National Camping and Caravanning Week 2023 to celebrate a happier and healthier lifestyle

Tuesday 21st February 2023

The date has been set for this year’s National Camping and Caravanning Week (NCCW) – and it promises to be full of ‘outjoyment’.

The week, which runs from 29 May to 4 June and is organised by The Camping and Caravanning Club, will be celebrating the fact camping officially makes you happier, according to the findings of a major new study.

The Outjoyment Report was commissioned by the Club and carried out by a team of academics at Liverpool John Moores University and Sheffield Hallam University looking at the health and well-being benefits of camping in the great outdoors. Key findings discovered campers are:

• Happy: 97% of campers say happiness is their top motivator for going camping while 48% of campers reported feeling happy almost every day, compared with 35% of non campers

• More connected to nature: 93% go camping to enjoy being in nature – the second highest motivator after happiness, and they score highly on measures of nature connection

• Enjoying better well-being: 93% of campers value camping for the benefits it gives to their health and well-being – an increase on the 85% of our Real Richness Report in 2011

• Less stressed: 88% of campers are motivated to go camping to take time out of everyday life and have higher levels of psychological well-being than non campers

• Active outdoors: 98% of campers take part in outdoor activities. 91% go walking, 39% cycle and 26% enjoy bird-watching.

To celebrate the pastime and highlight the importance of the report’s findings during National Camping and Caravanning Week, the Club will host unique outdoor experiences at city centre locations around the UK by creating immersive campsite experiences in urban settings. Guests will be invited to reconnect with nature, and discover how camping can reduce stress and anxiety, leading to feelings of ‘outjoyment’ – a blended word of outdoors and enjoyment.

The Club’s Simon McGrath said: “Outjoyment is the feeling people get when camping in the great outdoors, and during National Camping and Caravanning Week we want people in urban areas to really enjoy the benefits of immersing themselves in nature despite not being in the countryside.

“We have official proof that camping makes you happier and this year we’re taking camping out of the campsite and into the city so more people can discover the health and well-being benefits of camping.”

Simon added: “Pitching up on a campsite puts us on the doorstep of the great outdoors and provides a clear pathway to a happier and healthier lifestyle.”

The Club will be revealing more details about our city roadshow in the coming weeks. For the latest updates on National Camping and Caravanning Club as they become available visit www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk.

To learn more about the Outjoyment report visit www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/outjoyment or search online for ‘happier camping’.

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For more information or images contact us.

Notes for Editors

1. The Camping and Caravanning Club is 122 years old and is the UK’s oldest and largest Club for all forms of camping.

2. The Club has a campsite network of nearly 100 Club Sites around the UK, together with more than 1,200 Certificated Sites that can accommodate up to five caravans or motorhomes a night together with up to ten tents.

3. Join the Club from £45 a year. Club members get up to 30% off pitch fees with further discounts for over 60s. What’s more, members get discounts in retail stores, on days out and attractions www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/membership.

4. The Outjoyment Report was generated through two primary channels. Our experts carried out a literature review of existing academic research relating to camping or caravanning that has been published since 2010 in English, reviewing 1,166 articles and chapters from books. This was accompanied by an in-depth survey of the views and attitudes of 10,992 campers and non campers, that included using a set of internationally-recognised measures of well-being. The data was then statistically analysed to identify where campers and non campers might differ.

5. Get involved: for the latest news, information and inspiration from The Camping and Caravanning Club, and to engage with those who’ve enjoyed holidays with the Club, visit www.facebook.com/thefriendlyclub or check out our Instagram page www.instagram.com/campandcaravan.

6. To view the Club’s comprehensive video directory, visit www.youtube.com/thefriendlyclub.