How to Vacation Every Weekend

Sounds amazing right? Too good to be true. But you can really make it happen.  Weather permitting, you can vacation every weekend. What I am talking about is going camping.  I know, I know but don’t write it off just yet. I know what some of you may be thinking, camping, bugs, sleeping outside… no thanks. But I promise you, if you prep with the right supplies it is not a hardship. And the more times we went the easier and more enjoyable it got. We discovered last summer that what had previously been a very occasional , big hassle kind of activity could be our way to have a mini-vacation to look forward to any weekend we had free that wasn’t going to pour rain or freeze.

What makes camping an amazing weekend vacation?

The Great Outdoors

All the best things about a vacation involve the outdoors; getting away from it all, beautiful weather, natures beauty. The treasures of a sunset, a campfire and the stars at night make for a lovely vacation. Another perk of the outdoors , is how relaxing it can be. Unplugging and engaging in outdoor activities is a nice change of place from our increasingly indoor and sedentary work weeks. While we are sitting in our offices looking out the window (if you’re lucky) at the nice weather you are missing, you can look forward instead to your upcoming weekend in natures beauty.

The Amenities

Now here is what really makes this a vacation. All the fun outdoor activities that are available on a campsite. Now every place will vary but here are some of the ones we have enjoyed at various campsite:

• Fishing lakes and rivers
• boats,kayaks and paddle boats
• Swimming beaches
• Pools
• Large Water Inflatables
• Free games, crafts, and activities put on by the site
• Playgrounds
• Outdoor game setups such as volleyball, horseshoes etc.

Do your research. There are tons and tons of campsite out there even near a metropolitan area like we are. They vary in price and amenities and you just find one that has what you will most enjoy in your price range. Make sure you check  the online reviews. We came very close to booking a site that is apparently very sketchy and luckily did not as I checked the reviews just before booking.

Visit New Places

Oftentimes we want to check out a new place but it’s just a little too far out of reach to get there and back in one day. It’s not like we can all book hotels every weekend either. Camping allows you to spend the weekend away without breaking the bank. An added perk if you are a dog owner like us is that having to find them care or accommodations that you can bring them along can be difficult. But with camping we have found that the vast majority allow you to bring them.

You can afford a vacation every weekend

Primitive Camping is really cheap. We have found that though prices vary overall they can be very reasonable or even free. We usually pay about $30 a night and that is because we prefer the campsite that have various amenities and a bathroom. It does require an initial investment of supplies, ( a list of which we will include in another post) but once you do it is worth it.  I have broken down your options into three price sections below:

Free-$20 per night

This option is not for the faint of heart. A completely free space usually means you are in a forest preserve and therefore have no amenities at all. The means no water, no electricity and no bathroom. You will likely have to  trek into the woods and be able to carry all of your items in and out with you. We have not yet been brave enough to try out this style of camping but it is one of our goals and extremely affordable.

$20-40 per night

This option is our main squeeze. It involves an established campsite with some sort of bathroom facilities and various amenities. You can drive straight to your site which will generally be among other campers sites. It can sometimes have water and electricity at your site although that affects the cost.

$40-60 per night

Many campsites offer RV sites or cabins to rent. You get all the beauty and outdoor amenities but still get to sleep essentially inside. This option also relieves of hauling in most of the supplies. We don’t generally pick this option as we don’t want to invest in an RV and already have a tent that we can utilize. Plus the price pushes it past the point where we could make it a weekly thing.

I realize that camping is not for everyone but it is a great option for a lot of people who like us didn’t realize it’s potential. Look for more posts on how to go camping both from us and a lot of other amazing online contributors and start having your own mini-vacations to look forward to this spring, summer and fall.

Looking to get a tent to start having you own adventures? Read about how we picked ours Here.