Great Outdoors Month, celebrated every June, is taking on greater importance this year. As America emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, parents are scrambling to reverse a huge in-crease in kids’ screen time. As reported in Psychology Today, a 2021 study found that children’s screen time increased by 4.8 hours per day. It also noted that three months after the initial lockdown, 37% of kids were still spending most of their awake time in front of their devices.

One way parents are reducing screen time is by taking the family camping or glamping. In a recent survey of 800 moms conducted for Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts, 95% of moms with camping or glamping experience said family members are less likely to engage in social media or other online activities while camping or glamping compared to when at home.

Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park is North America’s leading family camping and glamping chain, famous for pools, water slides, splashgrounds, jumping pillows, wagon rides, foam parties and interactions with Yogi Bear™ costumed characters. Jellystone Park has more than 75 franchised locations across the U.S. and Canada. Guests choose from a variety of camping and glamping accommodations.

• Three-quarters of moms who had camped or glamped said the variety of activities, such as swimming, arts and crafts, and games, as well as cooking together as a family, leave less time to spend on social media or the internet.
• Two-thirds said camping stimulates quality conversations between family members that overshadows the need to communicate with other people online. This, in turn, leads to better communication and feelings of connectedness between family members.

 

“The survey also found that right now moms really value vacations that go beyond just fun,” said Trent Hershenson, vice president of Marketing for Jellystone Park. “After the difficult year everyone has been through, parents are looking for ways to bring their families closer together, and camping does that better than any other type of trip.”

Last summer, approximately half of Jellystone Park guests were first time visitors, a trend which is continuing this year. The survey found that moms prefer camping and glamping over other types of vacations. Seventy percent said they are somewhat to very comfortable camping or glamping, compared with staying in a hotel room (62%).

Many campgrounds are reporting record reservations, with both new and experienced campers and RVers booking trips. Hershenson offers these five tips for first-timers:

1. Book soon. Campgrounds are filling up, especially on weekends. Consider a midweek stay or a fall or Halloween trip if you can’t get a summer reservation.

2. Select the right campground for your family. Are you looking to “rough it,” or do you want more of a glamping experience with activities and attractions?

3. Research the available accommodation options at the campground. From tent and RV sites to luxe cabins, treehouses and yurts, today’s campgrounds offer a wide array of choices.

4. Determine if pets are allowed. Before you make a reservation, you need to know whether pets are allowed at the campground and if so, what documentation, if any, is needed.

5. Consider renting an RV for your stay. Many dealerships rent RVs and some campgrounds have them set up and available for rent. RVshare is a peer-to-peer RV rental platform similar to Airbnb.

 

More tips here: https://www.campjellystone.com/top-tips/

 

About the Survey
More than 800 moms and their kids ages six to 12 were surveyed by Touchstone Research, a full service, global marketing research and consumer insights firm that specializes in youth and family research. The survey’s margin of error is ± 3.4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. It was completed April 24, 2021.

 

About Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park™ Camp-Resorts
Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park is North America’s leading family camping and glamping destination, famous for providing guests with attractions such as pools, water slides, and splash grounds; activities including jumping pillows, wagon rides, and foam parties; fun-filled theme weekends such as Chocolate Lovers Weekend and Halloween Spooktacular Weekends; and interactions with Yogi Bear costumed characters. Jellystone Park guests can choose from a variety of accommodation options including premium cabins, yurts, deluxe RV sites, and traditional tenting campsites. There are more than 75 Jellystone Park locations in the U.S. and Canada. For more information, visit www.jellystonepark.com and www.jellystonefranchise.com.

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Contact:
Brad Ritter, Ritter Communications
BRitter@bradritter.com
740.815.1892