Benefits of Camping and Where to Go Camping Near Me
You can ask different people what are the benefits of camping. They could easily give you lots of reasons to go camping. And it’s true, there are lots of benefits of camping, even ways to go camping.
If you live in the Unites States or Canada probably everyone from teenager to adult knows there are places to go camping. If you drive away from cities you can often see signs pointing to various campgrounds.
You may not have to travel very far.
As for the benefits of camping some people like to connect or reconnect with nature. Others might want to disconnect from technology, the internet, and enjoy the older way of life with less of everything.
It is definitely different experiencing nature and living without all the fancy gadgets and things we have today.
Other people just want to get away for a while, be one with nature. They can do that if they go camping since they would then be exposed to nature, if even for just a short time.
Camping can eliminate all the daily distractions from home and for some, from the office or their job. All in all camping can mean different things to different people.
Camping is not only a way to get away from it all without necessarily leaving the country. For some, the question of why go camping it might be a way to revitalize their relationships.
You go camping together with your partner, wife or husband and enjoy some quality time together. It’s often hard to do that at home along with all the distractions and disturbances with daily living.
Camping with Organizations
If you’re young the question of where to go camping near me can easily be answered by joining the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts. They often go camping in localities near where the children live.
These youth organizations such as the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts will teach young people how to pitch a tent, read a compass or build a fire.
Its good experience and one you’d like to teach your children when they grow up.
Going camping when you’re young and experiencing a bit of nature in the rough can be something great to pass along to your children.
So it goes with some families. They pass that treat with nature along with their children as the children grow up.
Camping to Sharpen your Survival Skills
One reason people choose to “rough it” is to learn and experience living off the land. Some people have that survival instinct.
Others want to prepare themselves to live off the land in case of a disaster or, let’s hope not, a war where things get destroyed and they are forced to live off the land.
Survival techniques are a big thing nowadays and camping fits nicely within it.
Camping Helps to Eliminate Stress
Finally you can get away from work packed days or all the things that keep you from a bit of freedom. Just go ahead and leave that overbooked schedule at home.
When camping, there’s no place to be at a certain time. There’s nothing to interrupt you, nothing competing for your attention. You can’t really get this situation at home.
That means less stress and more relaxation when in a stress free situation away from home. Camping is a perfect solution for such a situation.
All the distractions, stress, and disturbances present at home quickly vanish when out in the wilderness camping.
Enjoy Fresh Air and Great Food
In your day to day life, you may not even think about fresh air. But it’s important and if you live in a big city, near a polluting business or area then getting a bit of fresh air is a great health benefit.
When you go camping, you get the natural scents of the outdoors, plus the smell of dinner cooking over an open fire.
Enjoying a nice meal offer a campfire is a nice treat for a couple or family. A relaxing time together with a loved one or the family is arguably more enjoyable when out in nature.
Food tastes better when prepared in the outdoors. There’s something about cooking food over a campfire that makes it more enjoyable. Same goes for cooking in a cabin out in the wilderness if that’s your choice.
Even roasting ’mores or hot dogs over an open fire is an enjoyable, but simple activity that is hard to beat for so little effort.
You don’t get that same feeling or enjoyment from your routine cooking at home.
Back to Nature for a Digital Detox
With technology all around us sometimes you just need a break from it. That’s pretty difficult to do or escape it at home. Go way out in the woods or forests and it is much easier.
Also some parks and campgrounds have poor, or no cell connectivity.
You as a visitor can take advantage of that. Those places make perfect locations to put away those digital devices we use in our daily lives. One can regain focus on the basics that we still have at our disposal. For instance, you can sit back and relax with a good book.
Maybe write or update a journal you’re keeping or have wanted to start. The good thing about such a digital detox is that it can be done as needed or as the situation permits. It helps to refresh your mind, strengthen your relationship, if done with your significant other, and gives you a needed break from technology.
Hiking and Camping can Help Improve your Health
Any kind of camping offers health benefits to the camper. Some are easy straightforward to experience, like setting up camp or your tent.
Then there is the obvious health benefit of hiking. That’s good exercise for your body. Want to do backcountry camping?
That’s a lot of physical exercise and plenty of fresh air. Something you’re not going to experience in normal day to day living.
Camping, it does a body and mind good. It can help improve your mental health, being outside with nature. Some researchers have linked outdoor activity to a decrease in depressive thoughts.
Being back to nature, sleeping under the stars helps you get in touch with your natural circadian rhythms. That’s a good foundation for high quality sleep and health.
Explore and Experience Nature Firsthand
A most obvious reason to go camping is to explore and experience nature. There is no better way to experience it than to be out in it.
Go camping to extend a day trip into some exciting and quality time being out and one with nature. Camping can be pitching a tent in the wilderness.
Or it could be parking your RV in a frontcountry campground.
Either way, it can be an immersive experience. Campers feel the wind, maybe rain or snow. It could be sunny or cloudy. Campers might get a chance to see wildlife in their natural setting.
When camping, you can get to see nature’s natural features, like mountains, sand dunes, or seashores, forests, deserts and more at different times of day.
You’ve seen beautiful pictures of the night sky with the Milky Way and loads of stars.
Many of us cannot see such stars in city areas. Spending nights outdoors, away from city lights, allows people to view constellations not visible at home.
You can hear the sounds of nature, like the cries of coyotes or the trills of songbirds. Maybe more than any other reason, people want to camp to experience an adventure in nature.
Alarm Clocks: Get away from that Annoying Sound
Although this might seem trivial to some it can be a great getaway from that annoying sound of the alarm.
How often have you slept late without an alarm clock to wake you up? Probably a few times at least. However, when camping, the only alarm clock you have, or pay attention to, is the sun and the sound of birds chirping.
Waking up with nature is a much better experience than an alarm clock. It is an experience that everyone should be able to experience and enjoy. But unfortunately not everyone can, that is unless you go camping.
Camping is a Confidence Builder for Children
One of the not so visible benefits of camping for young people is it allows and helps them to learn independence in a safe and controlled environment.
They become more confident in themselves. Children learn new things and have first-time experiences they may not get at home.
That’s important for children. It helps them to gradually become more independent. They will gain more confident in their own capabilities.
If camping with family it is beneficial for both children and their families. It can help strengthen bonds between family members.
That is brothers and sisters, parents and children and any other close relatives. Camping allows them all to return home feeling much stronger as a group.
Camping is an Affordable Activity
If you want to take a vacation without breaking the bank then camping is one of the least costly ways to do it. Even if you do RV camping it can be less costly than a traditional vacation where you may opt to fly to another country for a week or two.
When you are strapped for cash for a vacation, families or couples can do it on the cheap by heading into the woods for a camping trip.
Depending on where you live or what you want to experience camping can be close or far away, yet still be done for a reasonable price if camping is your choice.
Nowadays camping gear can be purchased from many big-box stores at generally low cost. Sometimes the biggest cost is for the gas to get to the campground.
Not only that, but you can keep it even cheaper by heading to publicly-owned national forest lands.
Some of those campgrounds are free of cost. Check with your State too if you live in the Unites States or the Province if Canada is your home.
Affordable Camping in your State or Own Back Yard
Both Federal and State Governments often offer low cost and even free camping opportunities. This includes some places in Canada.
It would seem that you cannot do better than free. Or can you? Let’s take a look at this. You’re a family with some young children. You know your children would love to go camping.
But unfortunately you’re strapped for money, time, or both. You might be thinking where to go camping near me at a cost that cost me an arm and a leg? Or maybe even how to go camping with my kids?
Here’s a solution that won’t break the bank. What about camping in your back yard? That’s definitely a viable solution that your children will love. Of course that assumes you do have a back yard.
The cost may be nothing more than a blanket or two or even sleeping bags, an inexpensive tent and some snacks. You can make their backyard camping adventure as fancy or as plain as you desire. Either way your children will enjoy it.
I experienced that as a youngster. I pitched a simple tent in our side yard and slept overnight with my dog next to my side. That was just as much fun as I had with the Cub scouts and Boy scouts when I grew older.
I know young children will love that. I did. It led my mom to be a Cub Mother for the Cub Scouts in our area.
Camping can be a Personal Challenge
Maybe you’re an introvert, a loner or just a person that likes an interesting personal challenge. Those or a myriad of other reasons might be why camping fits your style.
Maybe you love the idea of trekking all alone, one with nature. That would be a great reason to have camping in your arsenal of things to do or accomplish.
If backpacking is your style, you can carry everything you need on your back. Then head off into the wilderness for a great adventure.
You might want to practice survival techniques or maybe you just want to have some time to yourself. By backpacking on-trail or definitely off-trail, it can take you to places many others will never see.
You live the Minimalist Lifestyle
You live a nice simple life and aren’t into extravagant vacations, luxury furnishings and lots of other unnecessary things for a comfortable life. Camping fits very nicely with that style.
Backpacking could be the ideal was to express yourself. After all you end up carrying all your necessary things to survive for a day or two on your back.
If that isn’t minimalist, probably nothing is.
On the other hand maybe your style is to take your car and drive somewhere. OK if you rent a cabin, find a motel on the outskirts of a town or any other place to spend the night or nights.
You’re still living a minimalist lifestyle since you’re taking your belongings for your stay with you. Don’t forget to bring some food along.
Get out of that car or maybe motorcycle and do some hiking or trekking even if it’s just for a few hours.
Such low cost, minimal planning or even no planning is one good way to enjoy your vacation or weekend time in an enjoyable and maybe exciting way. Oh yes, it doesn’t have to be just you.
Bring your significant other, girlfriend or boyfriend, as the case may be and both of you can enjoy your time together.
Camping is more Popular than ever; Do your Share
Above are some of the reasons people go camping. Whether it’s for a day or two or a full blown camping vacation camping can break up the monotony of day to day living.
It can help relieve you and anyone else with you of life’s stresses. The great outdoors and fresh air is something good for all of us. Camping brings it all together.
Where to Go Camping near Me
If you live in mid America or near the western part of the country we’ve detailed lots of places you can go camping. Same for Canada, we have write-ups of many places in Canada where you can go camping.
Both countries have a lot of choices of where to go camping. That’s whether you want to rough it a little or a lot. Read more on our site of the many places to go camping.
Now that you know some benefits of camping, when is the next, or maybe the first time you will go camping?
What are some of the other reasons to go camping?