People tend to think of state and national parks when talking about outdoor travel, but there are other locations besides parks you can visit in the U.S. to have an outdoor adventure. We’ll share with you a few benefits and ways to enjoy the great outdoors without overspending your budget.
Why People Don’t Use the Time They Have Earned
Many Americans spend a great amount of time working and not enough time taking a break. In fact, an American can spend as much as 13.2 years working and only 328 days socializing. The average American can also spend up to 4 hours scrolling through social media each week. 2021 saw Americans using Facebook for approximately 33 minutes, Instagram for 29 minutes, and TikTok 32 minutes daily.
However, not many Americans manage to enjoy much time off. In fact, 28 million Americans actually don’t get any paid vacation or holidays.
Why exactly are so many Americans not taking time off? Some say it’s because they fear being replaced at work, others put it down to a heavy workload and many say it’s because planning travel can be too stressful.
Outdoor Exploration: A New Way to Explore for Many
There is no time better than now to embrace the outdoors, especially considering the many benefits it brings to us. This includes:
- Reducing stress
- Improving memory
- Boosting cognitive function
- Strengthening your overall well-being
- Creating lasting memories with friends and family
- Balancing our modern, connected lives
- Reconnecting with nature
- Providing learning opportunities for both kids and adults
The best part is that planning an outdoor adventure is easy. There’s no need to fuss over booking flights, stress about catching your flight, worry about getting infected or experiencing shutdowns, and agonise over finding activities or places that are children and pet-friendly.
One of the positive things that came out of 2020 was an increase in popularity for camping. In America, 86.1 million households were campers while 2 million households camped for the first time that year.
An interesting thing is that interest in camping increased across the generations. Most of the lifelong campers came from Gen X, but at least 26% of first-time campers were Millennials.
Outdoor Adventure Options
Although traveling outdoors sounds exciting for many, some don’t commit due to budget concerns. The great news is that there is an outdoor adventure for everyone and for every budget.
Tent camping is a great option for budget-conscious individuals who also want to stay close to nature. You can choose a rugged site or opt for more amenities. It can cost anywhere from $0 to US $30 a day, along with US $138 for basic equipment.
An RV road trip is a convenient option for families who want to go on long trips. You can choose either a small RV for easy travel or go larger for more luxury. The cost can usually range between US $150 and US $850 per day.
A glamping getaway is a great choice for new or intimidated campers because it combines the ease of a hotel-like stay with easy access to nature. These kinds of outdoor trips can cost anywhere between $50 and US $3,000 each day, but it’s a great way to figure out how you would like to experience the outdoors next time.
Outdoor exploration is a great way to take a break from the monotony of our digital lives that you can experience with the whole family. It offers fun activities like hiking, fishing, swimming, bird watching, and singing around a campfire. Families can also choose to stay at a resort for fun amenities like ziplines, climbing, pools, lazy rivers, waterslides, and outdoor movies. Or you can go visit nearby attractions such as water parks and theme parks or have fun sightseeing, whitewater rafting, and playing miniature golf. The possibilities are endless.
With outdoor adventures, you can spend less time feeling stressed booking flights, reserving hotels, or finding rental cars to use and more time enjoying what nature has to provide.
