Adventure: 5 Reasons To Be "Camper People"
We are “camper people”.
My in-laws gave us their fifth wheel almost two years ago, and we have really been able to have some great adventures since then. I will be honest… I used to judge “camper people”. Honestly, I think it came from listening to my father as I was growing up. If it wasn’t something that he understood, liked, or did himself then it was wrong. I am starting to turkey trail…you can read about my past later on.
But we were gifted this trailer. And it has really allowed us to travel to places and do things that we would have never done in the first place.
Here are my top 5 reasons for traveling in a trailer:
1. It’s cheap! Not the trailer itself (although you can pay on that thing for years), but the actual spot that you pay for. We have stayed in some campgrounds, state parks etc. starting at $40 a night.
Friends, that includes your water and electricity hook ups. You cannot beat that when there are hotels that are charging you hundreds of dollars a night. What you would spend for one night in a hotel, you could have a taken a few camping trips to different locations.
2. It’s like home. Traveling with any small child (especially a toddler) can seem daunting, and make you never want to leave your house. Thankfully a RV is so much like a regular house, that you can stay pretty close to any routine that you may have. This includes nap times, feeding times, diaper changes, potty training…you name it. If we want our toddler to have a nap, we lay her down, while we enjoy a beer outside and play corn hole with friends.
3. Your trailer park neighbors are closer than your real neighbors. I think I have met my real neighbors maybe one time, and they are nice people. We aren’t anti-social, we just live in the country, so everyone keeps to themselves. But in a campground, you obviously are close to your neighbors, and we have never had a bad experience. Everyone is willing to help one another. Like the time we had a leak, and it was raining inside of our camper (rare occurrence). My husband ran to the guy next door (that we just met) asking for duct tape to stop the leak. Or the one neighbor that stopped us on our morning walk, to let us know how much they treasured their memories of camping with their younger children. And the best neighbors are when you go camping with friends. That’s when the all-day corn hole tournaments, followed by a BBQ style picnic happens. And of course, you can’t forget about roasting the s’mores, and telling stories around the bonfire.
4. It’s only YOUR germs. I remember the first time I stayed in a hotel after we had been on a few trips in the camper. I was taking a shower and I saw a teeny tiny hair…that was not mine. I immediately remembered there were people in this exact shower, doing God knows what, not more than 24 hours before me. I am not a germophobe, but at that moment I was grateful that in our camper, it is our germs only.
5. We have traveled more in two years than ever before. Let’s be real. It is so expensive to take a vacation. Between the accommodations, food, and gas (or flights) it can really rack up. And between our careers (teacher and a firefighter) we are not rolling in the dough by any means. But with having a camper, we are able to literally pick up and go! In your more popular destinations, like Yellowstone, it is going to take some time to plan your adventure. But for many places, you can book your spot from a month to a few weeks out. Many of the spots that we have stayed at, are not far from the activities and fun stuff nearby. You can have the best of both worlds by having your fun and saving money at the same time.
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