Why do we camp?

[GMFL]

Here’s my most resent blog post that answers a few questions on why we do what we do.
http://www.airforums.com/forums/blog...-we-camp-3056/

Why do you camp?

[moosetags]

We do it because we we can wake up in the morning in a place far from Santa Rosa Beach and still be at home in Lucy.


Brian

[GMFL]

Originally Posted by GMFL

Here’s my most resent blog post that answers a few questions on why we do what we do.
http://www.airforums.com/forums/blog...-we-camp-3056/

Why do you camp?

Ok, most of my blog post are about some cool MOD I’ve done or about a repair method I think might be helpful, but today I’m going to try and answer the Question.... Why do we Camp?

So, why do people camp? This is a complex question with many different answers. Some say because they love the outdoors, others the peace and quite, and some just love the nomadic lifestyle. For most of us, all the above apply, but I think for me there’s a couple reasons that I just recently uncovered.

I heard a story the other day about two people eating a meal together at a very fancy and expensive gourmet restaurant. One friend had invited the other to the meal and was super excited. The friend asked the guest during the meal, “Are you enjoying the food?” The premise of the question was they wanted to make sure the guest was having a good time. The Guest answered, “I’m enjoying you.” This answer reinforced that the time spent with others was more important than the food.
Here’s the moral. A gourmet meal with someone who is not pleasant to be around would be a Horrible meal. A cold hotdog with a interesting pleasent person would be an Incredible meal.

Enjoying Life is more about spending time with enjoyable people and less about the method for which you spend it. Being madly in love in Paris, TX sure beats the heck out of a lovers quarrel in Paris, France.

Have you ever sat and had an enjoyable conversation with a stranger from another campsite? Me too. Do you think you would have had that conversation with that same person outside the camping environment? Me either.
Why is this? Why is it that we will take time to converse with complete strangers from any variation of social-economic background while camping when we otherwise would not even acknowledge their existence. Is it the common interest, environment, boredom...
I think in some strange way camping increases our vulnerability to social interaction, it increases curiosity, our desire for discovery. Camping puts our mind at ease, relaxes us, gives us the desire to absorb our surroundings and environment instead of blocking them out.

So, Why do we camp? My answer is all of the reasons previously mentioned above, love of the outdoors, peace and quite, being nomadic, but my main reason is it allows me to isolate myself with people I enjoy spending time with. It provides me with the ability to focus on those enjoyable relationships without many of the distractions I would have otherwise. Camping in our Airstream allows me to reclaim what the world so often steals. Quality time with people who are enjoyable me. Our Beloved Airstream is our method, but it’s not why we camp.

Why do you camp?

[Fly at Night]

I'm running away from, or running to?

Haven't quite figured that one out yet.

[az-streamer]

‘Nuf said.

[PKI]

We don't camp, we travel. The shiny is a way to comfortably take our pups and go where we have not gone before. The support of those on the forum helps considerably with the success of our travels.

What gets us out? Something we want to do. It's an adventure! Hope to see you out there. Pat

[jaybauman]

After several fly-somewhere-interesting-and-do-fun-things vacations, we wanted to show the kids that there is a lot more to our great country than the insides of airports and cold, sterile hotel rooms. Now we can see even more fun places and enjoy the "commute" to get there as well. As an added bonus, since we feel we need to maximize the usage of our tenement on wheels, I'm finding that we are taking a lot more vacations and road trips--even if just for a long weekend. The wife loves it. The kids love it. What could be better? Maybe the better question should be "why doesn't everybody camp?"

[duncans]

I ask myself "why did I ever leave?" every time we are returning home. We live in a wonderful home on a farm with a 7 acre treed "park" along a rocky creek with 2 swimming holes...I guess it is 1) to remove myself from the daily upkeep 2) see new things, taste someone else's cooking (although we rarely eat out) 3) see how other people live / lived 4) return home with refreshed eyes that appreciate our blessed daily life.

[debbietaylor]

We camp for a few reasons. There is something very appealing about trying to be as comfortable as possible with as little as possible. We also love the adventure of a road trip. Going someplace we haven't been before. Being in the moment without life's frequent distractions. Together. Novelty. Waking up early and seeing the first sun on a mountain peak. Seeing moose, bear, bald eagles and other wildlife. Never imagined I would love this so much but I do!

Originally Posted by GMFL

Ok, most of my blog post are about some cool MOD I’ve done or about a repair method I think might be helpful, but today I’m going to try and answer the Question.... Why do we Camp?

So, why do people camp? This is a complex question with many different answers. Some say because they love the outdoors, others the peace and quite, and some just love the nomadic lifestyle. For most of us, all the above apply, but I think for me there’s a couple reasons that I just recently uncovered.

I heard a story the other day about two people eating a meal together at a very fancy and expensive gourmet restaurant. One friend had invited the other to the meal and was super excited. The friend asked the guest during the meal, “Are you enjoying the food?” The premise of the question was they wanted to make sure the guest was having a good time. The Guest answered, “I’m enjoying you.” This answer reinforced that the time spent with others was more important than the food.
Here’s the moral. A gourmet meal with someone who is not pleasant to be around would be a Horrible meal. A cold hotdog with a interesting pleasent person would be an Incredible meal.

Enjoying Life is more about spending time with enjoyable people and less about the method for which you spend it. Being madly in love in Paris, TX sure beats the heck out of a lovers quarrel in Paris, France.

Have you ever sat and had an enjoyable conversation with a stranger from another campsite? Me too. Do you think you would have had that conversation with that same person outside the camping environment? Me either.
Why is this? Why is it that we will take time to converse with complete strangers from any variation of social-economic background while camping when we otherwise would not even acknowledge their existence. Is it the common interest, environment, boredom...
I think in some strange way camping increases our vulnerability to social interaction, it increases curiosity, our desire for discovery. Camping puts our mind at ease, relaxes us, gives us the desire to absorb our surroundings and environment instead of blocking them out.

So, Why do we camp? My answer is all of the reasons previously mentioned above, love of the outdoors, peace and quite, being nomadic, but my main reason is it allows me to isolate myself with people I enjoy spending time with. It provides me with the ability to focus on those enjoyable relationships without many of the distractions I would have otherwise. Camping in our Airstream allows me to reclaim what the world so often steals. Quality time with people who are enjoyable me. Our Beloved Airstream is our method, but it’s not why we camp.

Why do you camp?

[redhat200]

Experiencing our beautiful country . Dreams of Adventure. Sharing this experience with family & Friends. Traveling through life at a slower pace . The surprise has been the wonderful people we have met on this journey. And the unbelievable Airsteam community. Passionate and beautiful people. Safe travels to all. See you down the road.

[TRizzuti]

I enjoy camping because it reminds me of the freedom I had as a youngster in the fifties. The kids I see in campgrounds run all over the place without helicopter parents. Not so in towns where they walk all over the place oblivious of their surroundings, tuned into their phones.

Last year we camped beside a young couple with a six or seven year old little girl. Suddenly, the girl started yelling Momma, Momma, I love camping, I love camping.

The year before I watched a young father teaching his five year old boy how to ride his bike without training wheels. The first day, the father held onto the back of the seat and walked alongside his son. The second day he ran along his son. By the third day, the boy was slapping his father’s hand off the seat and riding faster than his dad could run. By the fourth day the kid was riding all over the campground with no father in sight.

These things are a joy that remind me of the good ol days.

[PCJ]

We used to count the # of nights in a year, but now that we're full time my camping friends said that now it's just living. But for all the reasons that many have you already listed.
Blessings

[J. Morgan]

We started camping because we lived part of the year in one state and part of the year in another. That was about five years ago.

Now we have our brick and mortar house rented out, and we spend our time between three states and have been full timing since the beginning of April.

I like it more than I should.

Today, me and the pups are just chilling in basecamp New Mexico.....

[banderabob]

Originally Posted by PKI

We don't camp, we travel. The shiny is a way to comfortably take our pups and go where we have not gone before. The support of those on the forum helps considerably with the success of our travels.

What gets us out? Something we want to do. It's an adventure! Hope to see you out there. Pat

I’m with PKI. Jan calls it camping, but I was never a camper growing up, just wasn’t in the family genes. Streaming to me is traveling to old favorite spots as well as new ones, seeing the country at ground level, and enjoying nature and other Streamers. It’s too urban to be camping, but it ain’t glamping either. It also allows me to go places where I might not go for lack of accommodations.

[TouringDan]

I like the answer that it is an adventure. We have had an Airstream about 20 years but before that, we had a VW camper van and before that we camped in tents. Our kids used to ask us why we couldn’t stay in a motel like normal people. My answer to them was that we might as well just stay home. I want something different than home. I don’t want complete control of my environment. I want to travel but I want adventure in my travel and I enjoy the challenge of camping. I want to be comfortable camping but I don’t need or want complete control of my environment like I have at home.

It is not about the Airstream. I still love to tent camp in my car and do quite a bit of that during the school year since my wife is still teaching. I just love to travel to new or familiar places and love to camp- tent or In the Airstream.

Dan

[TouringDan]

Tent camping in Florida in February to go kayaking or Airstream camping in downtown Raleigh to attend a music festival. It’s all good!

Dan

[sallye]

We camp because it allows us to take our dogs along. I naively thought it would be less work that moving from one hotel room to another. It's actually more work. But even the hotels that allow dogs don't want you to leave them in the room during the day. With a trailer, you can pretty much do what you want. Take them with you, or leave them in the trailer.


And it's nice to have the outdoors right at your door, not down the hallway after an elevator ride.

[Overstreet]

We "camp" because the route is too far to paddle in one day.

We reside in the Airstream because it is more comfortable than hotels and dog friendly. The dog needs a place to stay while we are kayaking. I have a real difficult time calling staying in the AS "camping".

[Halford1]

I camp because the campground is there.

[Mollysdad]

I don't think of it as 'camping', I think 'traveling'.
I usually want to see a destination, and so I don't stay along the way much.