Camping season 2008

The Official newsletter

from www.family-fun-camping.com

Issue # 7

May 2008

In this issue

1. Section 1: State VS. Private campgrounds
2. Section: 2 Searching for a campground
3. Section: 3 Frugal camping

Welcome to the seventh issue of around the campfire we are will be doing more with this monthly feature so please be patient, for now we are trying to get the basics done while providing you some Relevant information!

Please feel free to visit the site and use the contact us forms located on many pages to make a suggestion or comment.

When you start out camping you may be little confused about what the overall differences are between state campground and a private campground, This months ezine will help you get a better understanding of the pros and cons of each. Personally I like the private places how ever you do pay more and right now that is not something my family has the money for. I did some quick math this week and was shocked to discover it is now costing me over seven dollars more to fill my wifes mini van compared to just just March 2008! this is not a situation that looks like its getting any better so saving money anyway is a necessity. Now lets take a look at some of the key points each type of campground offers:

State Campgrounds

Pros

• Price on average the most cost effective choice
• Easy to find on the web on sites like www.ucampnh.com
• Listed on Reserve America with maps of the camping areas
• Safe and quite
• Most state campgrounds are located near area attractions

Cons

• Bathrooms some times are not the cleanest
• Not many activities for the kids on site
• Basic features for the sites
• Cabins may not be Available
• Level of service varies from place to place

Private Campgrounds

pros

• Most will have a camp store
• Larger sites with more amenities
• Better level of service
• Bath rooms are usually much cleaner
• Tend to be more RV friendly
• More likely to have activities for the kids

Cons

• Prices tend to be higher (not always)
• Some do not have a web site
• Reservation process may be phone only
• Rules can vary from place to place

Once you have weighed the pros and cons of both the private and the state campground its time to plan your camping trip so do not hesitate instead start planning now! visit our campsite slection page

Section II: Searching for a campground

the internet by far is the most used research tool available to the average person With this is mind realize that there over forty campground in just the New England area Without a website! We are working to help this situation with a free offer to campgrounds allowing them to have a basic page located on family fun camping so you will have Exclusive access to information about these campgrounds like rates, pictures and what ever Information they want to include. We are currently mailing out letters with this offer and hope to begin posting pages by the middle of June 2008.

We suggest until we can make this happen you stick with the reliable sites such www.Reserveamerica.com or check your local state home page for a section on campgrounds. I would like to alert you this year looks like it could be a busy camping season since people are not going to be able to afford the more expensive vacations like flying to Disney World or going cross country in a RV (diesel is over four dollars a gallon already!) so make sure you book a site in advance or you may find your self out of luck at the front gate of a campground.

Section III: How to camp Frugally

Section III: How to camp Frugally

Campers for years have known the simple truth that if you want to plan a cheap vacation staying at a bare bones state Park and tenting it will do the trick, with a little gear as a tent, sleeping bags, simple cookware and a stove you too can enjoy the simplicity of frugal camping. I am not saying you can't enjoy camping and bring more with you its just buying more equipment kind of takes away the whole cheap vacation piece. Their are many ways to save money with tent or even using a small RV such as

• buying food in bulk and sealing it in one meal bags
• limit the day trips and enjoy the free actives
• take a hike its free
• take a long nature walk free again
• play some games like hide and seek,Frisbee,card games
• take plenty of pictures of the kids and print them out for seasonal gifts later on
• go camping with another family and split the cost

I think at this point you can see how much you really can save lets face it the big theme parks may be great how ever most charge over fifty dollars per ticket per person ooh! Compare hiking with family and enjoying a nice dinner for fifty dollars that's a hundred fifty dollar savings for a family of four (just in one day). I am working two jobs and keeping up with my family makes me appraise what I have and more importantly how hard it is to earn, that’s why we look very carefully at what we spend money on so we can afford to take vacations and do special trips with the kids.

I have some equipment resources for you if you need to shop for some gear or project supplies:
New Products by the hundreds in Camping World's Spring Catalog! Camping world is a first class company providing quality gear at competitive prices.

DicksSportingGoods.com Dicks is a first class Sporting  Goods chain providing gear for almost every Sports or camping need.

Oriental Trading Company, Inc. Provides supplies for crafts,parties or what ever else fuels your imagination!