Camping Offers a Low Cost Way to Enjoy a Weekend Getaway

Knowing how much I enjoy camping now in my adult life, I look back on my childhood and realize just how fortunate I was to have a father who loved to go camping.

It was his values that he instilled into me as a young child to enjoy what the great outdoors has to offer. The outdoors and camping in particular, helps bring you closer to nature and the serenity of life that you just can not get anywhere else, through any other vacation.

Camping is a great way for childhood sons and daughters to bond with their mothers and fathers. Camping is a vacation by which everyone must pitch in and help in order to make living outdoors as comfortable as possible.

Camping also allows parents to teach their children a variety of skills that lead up to teaching how to be more responsible or responsive with their surroundings. For example, going over the camping list before you leave, setting up the tents when your get there and teaching how to leave a campground better than you found it are all great ways to teach kids about teamwork and responsibility.

Beyond all the family values that you can teach and learn while camping, there is another great benefit to this wonderful style of vacation. No it's not the clean air, although it could be, no it's not the smell of bacon and eggs cooking over an open fire as the sun rises on a crisp autumn day, although that is a wonderful thought as well. No it is the fact that a camping vacation weekend is cheap and affordable.

Regardless of the state that you live in, you more than likely have a start park or private campground within reasonable driving distances from your home. Here in New Jersey, I am within fifteen minutes to a variety of state parks and private campgrounds, but it is the state parks where you will really save some money.

That does not mean private campgrounds are not as good, but state parks are cheaper on a per night basis. With state parks you more than likely will not get any of the amenities that you would with a private campground, but remember camping can be a vacation about bonding as opposed to video games and swimming pools.

On average in our area a state park will run about twenty-five dollars per night for a site. Most sites will accommodate up to three tents, or six people and no more than two vehicles parked at the site. I know in Pennsylvania the rules are different for state parks. There you are only allowed one vehicle parked on a site and maximum two tents and six people.

Call ahead to the park you plan to camp at and double check as to their rules and regulations if you are going with a bigger crowd.

As you can see a weekend trip to go camping (not including your food and supplies cost) will run about fifty-dollars. If you stay in cabins or are bringing an RV it may cost you more but not by much. Even after you figure in all of your supplies that you need, it is still cheaper than staying at a hotel somewhere, and with a hotel you are not going to the closeness with your family that you would get when you go camping.

About the Author:Mr. Tucker is the senior editor for Vacation Nation, an online vacation resource where you can learn about various destinations and travel tips.