Erik and I were talking about why we like our car camping experiences so much. We realized that maybe we like them because we become college students again when we go camping.  We stop worrying about fussing around with the minutiae of our lives and we just enjoy the adventure. We also talk very little about money and are satisfied eating simple, bland meals because it enables us to also find amazing cheap eats in new places.

When you are camping you can sleep in and lounge in bed while your kids play on and around you.  You can straggle out of bed with messy hair and let your child play in the dirt in her pajamas. There is something very appealing about returning to a simple life style.

Breakfasts can be lavish, simple or out of the ordinary.  We find ourselves eating lumberjack breakfasts, followed by a breakfast of fruit.

Your car becomes a collection ground for sticks, rocks, and garbage.  But most importantly, your car holds all of your required possessions.  There is no need for storage space full of stuff you may be using.

The above description may sound very college-student like, but I have to confess that we realized that part of the appeal of road trips for us is that we get to find fun new coffee houses to lounge in.  Now, before I continue with this thought I don’t want to scare you, by saying that we do camp off the beaten path and hike and explore interesting places, but part of what we enjoy about being on vacation is the time that we can take to just sit and enjoy each other.  For some reason, Cora really takes to this on trips and we can enjoy small luxuries like drinking coffee and reading the newspaper while she drinks her frothed milk.

Isn’t traveling about doing things that are different than your usual life?

Heidi