It’s easy to lose yourself in the wilderness when surrounded by the hushed sounds of nature – leaves rustling, birds chirping, waves slowly crashing against the sandy shoreline, and not a single trace of a marimba ringtone for miles. Getting away from the 9-5 hustle and taking the family for a trip to the beautiful wilderness should be a must for your summer plans.
Not only is camping a relatively cheap and enjoyable vacation for the whole family, it also provides some genuine health benefits that will carry on long after your trip ends. The benefits listed below give you more than enough reason to set life aside for a few days to get back to your roots and rough it in the wild.
1. No Technology
It’s not very often you can go without your cell phone or social media for a few days, but camping gives you and the kids an excuse to do just that. When you’re laying below the night sky and the stars are illuminated above you, the last thing on your mind will be to check Facebook and see how your friends are doing.
Take a tech vacation away from the TV, laptops, video games, Wi-Fi and all the other distractions of modern technology. Instead, sit around the campfire and tell ghost stories, roast marshmallows, and enjoy the overall feeling of togetherness that being unplugged will bring.
2. Physical Activity
Admit it – sometimes the only thing you want to spend your day doing is laying on the couch and binge watching the latest season of your favorite Netflix show. While that in itself can be an enjoyable activity, it doesn’t give you the physical exercise that your body craves. A good hike in the wilderness, however, does.
When you’re camping, you get to have the whole forest as your entertainment. Go hiking, fishing, boating, swimming, climbing, or any other activity that the obstacles around you provide. You don’t need to feel guilty for hitting the “Continue Watching” button, and instead can continue to give your body a healthy dose of physical activity before ultimately returning to your regularly scheduled program.
3. Health Benefits
We mentioned there were some genuine health benefits to camping and we weren’t lying. Being out in the sun increases your vitamin D levels, the fresh air of the wilderness will clear your city smog filled lungs (and be very beneficial to those with asthma), your serotonin levels will increase which will do away with your blues and make you feel happier overall, your stress levels will drop, and all these things combined will give you a more restful night’s sleep.
That sounds like just what the doctor ordered.
4. Socialization
It can be easy to forget the importance of genuine deep conversation with one another – especially when the ease of texting takes over a relationship. Drop the “Wyd?”’s in exchange for getting to know one another and reminiscing over a cup of hot coffee watching the sunrise.
5. Sense Of Wonder
We’ve all seen beautiful photos of the wilderness posted about – whether it’s on Instagram, Facebook, videos on YouTube, or some other photo sharing website. It’s different to truly experience the awe of these locations in real life instead of on a screen. Your mind will be rejuvenated and your inspiration will flow again after being somewhere as beautiful as the Grand Canyon or Yosemite National Park (need a suggestion for a camping location? Check out our blog 8 Best US Places to Go Camping In 2018) making camping a perfect cure to an artist facing a block in their creativity, a developer craving inspiration, or a regular Joe lacking motivation for a day job.
Travel to those locations that are beautiful to you on the laptop and feel the wonder as you experience them firsthand for yourself, whether with your family or friends or taking a solo journey to help you be one with yourself. Instead of liking the photo, be the one to take the photo.
6. Quality Time
Getting the family together anywhere besides the dinner table can be tough, and organizing plans for a group of busy friends to meet up can be even harder. Suggesting a camping trip away from the distractions of all cell phones or social media can be a great way to re-group and spark a personal connection. Take the time while in the outdoors to get to know one another – whether you’re friends from college who haven’t gotten to see each other much since graduation, or you’re a busy professional who often has to miss out on afternoons with the kids.
The time spent building tents, campfires, hiking, fishing or the plenty of other activities that camping offers provides you a perfect way to build a lasting relationship with those you love.
Now that you know a little more about how camping can benefit you and your family, we hope you take this knowledge and start planning a trip to the outdoors as soon as possible. And remember to turn the phone off and take in a deep breath of fresh air for us.
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