Fourth International Conference on Tourism and Leisure Studies

Abstract

Camping is an American pastime. From the development of public lands for recreation to the car camping culture sparked by interest in the national park system, camping has been a way for a segment of the population to spend their leisure time. The purpose of this paper is use sociological theories of inequalities to build on our current understandings of camping as a leisure activity. This project describes the history of camping as a leisure activity in America; the different individual motivations for camping; and, builds on current classification systems to identify camping typologies. Ethnographic methods and participant observation were employed as the researchers visited 32 different campgrounds in 12 different states between June 2016 and August 2018 to develop a camping typology. Results: Camping is traditionally thought of as a way to go out into a natural environment to spend leisure time with friends and families (weekend warriors, summer campers, adventure sportspeople etc.). Findings from this study indicate several types of camping motivations less focused on tourism and leisure, and more focused on meeting basic needs. This group was made up of work campers, full timers, the vehicularly homeless, and vulnerable individuals seeking economic freedom. Implications: The extension of camping typologies to include the economically vulnerable is important for how we think about camping as a leisure activity. The meanings and purpose for camping in America today.