetime experience
no amount of money can buy—and even with boat rental, fishing bait, and occasional excursions to town for ice cream or a nearby stable
for horseback riding, we rarely spend more than $30 per person, per day!
If your family needs more stimulation, check out the local attractions in nearby small towns. You’ll discover countless free activities
you and your family can enjoy while in the area. Many museums don’t charge admission, and local cultural groups, parks associations,
and semi-pro sports teams have regular events your entire family can attend at a great bargain. Sometimes children are free at these,
too. Don’t forget to call the local library, performing arts groups, and bookstores—they often offer storytelling events, puppet shows,
musical events, and mini carnivals the kids will love—again absolutely free. Tour the area’s art galleries, make pottery at a local
workshop, take in an area concert, visit the county fair, go miniature golfing, and just soak up the locality! Try not to book too many
activities per day. Remember the goal is to enjoy yourself, not turn your vacation into work!
From playing board games to flying kites, fun family activities need not cost a lot—or even anything at all for that matter—and when
you combine then with camping, absolutely everyone is guaranteed to make memories that will last a lifetime. In fact, your kids will
be talking about your family camping trips for many years to come and sharing their stories with their own children. The most important
thing about a camping vacation is the time spent together. Spouses and children alike crave your undivided attention and affection.
Camping’s close quarters remind everyone the importance of that together time. Whether you catch lightning bugs in a jar, watch a
sunset over a beach, study the stars together, or play hide and seek in the dark, your laughter and smiles are the stuff fun family
vacations are really made of—and they don’t cost a dime—just your time! So plan to pitch your tent and introduce your family to the
fun.
Plan a family camping vacation soon! You’ll never regret it.
About The Author:
Tina L. Miller is a freelance writer, the author of When a Woman Prays,
and the Editor-in-Chief of Obadiah, a Christian publishing
house. She may be reached via email at tina@tinalmiller.com or
http://tinalmiller.com
* This article is available for your publication, for a F-E-E.
This article may NOT be reprinted without monetary compensation and written permission from the author.
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