“I’m sick of the buzz of the city”
“I need a little adventure”
“I need to disconnect”
“I want to spend more time outdoors”
“I have a tight budget for vacation”
We all have our reasons to spend the holidays camping. For some, it’s an opportunity to disconnect from the virtual world and be present in the here and now. For others, it’s a great option to spend quality time with loved ones.
It also gives a chance to get away from the buzz of the city and spend a couple of nights under the starry night sky.
Youth organizations use it as an opportunity to teach children a few survival skills, like setting a fire, pitching a tent or reading a compass.
Keep reading and find even more reasons to spend a few nights under the stars.
Social Benefits
Family bonding
We all know those proud fathers and parents who love to take their off-springs camping, to pass on the same experiences and adventures they grew up in.
Spending the weekend in a tent, up in the mountains or beside the lake. Teaching them to pitch a tent, setting a campfire for the night. Then spending the evening around the fire roasting bacon, sausages or marshmallows, while sharing stories.
It might sound idyllic, but there are also studies confirming camping’s positive impacts on family relations.
One of them is “The Impact of Families Camping Together”, which was conducted in the Czech Republic in 2014. According to the study, a camping experience among other positive outcomes, results in stronger family bonds. This is due to the fact, that teamwork and cooperation are essential in such settings. Also, family members often times realize that their partner or kids have skills they didn’t know about, given the difference of tasks from the usual household chores.
Stronger friendships
Camping contributes to building meaningful relationships with friends and colleagues. Meeting each other in a different environment, testing the limits together, gives a sense of belonging and allows to see each other from different angles. This ultimately leads to deeper and stronger connections, because we’ve experienced something together, good or bad – it connects us. If you think about it, team building activities were built on the very same idea. People connect through experiences.
Besides cooperation and shared experiences, another key factor of relationship building is communication. In our technologically advanced world, we have countless tools to stay in touch. We may call, message, Skype and Facetime each other regularly, but they will never replace face-to-face conversations.
On the other end, spending the evening chatting around a campfire, eliminates all technological distractions and allows to share and learn about each other’s desires, fears and hopes. We easily find ourselves in a “flow”, where time stops and we’re fully attuned to one another. After all, nothing replaces the intimacy of a campfire under a starry night sky.
Mental & Physical Benefits
The luxury of being offline
When we get tired of the routine, tight schedule and constant notifications on our mobile devices, it’s time to get out! You heard it well, outside, into nature.
The stress relieving effects of nature, are proven by science. As an example, the study of European Centre for Environment & Human Health at the University of Exeter, led by Mathew White, found that people who spend 2 hours a week outdoor — in any kind of natural environment, like, parks, forests or beaches – are significantly more likely to state psychological well-being and good health than those who don’t. These 2 hours could be one long stay or divided in several smaller portions, the effect is the same.
Camping allows us to escape the routine and get away from our looping to-do list. All there’s left is to immerse ourselves in the beauty, our planet has to offer. Going for a hike, mountain biking, climbing, water rafting, kayaking keeps us active and releases excess adrenaline. When tuning into the sight and sounds of nature, we access the power to break free from anxiety and simply be present. Once we are fully engaged in the moment, the unimportant things fade away and we find clarity about what matters in life.
Boost your Vitamin D level
Camping and spending time in the sun – more often than not – go hand in hand. There are countless benefits of direct sunlight. One of them being increased vitamin D creation by our cells. Our body than uses vitamin D for absorbing calcium, which is key for strong and healthy bones. Furthermore, natural sunlight can increase energy level, re-stabilize vision, mood and overall stress level. After a long week at work, camping can help to recharge ourselves and restore personal well-being.
Skills development
Learning new skills keep us motivated and inspired. Immersing ourselves in nature comes with the necessity to secure food, shelter, and safety. Namely cooking in unusual conditions, setting up a tent as a shelter for the night. It requires teamwork, the whole group or family is involved and we all help each other out, then succeed together. Let it be technical skillset that we gain – like how to tight a knot or relationship skills, we won’t return home being the exact same person. Camping is a great opportunity to develop ourselves or loved ones, in a fun and adventurous atmosphere.
Exercise
One of the most obvious benefits of camping, physical engagement. It trains and aligns body and spirit. By setting up the tent or fishing you burn far more calories than in an office chair, while cycling and hiking do cardiovascular exercise keeping your heart and lungs healthy. On a psychological level, the reduction of depressive thoughts is strongly related to outdoor activities.
Financial benefits
It’s affordable
Another benefit of choosing camping as your next get-away! Depending on what type of camping you prefer, the price may vary, but it’s still below hotel prices or home rentals. Expenses can be easily adjusted to a desired budget and level of comfort.
Still not convinced? Be awesome!
When you get back to work on Monday and your colleagues pop the question, “How was your weekend?” Which answer sounds better?
“It was fine, on Friday we ordered pizza, Saturday I did the laundry then Sunday we went to the cinema.”
or
“It was great, we went camping! We had a great time at the lake, hiking, swimming, sleeping under the stars. ”
Let’s be honest, there are countless advantages to camping. It gives you a breath of fresh air, allows you to recharge your energy, stretches your limits and gives you a lesson of not taking anything for granted.
If you’re ready for a lifetime adventure, book now your stay with Campsaround!
