“Happy campers” might be more than a cliché ...
Photo by: Julie Perron (Stock Exchange)

Here on AllCampgrounds, we’ve taken plenty of tent camping and RV adventures in camp grounds throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Though we don’t go overseas much, now is a great time to point out the camping craze that’s hit our good friends over in the United Kingdom. In fact, an international camping outfit called The Camping and Caravanning Club – which offers member benefits to locals and campers from afar, very much like our own camping associations here in the States – is a major player in the new craze and has some things to say about camping that just might surprise you!

During the big budget debacle here in America, camp grounds have been one of the precious resources that some politicians have been asking us to do without. But over on the other side of the pond, there’s been explosive growth in both tent camping and RV (“caravaning”) over the last two years. In fact, The Caravan and Camping Club, which has over half a million members, has just published research arguing that camping makes you happier and “richer.” You can browse their conclusions at Real Richness, part of their official website, or truck down to Cambridge News for a summary. (Female First online magazine offers even more details and anecdotes from the study.)

The numbers are telling. About 90% of campers surveyed believe that camping can make you happier and healthier, and half feel that it’s so good for your mental health, it ought to be prescribed. While there’s no evidence (yet!) that camping makes you “richer” in the material sense, there’s a lot of good support for the idea that campers can lead a fuller and more satisfying life – whether you prefer RV camp grounds or tent camping. And all of this comes hot on the heels of some separate research by a local leisure retailer, suggesting that camping will continue to grow in the UK.

Now, all of this raises a question: is there something special about the UK that makes folks over there enjoy and appreciate camping more? No! Camping season actually tends to be a little bit shorter in Britain, and needless to say, there’s much less space for them to spread out. So, next time you want to encourage friends and family to head to the great outdoors, just let them know that they might be better off in the long run if they do! Let’s just call this “Camping for Everyone: Happy People.” Speaking of our signature series, Camping for Everyone will be back soon! We’ll also be tent camping in our top five “beginner” parks, in our continuing work to get the word out on camping. See you then!