A new study shows campers are turning back the clock to a simpler time when they need an RV getaway. The Campspot (Re)Creation Vacation trend report suggests more modern travelers are flocking towards destinations that were popular in the Eighties. For those wondering what’s driving back traffic and time to popular ’80s destinations, the trend is motivated by travelers wanting to reconnect with a past that the remember as a happier time.
Why the ’80s Are Making a Comeback
The return to nostalgia is rooted in recreating memories that today’s travelers were able to build in their own childhood. Among the respondents, 88 percent of all travelers – which increases to 94 percent of Gen Z and 93 percent of Millennials — say they wish they could escape today’s world for a simpler time. Seventy-seven percent said they miss the simplicity of childhood. Seventy-two percent say their wish for simpler times will dictate where they travel to in 2025. More than half said they would gladly give up a week’s salary to go back in time and relive a childhood camping experience.
Nostalgia, however, does have a price. The wish to return back to our comfort zones will cost a little more in 2025 than it did in 1984. National Park Service average costs 40 years ago were between $6 and $15 in today’s money. Now, getting into a national park will cost you as much as $35 per person.
But it’s not just getting away that’s driving the return to favorite childhood destinations. In the group, 80 percent said it’s important to recreate some of the simple joys from their youth for their children and grandchildren. Seventy-eight percent say it’s important to pass on the traditions of camping to the next generation. The top skills they want to pass down including building a fire and cooking over it, along with fishing.
And Those Popular ’80s Destinations Are …
So, where are today’s nostalgia-minded travelers going? In the West, Yellowstone, Yosemite, and the Grand Canyon are among the top three destinations for campers. In the Midwest, Michigan is the top place to visit, with travelers going back to Mackinac Island and Sleeping Bear Dunes. The Everglades are the top spot in the South, as travelers flock back to Miami. Gatlinburg, Tennessee and Mammoth Cave, Kentucky are also tops on the list. And in the Northeast, travelers are taking their families back to Bar Harbor, Maine, Lake George, New York, and Boston, Massachusetts.
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