Search over 1.4 million articles by over 600 experts
  1. Home
  2. Travel
  3. Family Vacations

More from About.com

Browse Topics A-Z

Awesome Affordable Summer Holidays

By Teresa Plowright, About.com

8 of 9

Family Camping

Camping is surely the most affordable type of summer holiday-- yes, there is that initial outlay for tent and sleeping bags (and the annual expenses for new sleeping bags when your kids lose the old ones at sleepovers.) But even those purchases can be minimized, if you shop around for deals.

Also: gear has improved so much. Tents have multiple rooms and vestibules (-handy areas outside the main room, great for storing stuff.) Self-inflating air-mattresses can be found at any bigbox store. Mini-barbeques can be bought for a song.

And you can (probably) bring the dog along! Now that's family camping.

By the way: family camping may be a low-cost type of summer holiday, but it's one of the richest, in making memories. Something about being away from the computers and tv screens, sitting around a campfire in the dark, or even Keystone-Kops antics trying to get the tent up and the fire lit-- adds up to priceless together-time.

  • See tips and advice for Family Camping- including how to locate campgrounds; and bonus, a great quote about camping from suave cat Garfield
  • see also alternatives such as camping resorts where family camping meets resort-style amenities (and you can even rent a bungalow)

8 of 9

  1. Home
  2. Travel
  3. Family Vacations
  4. More Great Places to Go
  5. Seasons
  6. Summer Vacations!
  7. Family Camping

©2008 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.