Summer is prime time for travel, but let’s face it: travel and vacations can be expensive.
While there are a number of creative ways to pay for travel, you don’t have to spend a lot to ‘get away’ and have a weekend or week away.
Camping is a frugal summer activity that can be a ton of fun. Camping can be just for a night or weekend, but also can be part of a longer vacation.
Camping isn’t free, but it’s much more affordable than flying somewhere and definitely is less expensive than staying at a hotel.
Things to Consider when Planning a Camping Trip
There are many things to take into consideration when planning a camping trip. One of those things is how long you plan on camping for. Do you want to go for a night? A weekend? An entire week?
The length of time you spend camping will impact where you want to camp. If you are just going for a night or weekend, you likely won’t need as many amenities and you can stay relatively close to home. If you are going for a week you will want to be a lot choosier about which campground you choose.
Some additional things to consider are bathroom/shower availability, rentals available at the campsite, and what lakes/beaches are on-site or nearby.
Camping Supplies
Some campsites provide you with things like firewood, shower facilities, and other amenities. Regardless of what your site provides you will still need to remember to bring various supplies, such as:
- Tent
- Sleeping Bags
- Pillows
- Cooler with food and drinks
- Chairs for the Bonfire
- S’mores supplies
- Flashlights
- Bug Spray
- Sunscreen
- Firewood (if not provided)
Of course, don’t forget to pack things like a couple changes of clothes, medicine, and toiletries. The last thing you want is to be ready for a relaxing weekend and realize that you forgot your deodorant or contact lens case!
Alternative idea – Rent a Cabin
Camping in a tent isn’t for everyone. You risk having to deal with severe weather, prolonged exposure to allergy triggers, and temperature swings. Throw kids and pets into the mix and camping can quickly become impractical and hardly a getaway.
One alternative to camping in a tent is to rent a cabin. Cabins can vary greatly in price. If you stay at a resort you can expect to pay the same – or more – than getting a hotel room. Cabins at resorts often have other amenities like boat rentals, showers/bathrooms within your cabin, full kitchens, boat rentals, private beaches, and more.
A frugal alternative to expensive cabin rentals may be available at campgrounds. For example, the State of Minnesota offers camper cabins that are as cheap as $60 – with electricity included. This offers the best of both worlds in that you don’t have to mess around with a tent but you still get the full experience of the great outdoors.
Do you plan on going camping this Summer?
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Photo by Andy Roberts
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I haven’t done much camping recently but I would love to go this summer. There is a park about 20 mins away that we really like. Easy to get to, nice park and has nice ammenities. Camping is so relaxing – it’s a great way to unplug!
BudgetforMore My wife and I both have bad allergies so we haven’t been big on camping. Actually, my allergies are about as bad as they can get – allergic to 92% of the top allergens in Minnesota :0 I have been getting shots for them for almost a year now so this Spring/Summer/Fall should be much better and I’m way more open to camping this year. I really like the camper cabins that many of the Minnesota parks have. Haven’t stayed in one but might be easier than using a tent.
Getting back to camping has been on the my “to do” list for years now. Growing up, my family would go at least once a year and sometimes more often. But, I haven’t gone now in probably over a decade. It’s a shame too because there are some amazing places to camp in Northern California. The bad part about camping is that if you don’t have any gear, you might end up paying a fair amount of money out up front to get the stuff. Afterward, though, it really is a low cost getaway…and can be very relaxing too.
PFUtopia I agree with you about needing to shell out quite a bit to get started, but it definitely is cheaper once you have the gear/equipment. There are MANY awesome campgrounds in Minnesota that I haven’t been to, so definitely would like to start going more often.
Love the idea of renting a tent, especially with other friends who love the outdoors. My husband and are cutting back considerably this year so this could be an affordable option over travelling abroad.
TrendyCheapo I hear you. Travelling abroad is always a bit expensive because you can’t really get away from the high airfares. We’ve gone camping with some of our friends in the past and we’ve always had a good time and made great memories.
DC @ Young Adult Money TrendyCheapo I just realized I said rent a tent. Haha! I promise I’m not crazy I meant cabin… but renting out camping tents may be a lucrative business. Mmmm.
Taylor
TrendyCheapo DC @ Young Adult Money Haha I kept reading it and thinking “she had to have meant cabin…” because tents seem relatively affordable these days so I didn’t think you were planning on renting one – unless you are REALLY cutting back on the travel budget ;)
Growing up, we camped instead of staying in hotels when we drove across the country to visit family on either coast. I actually have a post brewing on this very topic for next week. :)