The Surprising New Trend in American Travel is a Very Old One: Camping
Millennials get a lot of flak for their seeming obsession with selfies, smartphones and third wave coffee. But they've also got a serious love of nostalgia and are largely responsible for the comeback of old-school trends like vinyl, bourbon and, apparently, camping.
As Travel Pulse reports, a recent Kampgrounds of America (KOA) survey has concluded that more Americans are going camping than ever before. And no, we're not talking about "glamping" in style in Antarctica or "champing" in an historic church in England. We're talking about good, old-fashioned, roasting-marshmallows-over-the-campfire camping.
According to the KOA study, approximately 37 million American households went camping last year — with nearly a third of those campers making it a regular activity by spending a night under the stars on at least three occasions. Half of the campers surveyed said that they anticipate doing even more camping in 2017 — savvy travelers should plan trips to coincide with one of the days where America's national parks (many of which include areas for camping) offer free admission, or consider venturing farther north where Canada's allowing free entry to all its national parks through Dec. 31, 2017, when you sign up for a Discovery Pass.
So what does all of this have to do with millennials? Well, they make up a big part of the group that loves to travel to the great outdoors — and they also tend to travel in packs. Of all the groups surveyed, millennials are most fond of camping in groups of 10 or more and 51 percent said they plan to camp more this year, which could provide a great boon to the industry. Also of note: the study found that 95% of campers (of all ages) bring along technology, with more than half of them saying access to Wi-Fi plays a part in where they choose to set up camp. It's a trend that's likely to continue, as 90% of teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 said they planned to camp as adults. And while those same teens do update their social media statuses while camping, half of them said that the ability to disconnect from technology was one of their favorite reasons for going camping. Change our status to: Surprised.
H/T: Travel Pulse
TPG featured card
at Bilt's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 1X | Choose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee |
| 2X | Earn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases |
Pros
- Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
- Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
- $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
- $200 Bilt Cash annually
- Priority Pass membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
- Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.