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You’re looking to spend some quality time with your family, and there’s no better way to achieve that than going on an extended family camping trip.
Close quarters, a lack of technology, and a chance to reconnect when the daily grind has you down—who wouldn’t want that?
Families often opt for hotel vacations in destinations that offer attractions, but the attraction to camping is that you’re with one another.
We’re going to break down all the reasons why camping is good for your family, as well as why this next trip is going to inspire even more.
5 Reasons Why Family Camping Should Be Your Next Move
It’s simple to become engrossed in the nine-to-five routine, so let’s take a break for all the reasons we’ve outlined below and come home feeling a little more rejuvenated.
1. Quality Bonding Time
This might be the most obvious one, but it’s still the best benefit.
Consider your current daily routine, which includes work, commuting, your children attending school, and possibly your spouse working as well, in addition to attempting to spend time with friends, enjoy hobbies, and exercise.
Do you realize how hard it is to spend quality time with someone with that much going on?
Even when spending time with your family, your mental state will remain clouded due to the amount of stress you’re under. When it comes to your kids, the benefits of spending time together are immense.
You’re inspiring positive behavior, opening the gates of communication so that they feel more comfortable coming to you with future issues, and building on their self-esteem.
You’re not raising children; you’re raising future adults that need a full kit of life skills to be able to make it in this world, and knowing that their parents always have their back is extremely important.
While you can still get in some bonding time at home, you still have a ton of distractions at your fingertips.
We’re going to get into smartphone addiction and technological distractions in a moment, but when those are right in front of you, it’s simple for both parents and children to stop communicating.
Improve your relationship with your family going forward, and everyone will look forward to the next camping trip.
2. Getting Away From Technology
Smartphone addiction is a real thing, but since nearly everyone in America is suffering from it, we don’t talk about it often enough.
How many times have you gone to a restaurant and seen an eight-year-old on a tablet while the parent scrolls Facebook on their phone?
These small screens captivate us because they temporarily release dopamine, a hormone. It’s like your brain is starving, and the only thing it’s hungry for is dopamine.
Even though you don’t know why, you come back to your smartphone again and again to release that feeling.
Now, while we don’t know how large your family is or how many children it includes, we’re willing to bet that if you measured the amount of smartphone, computer, and television time on a daily basis, you wouldn’t like the sum.
Your camping trip eliminates most of the distractions we’ve become accustomed to. We’re not telling you to not bring your smartphone; just don’t use it often.
It’s useful for emergencies and GPS navigation, but outside of that, we want to leave it alone. You’ve been cutting the cord on tech for a few days, so to speak, but you should work on bringing these benefits home with you.
Discuss how spending time together, rather than wasting it on your phone, contributed to the trip’s success and enjoyment. Unless you bring up the issue, technological distractions will continue.
3. Engaging in Serotonin-Boosting Physical Activity
Branching out from technological addiction, which can create some of the issues we’re about to mention, we’re going to discuss repairing the chemical productions in your and your family’s brains that create happier households.
Serotonin, also known as the “happy hormone,” is the primary endorphin that our brain produces. Our body craves it, but it doesn’t simply create it like dopamine does.
Consistent physical activity is the best way to create serotonin. Serotonin combats depression, but it can also combat the symptoms of anxiety.
These benefits aren’t exclusive to your other family members; you could be feeling the effects of depression without even knowing it.
Data and information show that every age group is seeing massive spikes in depression rates, and there are a few things to blame for it.
Part of the reason is that we’ve never had a higher rate of obesity in this country, which affects how your brain produces certain hormones and chemicals.
Another reason is our lifestyle, which we’re going to disrupt with this camping trip. Poor sleep, poor exercise, and overworking yourself are all ways that your lifestyle negatively impacts your mood.
Between setting up the campsite, getting the campfire all squared away, and the numerous hiking trails all around you, you’re going to be more physically active on this camping trip than you are back home.
During camping, you’re also breathing in fresh air, which has its own benefits for your body.
Your lungs aren’t working so hard to filter through inhaled pollution; you’re getting the proper level of oxygen to your brain, which helps produce the right level of hormones.
Just spending three days outdoors can be beneficial, but to truly reap the rewards, embark on a family hike, encourage the kids to run around and play flashlight tag at night, and plan your next camping trip before you return home.
4. Freedom From the Daily Grind
A staggering number of Americans hate their jobs and feel trapped in them at the same time. However, we unconsciously succumb to a phenomenon known as praise addiction.
People encourage us to please others, make adjustments in our lives that benefit everyone else, and forget that we should also prioritize our own happiness.
If that doesn’t sound like some 1984 Orwell stuff, then we don’t know what does. The truth is that leaving that toxic job could benefit you and your family.
When you spend the weekend at home, there’s nothing exciting or enticing around you because you’re not engaging in anything new.
Camping trips require planning, packing your backpack, and work, but even if you take 8–12 trips a year, there’s so much to see that it’s an exciting activity you can focus on.
Workplace burnout is when you feel like you’re barely getting by at work. We all want to leave our work problems at work, but it’s not that easy.
It’s even more difficult for your children, because not only are they spending 35+ hours per week in school, but they don’t have the option to leave their problems at home.
They go to school with their friends, carry their homework home, and may even participate in extracurricular activities. It impacts the rest of their lives. That family camping trip could be exactly what they need to ease nerves, tension, and stress.
5. Better Sleep, Longer Slumbers
Sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your body. We are compelled to sleep every night, constantly thinking about the time we’re losing instead of the benefits we’re gaining..
Adults only need about eight hours of sleep per night to function properly, but children and teenagers can need up to thirteen hours per night. That’s insane, especially when you think of all the school-related things we just discussed.
Kids aren’t getting enough sleep in today’s day and age, whether it’s from smartphone addiction keeping them up at night or their schedule (which is admittedly busier than we would like to believe).
But when you’re camping, what do you have to wake up for?
You’re making your own breakfast; you’re planning and executing your own activities; you’re not waiting on anyone for anything.
You can dedicate your time to sleeping, letting the kids rest until their bodies decide to wake them up, and ensuring everyone starts the morning off on the right foot. Getting proper amounts of sleep can lead to several major benefits.
- Short- and long-term memory improvement
- Dissolve stress
- Combat the symptoms of depression and anxiety.
- Children’s focus and grades can be improved.
- Increased job performance
- Regulate weight
- A reduction in inflammation
- Higher energy levels throughout the day
Who wouldn’t want all of those benefits? We’re always thinking that there’s too much to do and not enough time to get it done, but if we just slowed down a bit, we could improve our overall health.
To enhance your and your family’s sleep quality, consider purchasing tents with thicker walls that block out natural light, investing in more comfortable sleeping bags, and perusing our list of camping hacks to enhance your comfort in the great outdoors.
6. Monetarily Relaxing for the Parents
In this corporate-run world, vacations become stressful instead of fun.
That is, at least for the parents. Hotels jack up prices, attractions charge insane entry fees, and the bill just racks up.
The excellent thing about camping is that once you own the equipment and carve out the time, you might pay a total of $30 in campground fees, plus the gas to get to and from the campsite.
If you want to take it a step further, you can adopt a minimalist mindset to help you cut down on costs and maximize your fun.
You can be frugal without appearing like a cheapskate. The goal is to get home from the trip and say, “That was relaxing and enjoyable; I can’t wait to do it again,” not hop on the computer and cringe at your online bank statement.
7. Spouses Spend More Time Together
When you’re home, whenever is there time for your spouse?
Life gets crazy, and it doesn’t slow down as the days go by.
Whether it’s some time to be intimate or simply to open up conversations that would otherwise elude you at home, this is the longest stretch of time for you to iron things out with your significant other and reconnect.
Even if you’re just chatting about the things that bother you in your normal day-to-day life or relaxing together, it’s a break from the stress and a chance to actually enjoy something together.
If it’s been too long since you’ve seen your significant other as your best friend, a camping trip can help undo the damage of mundane life.
8. You All Chill Out a Bit
Relaxation is the sum of many of the things we’ve mentioned: less stress, natural remedies to your problems, and disconnection from technology.
Sitting around the campfire with loved ones, enjoying food and drink, and not having to wake up for work the next day has never left anyone coiled with stress.
Everyone gets a chance to chill out a bit, but if you’re still not certain how to get the full extent of that relaxation you’re after, we have some tips to help you close out this article.
How to Make Your Trip Unforgettable
- Bring Some Toys: During those lulls, break out a few of the little ones’ favorite toys to keep them occupied. They can play quietly in their tent, so you can have some one-on-one time with your spouse.
- Keep Coffee Handy: Instead of heading into town to get your coffee in the morning (which mimics your daily drive and at-home routine), be sure to have some coffee handy. You can add instant, mix in some cold water before adding hot water, and add a bottle of flavored syrup to give you a coffeehouse feel and flavor.
- Investigate the area beforehand to avoid falling into a tourist trap. Relaxation is key, so if you’re in cramped, close-quarters camping sites with noisy neighbors, then you’re going to run into unnecessary stress.
- Knowledge-Up: Spend some time refreshing your knowledge about setting up a campsite, and make the trip as relaxing and carefree as possible for your family. Sure, they’re still going to have to pitch in and help (otherwise all the stress is on you), but knowing what to do at the moment will help you feel more prepared and lead your family on a successful and fun camping trip.
Wrap-Up
Family trips involve quality bonding time, and your children aren’t always going to have a clear schedule.
There’s no time like the present, so use this information to motivate yourself to create a memorable camping experience that your spouse will cherish forever.