Millennial Camping

According to a 2017 KOA study, more than 1 million new households in the US have begun camping each year since 2014 and Millennials are driving that trend.  RV sales are up, van camping is trendy again, and the new generation of teens (aka Generation Z) are showing strong interest in camping as well.  But this new generation of outdoor travelers isn’t using a printed map to find their campsites — they’ve got nifty digital tools for that!

Sure, you can always pick a park and go directly to their website to find campsites.  But what if you don’t know where you want to go yet?  What if you want a secluded spot on private land?

Enter Hipcamp, Tentrr, and Gamping — the new kids on the block.  These companies are called the “AirBnBs of Camping” because they provide crowdsource lodging, enabling private landowners to make their property available to complete strangers (and hopefully earn some profit).  If this trend catches on, it could be a game changer in the world of camping and outdoor travel.

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Water Fasting Retreats

Siddhayatan Asham Texas
I recently watched a documentary called The Science of Fasting & it really sparked my interest because the film talks about how fasting is being used in Russia, Germany, the UK & the US as a treatment option for cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, high cholesterol & more.  Fasting is one of the oldest medical treatments in history & appears in nearly every major religion & culture around the world.  Sounds like a pretty good resume to me.
While I’m not yet sold on it as a way to heal my RA, I am convinced of its health benefits.  I’m not ready to “take the plunge” but I have been researching potential places in case I ever do decide to try it.  Water fasting or a very light juice/broth fasting is what I’m interested in trying, based on the research I’ve seen so far.  There are a lot of health spas & resorts that would be VERY happy to take my money, but sorting out the good ones takes some time.  Here are my top picks, based on recommendations from the medical community & countless hours of online research.  Let me know if anyone has experience with these or if you know of one not mentioned.
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Memories of Zion National Park & Spirit Airlines

West Rim Zion National Park Utah
March is almost upon us and I’ve been reminiscing about a trip to Nevada and Utah we took around this time last year. It was my first trip to Las Vegas, our first experience on a budget airline, and our first time hiking Zion National Park.  While I can’t divulge any of my stories of Vegas [because as we all know: what happens in Vegas STAYS in Vegas], I can HAPPILY share my memories of the rest of this trip.
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