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.