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Why Campgrounds Without WiFi Get Left Behind

Camping has been a favored pastime for friends and family for generations. There is just something gratifying about leaving behind the familiar comforts of home to prove you can brave the wilderness outdoors. These days, more people want campgrounds with modern amenities, like flushing toilets, running water, and even a WiFi connection.

Campgrounds with WiFi connectivity are a must. So much of modern-day life revolves around the things and people you love and staying connected to them. Lately, everyone has a smartphone, and few people want to leave them behind for a camping trip. People will not stay at a campground without WiFi.

In our modern world, people not only appreciate WiFi but have started to depend on internet access at all times. Those without WiFi become irrelevant. Read on to learn the many reasons why campgrounds would do well to provide WiFi for their patrons, as well as why campgrounds that do not offer a WiFi connection seem to get left in the dust.

People Need WiFi to Work Remotely

With an increasing number of companies offering the option to work from home, it can feel like some people never really have a day off. Smartphones and tablets make this lifestyle easier as you can be in a meeting virtually while preparing s’mores or answering a coworker’s questions from your tent or camper.

Being able to work via telecommuting helps people provide for their families while still allowing them to be more present in family life. In addition to helping the kids build a campfire and preparing dinner in between phone calls, there are endless ways that having a connection can help you work remotely. Some are:

Answering essential and time-sensitive emails from work
Participating in a video call or conference call
Managing accounts or customers needs by message, email, or video call
Researching ideas and solving problems for the company with an internet search

The ability to attend to work while camping can provide peace of mind. Because some jobs are not able to allow their workers to completely unplug and go frolicking through the wilderness for days on end, campgrounds should offer a WiFi connection to their guests. If nothing else, people in these positions do not have to cancel their family trips.

If a campground does not offer WiFi with their entry fee, this could discourage potential campers that also need to work from their mobile devices. Some families might even have to cancel their camping trip due to work if the campsite does not offer WiFi. Many campgrounds have started to include WiFi for their guests for these very reasons.

People Want WiFi to Stay Connected With Loved Ones

Ideally, the whole family would be able to attend the camping excursion. However, if some members need to stay behind, a WiFi connection at the campground can lessen the worries of being apart. Most family members would want the peace of mind that comes with being able to check in on their loved ones when they are not with them.

Handling the care of a disabled loved one, or an elderly parent can be very taxing on individuals and families. The desire to take care of a needy loved one can sometimes end up all-encompassing for a family. Healthy members and their needs can slip through the cracks, especially children who cannot fully understand a difficult situation.

Being able to get away from it all without completely leaving the loved one behind could be a total godsend to families in difficult situations. There is also the possibility that a family has a sick member, maybe in hospice or the hospital, that they would ordinarily want to keep in good communication with. WiFi keeps people connected at all times.

Without a good WiFi connection, these families would possibly need to cancel their camping vacations when they really need the bonding and relaxation time that can only come from the great outdoors. If a campground does not offer WiFi, they are essentially eliminating a portion of the demographic that needs it for these and other reasons.

RV Dwellers Need WiFi for Their Amenities

Some of the most frequent campsite visitors are those who travel or live out of their RV.

These folks often have varied needs, all of which require WiFi to fulfill:

They may be taking a cross-country trip
They may be taking a long weekend getaway
They may be living out of their RV full -time

Regardless of the reasoning, the best part of a recreational vehicle is that owners have the sweetest comforts of home, regardless of how far away from home they may be. If one is using an RV to travel or live in, one would expect to use the amenities inside that require WiFi, such as computers, tablets, smart televisions, and smartphones.

Not all camping trips require an off-the-grid experience. Being able to access the internet on demand is a huge plus to which much of the Western World has long since grown accustomed. It is important that, while some guests go on camping trips to leave the modern world behind entirely, this is not the case for all.

On long road trips, when families are camping at an RV park or campsite, a WiFi connection can be essential. Rather than use their mobile data, most people would prefer to have WiFi to continue to plan their road trip and which stops they need to make along the way.

A WiFi connection can help you download maps onto your smartphone or other devices and can help road trippers plan their course of action as they go from place to place. Some people like RVs because they can help them to be in the great outdoors without completely giving up the comforts of home. These days, WiFi is one of these comforts!

WiFi is Useful for Online Outdoor Pursuits

Getting your kids excited about an outdoor camping trip might seem like a huge feat, but if the campsite offers WiFi, this Goliath of a task might start to shrink in size. Obviously, if a family is going on a camping trip together, the last thing parents want is for their kids to be glued to a screen when the whole wide world is ripe for the picking.

There does exist a sort of compromise between the wilderness and civilization as far as entertainment goes. Geocaching is a great way to get kids (or adults) excited about learning outdoor navigation. Geocaching is a global treasure hunt where you can use your phone to find secret packages and locations others have left for you to find.

With millions of geocaches all around the world, you are sure to find an adventure you and your family can be excited about. You can use WiFi to find a geocache in your area and then use your phone’s GPS to help you find the prize. Geocaching is fun and cheap, if not free. It can even help you discover more of your hometown once you are hooked.

Getting Kids Outdoors and in Nature

It sounds counterintuitive, but having WiFi at your campsite can actually encourage your kids and teenagers to get more active and explore the outdoors. If your kids have smartphones, they can check in to local spots in nature or live-stream with their friends. They can also play games that require WiFi for location purposes.

Everyone is going to want to take photos on their trip. Waterproof and impact-proof phone cases make taking action shots during camping trips and outdoor activities much more feasible than they used to be.

Maybe your kids want to upload photos in real-time, rather than uploading them when they arrive back in the real world.

Pokemon Go is a free mobile game you can play with your phone, which is based on the popular TV show Pokemon. The game is about catching and caring for cute monsters with elemental abilities. Pokemon GO encourages players to get outside and explore nearby areas. With Pokemon Go you:

Catch different types of Pokemon
Battle your Pokemon against other players
Play with friends all around the world

This is yet another reason campsites should offer WiFi. Most kids will not be in favor of a three-mile hike, but they will play Pokemon Go for hours! The day could start with Pokemon Go enticing kids to explore outside and play to collect rare types of Pokemon and end with kids getting exercise and discovering the beauty around them.

Using Campground WiFi Versus a Data Plan

Most road trippers consider a WiFi connection to be a must when traveling. Not everyone has a great data plan on their cell phone, and using lots of data on the road is not always a viable option. It can be expensive and run out quickly. To save these campers from a huge cellphone bill and a great deal of frustration, WiFi is a must.

A WiFi Connection	Cell Phone Data Plan
Gives your device free access to the internet	Can be very expensive, depending on your plan
Quick and easy access	Is usually a spotty and weak connection
Is used to easily download maps, music, etc.	Weak connection makes downloading difficult

Just knowing the option of a WiFi connection exists at a specific campsite can influence people to choose it over another location. Whereas even 15 years ago, when WiFi did not seem to be a dealbreaker, today it has become so essential. It is one of the first things people will ask for when staying somewhere away from home.

Almost all motels and hotels offer the WiFi password upon check-in, as well as an Airbnb or bed and breakfast. Campgrounds can serve as a much less expensive and more intrepid experience. Even those adventurers willing to trade four walls and a bed for a tent or an RV will need the benefits of a WiFi connection.

Although many campsites have been around for decades, the times have changed since then, and with them, the people. Modern campers are beginning to expect extended amenities. People today depend on WiFi for work and pleasure, and these campsites need to be prepared to offer everyone some connection and access.

WiFi Calling

Smartphones are excellent tools that can help people do an innumerable amount of tasks. The invention is not perfect, however. Without a WiFi connection or cellular coverage, a smartphone can quickly turn into a very expensive block of metal and glass in your pocket. This is why campsites need to offer WiFi to make the site more enticing.

These days, people with smartphones can call friends, family, and even emergency medical services with WiFi calling. Android and Apple devices offer WiFi calling, and more providers are jumping on the bandwagon every year. There are developers that can even create apps for your devices that allow you to make calls without a SIM card.

Put simply, WiFi calling essentially gives you the ability to make a phone call when you are linked up to WiFi but are not close enough to a cell tower to get cellular coverage. This can be lifesaving for campers in the event of an emergency as many remote areas do not always have reliable cell coverage, and help is just out of reach.

WiFi Provides Emergency Coverage

Campgrounds are often found in beautifully secluded parts of the world. Campers flock to campgrounds to have a safe space for their families to enjoy the beauty of nature and leave the rest of their worldly cares behind. It might surprise you that even those that ordinarily do not care about WiFi still benefit from a campground connection.

Because many campgrounds are situated outside the main borders of the nearest city, campers may not have the best cell coverage. Depending on the provider, it can be difficult to contact anyone when camping, even in the event of an emergency. This is obviously problematic, but the solution can be found in having a WiFi connection.

Camping emergencies can include:

A camper becoming lost and needing to call for help or finding a map back to camp
A camper becoming injured
A camper having an allergic reaction

Campers can access medical personnel with greater ease and less worry with WiFi calling, but the help extends even farther with an internet search. In the event that a camper has been bitten or develops a rash after a walk in the woods, campsite dwellers can get critical help from an internet search if uncertain how to apply the aid.

While Dr. Google rarely tells the whole story, being able to watch a YouTube video on how to provide immediate first aid to someone in need provides immense comfort to the afflicted and novice rescuer alike. Being able to access help quickly on the internet can be lifesaving and can help the injured until trained medical professionals arrive.

Other Campground WiFi Benefits

On a less severe note, people use their home’s internet access to enjoy life in different ways, every day. When camping at a campsite, being able to compromise between civilization and the natural wonders of the world with a WiFi connection is very attractive to most individuals.

For example, when fishing, there can be a lot of downtime in between bites. Older generations find simple solace in the silence and anticipation while waiting for the action to materialize. Younger generations may not feel as comfortable being left alone with their thoughts and will want to be distracted by social media as they wait.

WiFi is an excellent way to provide that distraction! In addition to scrolling through Instagram or pinning cute home decorations on Pinterest, a WiFi connection is great for, but is not limited to:

Streaming your favorite music
Watching a movie
Studying for your chemistry final
Messaging your great-uncle for his trout recipe

Kids these days may even have a hard time falling asleep without the ability to scroll through social media for a few minutes before going to bed. When your phone is as much a part of you as your left foot, a sudden disconnect could be abrupt at best and insomnia-driving at worst.

Final Thoughts

You do not need a disastrous situation to require the use of a WiFi connection in a campground. Most people prefer to stay within range of a WiFi connection at all times these days. The benefits of the internet are endless, and campsites that do not provide WiFi with the entry fee are missing out on a number of new and willing campers.

Some may see a WiFi connection as a hindrance to their getaway, but this could not be further from the truth. Civilization and the outdoors do not need to be at war with each other, and when used properly in their specific spheres, can complement one another.

The internet can be a beautiful thing when used properly and respectfully, and campsites need to understand this if they are going to provide applicable services to the next generations. When campsites do not offer WiFi for their guests, not only are they neglecting the needs of a large demographic, they essentially snub them, as well.

Call To Action

If campsites start including WiFi in their entry fee, or provide a connection without charging parties, campers will have an enhanced outdoor experience, will be able to communicate better, and will stand a better chance to remain safe overall. These days, almost everyone benefits from staying connected, and WiFi is a must.

Whether you are working remotely, trying to stay in touch with loved ones, or are trying to plan the perfect getaway, you will not get far without the internet. Campsites need to put the comfort, safety, and convenience of their campers first and make sure a WiFi connection is accessible to all.