Are you looking for some inexpensive and family-friendly ways to spend time with your family this season? Learn tips to plan an amazing vacation in your own backyard.
Have you heard of the Daytime Emmy Award-winning series Rock the Park? The show celebrates the National Park Service’s 100 years of conservation and historic preservation of America’s national parks.
On the series, Jack Steward and Colton Smith, the co-hosts and best friends, tap into America’s love affair with national parks, taking viewers on a journey to some of the most awe-inspiring places on Earth.
I recently had the opportunity to interview Jack and Colton. I asked them each to share their favorite “tips to plan an amazing vacation in your own backyard.”
10 Tips To Plan An Amazing Vacation In Your Own Backyard
Here are their answers in the third post from my series tips for families visiting national parks:
1. Close your eyes and point. Point to a spot on the map and go! Sometimes a spontaneous adventure is the best adventure.
2. Go off the beaten path. Take the backroads! You can go off the beaten path even in your car. Getting there is half the fun, right?!
3. Camp! Camping is a great way to experience nature in a more profound way. Plus, it creates priceless memories!
4. Try something new! If you’ve never gone whitewater rafting before, give it a shot! Life is about expanding your horizons and nature is the perfect place to do just that.
5. Go with the flow! Part of the fun of exploring is giving yourself the option to change your plans.
6. Explore the unfamiliar. Go somewhere you haven’t been before; even if it’s nearby, exploring an unfamiliar place will give you that sense of adventure, making it feel like you’re quite far from home.
7. Camp in style: If you’re not backpacking, camp in luxury. Bring a big comfy tent, supplies to cook a great meal and chairs to sit on around the fire. The outdoors can be adventurous but it can also be relaxing. If you can, use the trip to take a deep breath, kick your feet up and take it easy.
8. Have a mission: Every park, state or national, has something unique about it. Do some research and find the owl or eagle that inhabits your location. Try to spot it while you’re there!
9. Bring a guitar and make s’mores: It may seem funny but some of the best memories you can create take place around the campfire. Plan meals and activities for around the fire and make some memories.
10. Take pictures: Document your trip just like it was any other. Exploring close to home tends to make us feel calmer and safer. Take advantage of that feeling. Looking back at pictures after time has passed is a great way to reaffirm you don’t need to travel far to find adventure.
About Jack Steward, Colton Smith, and Rock the Park
Jack Steward and Colton Smith, the co-hosts and best friends, tap into America’s love affair with national parks, taking viewers on a journey to some of the most awe-inspiring places on Earth.
Jack and Colton are experts and can help families across the country plan for an amazing vacation in their own backyard! The importance of family-friendly programming and how a show like Rock the Park appeals to viewers of all ages.
Jack Steward: Twitter | Instagram
Colton Smith: Twitter | Instagram
Rock the Park: Twitter | YouTube | Hulu | Netflix
Find more of my Netflix recommendations here.
More Posts for Families Visiting National Parks:
- 10 ways to embrace the America’s national parks
- 10 off the beaten path hikes
- top 10 camping and hiking essentials
- 10 must-see natural wonders
- 10 tips to plan an amazing vacation in your own backyard
Have you discovered a local jewel lately?
[…] 10 Tips To Plan An Amazing Vacation In Your Own Backyard […]