Family Vacation: Camping in an RV

Our cabin - and the car that got us there

Growing up with 3 siblings, a stay-at-home mother and a father who didn’t make much money, camping was what we often did for vacation. We had a pop-up trailer that we used for a couple of cross country trips and my summer camp had cabins, but we took overnight hikes with tents.

But the RV experience was totally new to me. For those who have no experience with RVs, GoRVing.com is a great website for all-things-camping with tips on what to bring, when to go and even road-trip games for the kids.

The kitchen in our park model RV

My family got to try a ‘park model’ RV, a cabin that theoretically could move, since it was on wheels, at the Mystic KOA in Stonington, Connecticut. But it looked like a cabin, with a wooden porch, and porch swing, a patio with Adirondack chairs and a tricked out interior with a full kitchen, plumbing, air conditioning and flat screen TV.

Bunk beds!

OK, so the Wi-Fi was spotty. But this was nothing like the camping I did as a child, with a thin sleeping bag and a shovel for a bathroom.

Yet it still was a great way to celebrate the outdoors. Some may deride this as camping light, but I prefer to think of this as inclusive camping. Sure, you can stay in a tent if you want (and plenty of people do -  it is cheaper) but if you like having a hot shower, a comfortable bed and AC, you are welcome too.

Best perk of an RV - an actual toilet!

The park models sleep six, with a pull out couch, bunk beds, and bedroom - with a door - for the parents. I was supposed by how comfortable the queen sized bed was and how quiet it was in the woods. I am a city girl, used to sleeping with sirens, cars honking and people screaming. Here, all I heard was crickets. Ah, serenity.

The cabins are fully equipped with sheets, towels, dishes - even a Keurig coffee maker. No one makes your bed, and you only get fresh towels and linens once a week - but really, do you need fresh sheets daily? I am happy when a hotel lets me opt out of daily changes so I can conserve water, so I felt particularly virtuous about this greener way to vacation.

Breakfast - artisanal granola

We met a large family group that included some staying in cabins, some staying in tents, and some staying in RVs - but all having a great time.

For those who like to bring their pets on vacation, camping has another perk - dogs are welcome. The dog friendly campground had a special dog park where dogs could romp, and my dog loved walking from campsite to campsite, meeting other dogs and sniffing around the picnic tables where somebody just had to have dropped a morsel of meat.

Camping is so dog friendly that Karat got a welcome gift

We had a huge barbecue where everyone but my family chowed down on Omaha Steaks burgers, T-bones and ribs - but I have to say, the veggie burgers, also by Omaha Steaks, were delicious. Unlike many veggie burgers, these were able to stand up to the grill and they had a satisfying crunch (I thought it was quinoa, but it turned out to be sunflower seeds and brown rice). My husband also had a juicy salmon burger.

We ate and drank well throughout the weekend - Happy Camper Wine provided the appropriately named vino and Cabin Fever Whiskey a maple infused bourbon. We also had delicious granola from Henry Hudson Bakery. 

Nearby hiking trails - don't forget the tick medicine

The KOA campground, just outside Mystic, CT, is ideal for families. You can hop on 95 and tour Mystic Aquarium and Mystic Seaport during the day. We opted to hike from a trailhead right near the Foxwoods Resort Casino.

Veggie burger and kale salad - not your average camping fare

But you don’t even have to leave the campground to have fun. There are organized activities daily during the season, and the young, enthusiastic staff, much like camp counselors, were both personable and helpful. One noticed us trying to start a fire with inadequate kindling and ran off to bring some. There are outdoor movies on a giant screen, campfires with s’mores and wagon rides.

There is also a large pool, mini golf and bike rentals. We are already planning out next family camping trip.

Note: this is a sponsored post. Opinions expressed and family fun are my own.

Reading Material: saving money on vacation

If you are going on vacation, one of the best ways to save money is with ereader books. Once you make the initial outlay for the ereader, the books are much cheaper than hard covers.

Money savings are more significant, of course, for bigger readers, but even average readers who go on one or two vacations a year should save money pretty quickly.

Just a quick glance at Amazon's Kindle ereader books shows best sellers for less than 50% of list price. Kindle books include children’s books, fiction and nonfiction, and how-to’s.

Some ereaders, like the Nook and iPad also let you read magazines and newspapers on their devices.

Environmentalists may laud ereader books for saving paper, but the raw materials and energy used to make a tablet or ereader, plus the energy needed to charge the device, may negate those alleged environmental benefits.

You save further with ereader books when you are flying because your bags will weight less, and if you are the type to bring a couple of hard cover books on vacation, you save space. You might be able to avoid checked luggage fees and carry your bags on.

If you are the type of person who shares paper books, you might not be able to do so with ereader books. However, many libraries do loan these as well as paper books, so you can save money there, too.

Don't break the family vacation budget on on your books; save by going electronic.

Calgary Real Estate

Calgary, in Alberta, Canada, was the site of the 1988 Winter Olympics and
like other former Olympic venues, became a much bigger tourist destination after hosting the Olympics. Canada Olympic Park offers downhill and cross country skiing, luge and bobsled rides, and mountain bike rides in summer.

The city also attracts American retirees looking to stretch their retirement money. It is also a good place for second home buyers, particularly those who enjoy active vacations.

Calgary real estate offers value to American buyers, with a favorable exchange rate and a lot of inventory.

Calgary Realtors can help you negotiate an international purchase. One Calgary Realtor stays up to date with a blog, and provides clients with an iPad to take notes while house hunting.

Camping to see Family

When you calculate the cost of sending your child to camp, you have to include visiting day costs. And if you send her to a camp far away, you may have to spend the night, and either fly to camp or rent a car.

We have treated our camp visits as mini-no-family vacations, but the wonderful camp where my daughter goes is near B & B’s that don’t seem worth the cost. One year we had mold in the room, and another, our friends were yelled at for coming towards the end of breakfast time (I thought that 7-9 time was a range).
S
o last summer, we went camping. Aside from getting a tent for camping this made our stay virtually free. We paid $15 a night for the campsite, vs $200 for a B & B.

We had a basic camping tent which kept us protected from the morning dew. We brought egg crate mattresses to keep our ancient bones from feeling every stick and we slept relatively well.

And we got to eat breakfast at the excellent café at King Arthur Flour.

Once you buy your tent for camping you can use it over and over. Will I forsake the Four Seasons for camping?

Not likely, but I can certainly see using it for a yearly budget vacation, and putting the money saved towards a nice dinner.