How Camping is the Answer for an Affordable Family Vacation

November 2024 by couponlab

As the Memorial Day holiday weekend approaches, many people and families will be going on vacation, but not all can afford it.

In the Travel Survey, we found that 19% of people never take a vacation. That number is higher, 39%, for people who make $30K per year or less. People without children go on multiple vacations, 56% more often than people with children.

Suzanne , Family Vacations Expert from forbes.com did the internet research and reported that “parents take shorter vacations than non-parents,” and the “average American leaves 3.2 days of paid time off on the table each year.”

This is crazy! Take your vacation days! If you don’t get very many vacation days, combine them with a holiday, like Memorial day, for more time off.

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IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR AN AFFORDABLE VACATION, TRY CAMPING!

Vacations can be expensive, but camping is not. With campsites renting for $5-$30 a night, camping is a super affordable way to getaway.

Could there be a better way to get away, anyway? Okay, okay. Many might say a getaway at a luxury hotel on the beach would be better, but here are some words people associated with camping. “Happiness, Peace, Escape, Fun…” they all sound pretty great, don’t you think?

words-associated-with-camping

MAY IS A GREAT TIME TO SAVE MONEY ON CAMPING GEAR!

If you’re new to camping and need gear, or are a seasoned outdoors man and want to upgrade your equipment, now is the time! In our Best Things to Buy in May, Shopping Trends blog post, we shared that there are many sales on sports and outdoors equipment, specifically fishing, camping, and hiking gear! Watch for great deals over the Memorial Day weekend as well.

REI – 2.5% Cash Back
Cabela’s 1.5%
BassProShop 2.5% Cash Back
Campmor 3.5% Cash Back
BackCountry Up to 4% Cash Back

Gander Mountain 2.5% Cash Back
Sierra Trading Post Up to 2.5% Cash Back
Mountain Gear 5% Cash Back
Walmart 1.5% Cash Back
Amazon Up to 3% Cash Back
Ebay Up to 1% Cash Back

camping-games

THINGS TO DO WHILE CAMPING:

Here are a bunch of simple ideas to make the most of a backyard camp out. Let’s go outside and have some cheap family fun!

CAMPING:

Pitch a tent
Light a campfire in a fire pit or weber grill
Make dinner on the campfire: Pie iron pizzas, roasting hot dogs, foil packets with chicken and veggies, etc. (See Recipes Below!)
Roast marshmallows and make S’mores
Have a picnic

ENJOY NATURE:

Take a daytime hike
Take a nighttime hike
Nature scavenger hunt
Bird watching or listen for bird calls
Collect bugs (identify them)
Identify plants
Collect rocks
Watch the sunset and rise
Study the stars

CAMPING CRAFTS:

Sunlight photography with photosensitive paper
Crayon leaf rubbings
Make a bird feeder out of a pine cone, peanut butter and birdseed

OUTDOOR GAMES:

Casting contest
Flashlight Hide and Go Seek
Run through the sprinkler
Simon Says
Charades
Fly a kite
Play frisbee
Play catch

QUIET TIME:

Write a Haiku about nature (3 line poem, 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables)
Read books
Snuggle and tell stories
Write words to each other on the tent ceiling with a flashlight and while the others try to guess what you’re saying
Talk about your favorite parts of the day

HELP MOTHER NATURE

Neighborhood clean-up
Plant a garden
Plant a tree
Do some backyard weeding

MORE CAMPING ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS:

Ashley Sears from @QuirkyInspired has a fantastic list of 55 Outdoor and Camping Games for Kids you should totally check out!

camping-recipes

CAMPING RECIPES AND FOOD IDEAS:

One of the best parts of camping is cooking over an open fire. It gives you a chance to try out new recipes and recreate family favorites with a twist!

@FoodDotCom has a huge resource of camping recipes shared by other campers. It contains everything from breakfast to after dinner desserts!
@MelissaHarrison from Buzzfeed created an awesome post with 27 Delicious Recipes to Try On Your Next Camping Trip!
@KOAKampgrounds also has a section on their website for Camping Recipes you’ll have to check out!

ESSENTIAL CAMPING EQUIPMENT:

When you’re camping in the backyard you don’t need much more than a place to sleep and a tent of some kind to keep the dew off. A tarp, stretched across the backs of a few lawn chairs, over your sleeping bags will do the trick. If you love to enjoy nature’s backyard, investing in some camping gear is a great idea. Here are some things to start collecting for your camping kit: