Here at Get Lost Travel Vans, we think camping is the best way to spend your vacation in Alaska! Getting outside has health benefits and cost savings, not to mention it’s just more fun to sit around a campfire at night and reminisce about your day of adventure! Here are a few reasons you should think about a camping trip for your next vacation.

It’s good for you

Being outside even for just a few minutes has measurable positive effects on your health. It increases Vitamin D levels, lowers blood pressure, and reduces inflammation. It improves sleep, burns calories, and reduces chronic pain.

The benefits of being outdoors are more than just physical, too: Outdoor recreation increases happiness and relieves stress, anxiety and depression. It improves concentration, boosts creativity, and boosts life satisfaction and well-being. (This article from Tripoutside has more info, and links to all the studies.)

It’s more cost effective

This one we’ve discussed in a few other articles, and it’s still relevant now: camping is cheaper than staying in a hotel! (And when you’ve got a campervan, it’s not even less luxurious!) A night in a campground can range from $10 to $40+. Compare that to a hotel room which, at the peak of a busy Alaskan summer, can run close to $400! Plus, in a campervan, you’ve got your rental car, hotel room and meals all rolled into one! Check out this article for how renting a camper van can help you save some dough on your vacation.

It’s socially distant

These days, the risks associated with COVID-19 are the determining factor in many of our activities, and fortunately camping is one of those safe activities. Most people go camping to get away from the crowds, and every campsite in a National Park or National Forest, and even in many private campgrounds, is already more than 6 feet away from its neighbors.

A sweet irony of camping, though, is that even when you go to get away from people, you also have instant camaraderie with your fellow campers. You already know that you share some values: love for the outdoors and appreciation for the natural world, so it’s easy to strike up a conversation about those things. It’s a way to stay socially distant and also be connected with each other.

Unplugging is important, especially now

Even though our smartphones and zoom apps are what’s keeping us connected these days, it’s still just as important—if not more so—to disconnect every once in a while, and to remember that the world is so much bigger than the width of our screens.

Fortunately, Alaska makes it easy to disconnect—this is a big place, with lots of wilderness, and those places don’t always have cell service. You’ll still be able to connect when you’re in a town, but as soon as you leave, you’ll have to set aside your connection to social media, and replace it with a new connection to natural world.

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Convinced yet? Camping really is the best way to see Alaska! If you’re ready, book your camper van now and start planning your trip!

Got more questions? We’ve got answers! Check out this article for some inspiration, this article for some planning tips, this article for what to pack, or give us a call and ask!