Campers Are Using Technology To Get Back To Nature

MOAB, Utah - Feb. 27, 2017 - PRLog -- The advertisements for camping gear always seem to show an RV parked in a wide open landscape or a lone tent tucked into the forest. Why is the camping experience more often a crowded campground among noisy neighbors? Why is it so hard to find these beautiful places where all the ads are shot?

"It's unprofitable to build a campground that only serves a few campers, so no one does that. Unfortunately, that's exactly what many of us want when we go camping," says Jenn Abel, founder of Free Campsites. Undeterred, Jenn set to work cataloging these hidden gems.

She is building a directory of 'boondocking' locations where self-sufficient campers can camp completely free. This list is supplemented by small campgrounds with basic services where you can often get a hot shower and electric hookups for less than the cost of breakfast. Thousands of campers work together to help find these 'primitive' campsites. Ironically, they are using smart phones and the internet to do it.

As smart phones have made their way into daily life and cellular service has begun to reach out into the wilderness, travel planning tools are coming along for the ride. The Free Campsites technology allows campers to find locations using their phone's GPS, searching near a city or as stops along a planned route. After finding a campsite, the platform allows travelers to share with others by leaving reviews and photos. Some enthusiastic campers are even posting blog and vlog entries. These reviews combine to provide an amazing depth of information for non-commercial campsites.

The Free Campsites project is helping all sorts of travelers: graduates on a road trip, retirees in solar-powered RVs and even foreign tourists. They're all working together to define a camping experience that's dominated by natural beauty rather than proximity to a highway.

"The most rewarding part of this project has been the success stories. I love hearing from kids that spent their summer traveling the country. When someone tells me they've traveled a year without paying for a campground, I know we're doing something right," Jenn Abel said.


About

Free Campsites is the largest directory of free and low cost campgrounds on the web. The community provides reviews and photos of the campgrounds, making Free Campsites the most up-to-date free camping resource available. The application is free, mobile friendly and uses your phone's GPS to show nearby camping, making it ideal for loosely planned road trips and last minute stops.