My First Camping Trip

When I was invited by TravelingMom to this event, I said yes, immediately, but had second thoughts, since I had never been camping, I never even thought about trying it! A hot shower, air conditioner, and no bugs are my idea of a great trip, which, in my mind, did not line up with the word “Camping”. It certainly matches up with the term “glamping” with places such as north east glamping lodges, as well as similar others, available for those who like a bit more luxury when they ‘camp’, however, that was not to be this time. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to unplug, which I never do on my trips! Well, this experience changed my mind so much that I will be reaching out to repeat the experience before the summer is over or maybe early fall! In fact, I’ve been browsing the Botanex website to source my own camping essentials already. Are you curious? Let’s start!

We arrived at KOACamping Campground in Mystic, CT and were greeted with a smile and courtesy often missed in the large hotels!

I was sooo excited to see the gorgeous DeLuxe Cabins – beautifully crafted wooden cabins with all the comfort I love – sitting in a beautiful location with many camping tents and RVs all around! It was amazing to see. You often hear a lot about vacations happening in motorhomes and RVs. One of the popular road trip ideas often involves jumping into a motorhome and taking the family on the road to visit a national park or see America’s most famous landmarks. I always thought it would cost a fortune to buy a motorhome or RV since some of these vehicles often look like mansions on wheels, but apparently, there are financing options available to those who want to buy a motorhome. It’s pretty exciting when you think about it, but I preferred the DeLuxe Cabin we had on this trip. We were welcomed with a beautiful basket with camping essentials and my favorites: Local Happy Camper wine bottles and Cabin Fever Whiskey!

We visited Mystic Seaport on our first day before the other members arrived, so we could explore the campground together! As a Latina, it was great, hearing about the immigrants and all the history shared in there! We loved the cruise along the bay and all the ships’ histories and the beautiful homes!

Our first dinner brought all that camping camaraderie and good old friendly atmosphere that we sometimes miss in our busy city lives! Omaha Steaks offered a delicious dinner on the grill with steaks, burgers and hot dogs, paired with baked potatoes and salad! Soooo good!

There was a Bonfire afterwards! All the children and adults gathered around the fire to make S’mores! Best part of the night, my son disappeared to play with the other kids and left his cellphone (a first) with us! We read up on some camping safety tips before the trip from a site like entrepreneurshiplife.com, so we were confident with him going off on his own.

We also visited the HemlockHill RV model parked in front of our cabin and our meeting point for the next few days! After seeing how spacious and comfortable the Highland Ridge Roamer was, it made me want to repeat the experience, but driving one next time! I’m definitely ready to #GORving in the near future!
GoRVing.com is a website where you can search campgrounds nationwide, check out all kinds of RVs and park model cabins and find the perfect camping trip for your family. It is also a website for all-things-camping with tips on what to bring, when to go and even road-trip games for the kids. It also campers find the perfect campground, RV rental agents or dealers, packing tips, sample itineraries and even campfire recipes.

So hard to pin point the best part, but definitely being able to unplug (not one attempt to open my laptop!) and seeing my son totally immersed in the camping experience, playing and enjoying his time there with everybody, was a highlight for me! I’m now a firm believer that camping is not only an awesome experience, but also a great way to have children connect back to living a healthy life! After all, Healthy Kids = Happy Parents.

Nature Deficit Disorder is the result of children spending too much time with technology and not enough time in nature resulting in a range of emotional and physical issues. Here is a link: http://www.education.com/topic/nature-deficit-disorder/

We all saw how quickly children adapt to camping and love the experience. It’s in our DNA to be in nature – and yet so many of us spend so little time there. Camping is an easy, affordable and fun way to give kids (and grownups too) that much-needed time for taking in the fresh air, nature hikes, starry nights and the sounds of crickets lulling you to sleep.

I had the pleasure of meeting this Hispanic Family from Puerto Rico, who come every year! Laura told me that her parents came straight from PR to enjoy the KOA Campground for two weeks with them! Something they look forward to every year! She also showed me all her friends who were camping nearby and how much it is growing among the Hispanic Population! It was great to be able to speak Spanish and learn their camping favorites and tips! I was even invited to Taco night at her tent!

Next Day we spent exploring the campground and visited the Mystic Aquarium in the afternoon! Such a hands on experience! My son truly enjoyed petting an alligator! A first for him!

So many great memories, like our last dinner with hubby’s guitar over La Bamba, tacos and margaritas, which made this Latina, muy feliz! Our last bonfire over rain, showing our joy in being there together until late hours!

Here are some Camping 101 – How to Get Started Tips:

• Rent an RV or park model cabin to try before you buy
• Choose the right campground (adventure, family-friendly, eco-conscious, wilderness, rustic to luxury, etc.)
• Get the kids involved in planning the trip
• Start local – stay at a campground within a few hours of home

On the last day, we were not ready to say good bye, we were already planning our next trip! We finished our visit enjoying a community father’s day pancake breakfast!

This experience was life transforming and we’ll definitely be sharing new camping adventures, hopefully on board of an RV next time!

Have you ever been camping? Give us a Trendy Shout!