I've taken my kids, 6 and 12, on dozens of camping trips. I enjoy them more than traditional vacations.

• My husband and I didn't grow up camping but started doing it with our family in 2020.
• Since then, we've gone on over two dozen trips with our kids.

When it comes to a family vacation, there is nothing I love more than cramming our SUV with various gear, driving away from our house in the middle of the city, pitching a tent, and sleeping on the ground next to my entire family. The sleep is often mediocre, we all end up smelling a bit ripe by the time we leave, but the time away together surpasses any other travel experience.

In the fall of 2020, during the height of pandemic hobby acquisition, our family of four set out on our first car camping trip. It's now three years later, and in the time since, we've been on over two dozen camping trips. Despite being woefully ignorant about camping when we first started out, we've learned along the way.

We have collected priceless memories as we learned to fine-tune our packing list, navigate unpredictable weather, and master the art of a morning Dutch oven frittata. I've found the key to camping, or any vacation adventure, is less about coming into the experience with a storehouse of wisdom, and more about having a willingness to learn and grow together.

Why my family enjoys camping trips

There's a common parenting truism that says, "Traveling with kids isn't a vacation, it's a trip." I first experienced the accuracy of this saying while on my first vacation as a mom, with my then 22-month-old. Surrounded by a Costa Rican beachside paradise, staying in a comfortable vacation rental, my husband and I were miserable and exhausted.

Thanks to a travel-induced sleep regression, I didn't sleep longer than 20-minute bursts and woke before dawn each day. Early every morning, I'd haul a bucket of sand toys to the empty beach with my toddler. But in hindsight, it's a sweet memory. Though on a traditional vacation the inevitable hiccups can feel like a threat to relaxation, while camping I can lean into the inevitable chaos of traveling with kids. Where the workload and the fatigue somehow equate to something rejuvenating.

The simple things, like walking to the bathroom, become an opportunity to chat together and stand in awe over how big and bright and low the moon is hanging. Typically tedious tasks, like preparing a meal or washing dishes, become an adventure when they're done over a campfire and alongside beautiful scenery. Maybe it's the muted expectations, but I have found being outside, even for a night or two, is enough to rest and reset. Camping is the kind of trip I sometimes prepare for with apprehension, and always come back already planning for the next one.

Camping is also wildly affordable. Every time I plan another type of trip, even from the beginning, the costs add up. When I start searching for flights, the sticker shock of multiplying that number by four always gets me. Not to mention car rentals, someplace to sleep, food, and, heaven forbid, excursions or entertainment of any variety. When we camp, it's much cheaper.

A tent site at a state park often only costs us around $12. A cabin in the summertime is still a fraction of the price of a hotel. Food is also inexpensive. Even treats like campfire nachos and dump cake baked over the campfire set us back less than our regular grocery runs. When it comes to entertainment, almost everything is included. Hiking, swimming, bird watching. The biggest splurge might be a kayak rental or extra firewood. It is easy to fall prey to thinking you get what you pay for, but sometimes the budget trips are the best.

The simplicity gives us more time to connect

The simplicity of camping is essential to its joy. In the real world, even brief escapes, like museums or parks, are tinged by accessibility. In the woods, cell phone reception is often diminished, and by being forced to unplug, you realize that you don't have to respond to everything the second you read it.

I regress to the early 2000s version of myself, OK with waiting a day — or even two — to reply to an email. There is simply more space. Space for conversation, for listening, for my anxiety to recede as I connect with my family. There's a feeling of life whittling down to the basics: cooking, sleeping, and fresh air. Somehow, these things feel less mundane and there's much more pleasure in the experience.

As much as I love my urban hometown, I also just crave an occasional escape from the labyrinth of highways and traffic. I crave a break from our overloaded Google Calendar, from meetings and carpooling, and the endless clutter of daily life. Following the siren call of unspoiled landscapes, our family will fill our trunk with equipment and the promise of escape. There is always an element of inconvenience and discomfort in camping, even the rudimentary car camping we do. Yet, we continue to return. They are the best trips.