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It’s emotional richness that counts
images required for pp 5 & 7
T8C_M040_RealRichness_Phase3_245x170_16pp.indd 1 25/03/2011 16:18

76% of campers are satisﬁed with
their quality of life, compared to
59% of non-campers
Get rich quick at realrichness.co.uk

The observation that
camping offers greater
riches for mind, body
and soul was first
introduced over 100 years
ago by the Club’s
founder, Thomas Hiram
Holding. He wrote:
Page 4-5
Campers really are happier!
Page 6-7
Bringing families
closer together
Page 8-9
Pitches on prescription –
just what the doctor ordered!
Page 10-11
Campsite as a classroom –
where it’s fun to learn
Page 12-13
A richer form of
social networking
Page 14-15
How to Get Rich Quick
The findings in our Real Richness report
are based on a review of research into the
psychological and social benefits of camping.
This was undertaken by leading academics
in the field of Outdoor Education at Liverpool
John Moores University and an online survey
amongst 1,000 adults and 500 children aged
7-11 who camp and 1,000 adults and 500
children aged 7-11 who have never camped.
The research took place in February 2011.
Throughout this report we use ‘campers’ as a
generic term for anyone who regularly camps
in a tent, caravan, motorhome or trailer tent.
Contents
In today’s materially obsessed
world, it seems strange to see
the word ‘Rich’ associated with
camping. After all, isn’t camping
just a cheap holiday option in
tough economic times?
But at The Camping and Caravanning Club, we’ve learned that being rich
isn’t only about money. Just ask anyone who goes camping about the
‘money can’t buy’ experiences they have on every trip. How it’s a priceless
chance to get closer to nature – and back in touch with who you really
are. How working together to pitch the tent and cook the food brings
families closer together in a way that everyday life can’t. And how there’s
a genuine sense of community that modern forms of ‘social networking’
can’t replace.
We think it’s a truer kind of wealth. Because it’s not about how much stuff
you’ve got; it’s about how happy you feel.
See for yourself by taking part in The Big Pitch, our nationwide experiment
to prove that camping really does make you feel richer in mind, body and
soul. Find out how to apply for one of 1,500 free pitches on page 15.
Matthew Eastlake
Marketing and Communications
Director, The Camping
and Caravanning Club,
with daughter Clara
Welcome
‘richness’How we
discovered
Personally, I like the
camp so much better
than the hotel which I
could afford. Apart from
the economy of camping,
it is a real luxury in
its freedom, and with
one or two campers,
incontestably jollier.
to Real Richness...
3

There’s growing evidence that simply spending time
outdoors surrounded by nature is linked to improved
psychological wellbeing. But we have a theory that
the beneﬁcial effects of camping go deeper than if
we just go for a walk, a bike ride or a day trip.
In fact, our research suggests that something
more transformational happens when we camp.
Something that results in the list below.
So where does this richness come from?
According to Dr Kaye Richards, from Liverpool John
Moores University, it is this:
Camping allows us to get away from the routines – and
relative comforts – of our daily lives. And even though
camping and caravanning today is a much more
comfortable experience thanks to modern equipment
and facilities, the simple fact that we have taken
ourselves out of our normal environment and into a
different one, surrounded by nature, means we act, think
and even communicate differently with each other.
In our study, 93% of campers said camping can make you happier.
Not surprising then that we are seeing more and more campaigns urging us to get off
the sofa and get outdoors.
Happy Campers
The Top Five statements
that campers agree with:
• Camping generates happy memories
• Camping recharges your batteries
• Camping makes you appreciate nature more
• Camping expands your horizons
• Camping is fun for all the family
Corfe Castle Club Site
4 Get rich quick at realrichness.co.uk

5
Wake up in a tent
or caravan with the
wrap-around freedom
of the great outdoors.
Discover what makes
the great outdoors tick
in harmony with
all that you have
dreamed of.
David Bellamy,
Club President and
Environmental Campaigner
Without our camping
trips our life would
be without all those
wonderful moments;
that first brew in the
fresh morning air, the
wild and windy beach
walks and the sunsets
shared with fellow
campers… sheer bliss.
Sally Papworth
Member No.245
Satisfied
Stressed
Happy
Frustrated
1. It promotes family cohesion,
satisfaction, togetherness
and fulfilment
2. It encourages rest,
relaxation and restoration
3. It facilitates children’s
learning and has a positive
effect on behaviour
A review of over 60 academic studies looking into the benefits
of camping, supplemented with our own research, shows that
camping has a wealth of riches to offer:
4. It improves social interaction
5. It makes us feel better –
mentally and physically
6. It creates memories,
traditions and special places
that stay with you for life
7. It really does make
us happier!
We asked 1,000 adults who camp regularly and 1,000 people
who have never camped how they feel on an average day:
Optimistic Energised
CAMPERS NON-CAMPERS
CAMPERS NON-CAMPERS CAMPERS NON-CAMPERS
Bored Lonely
CAMPERS
76%
NON-CAMPERS
59%
67%
58%
54%
44%
35%
25%
21%
33%
17%
28%
6%
20%
10%
23%
So are those who camp richer for it?
Campers are more:
Non-campers are more:
Camping’s list of proven riches
5

91% of kids said that spending time
exploring the outdoors with their Mum
and Dad would make them feel happy
80% of kids who camp feel their parents
are less stressed when camping and 76%
say their parents shout less!
76% of kids who camp notice that
their parents have more time for hugs
than usual
Our findings showed that both adult
campers and non-campers feel most
happy when spending time with family
and friends.
In a world that is more uncertain – both financially and
emotionally – people are finding even greater comfort
and support in having their families and friends around
them. In our research, half of all adults said that they felt
most happy when they were spending time with family
and friends, whilst 96% of kids said that they felt happy
when playing with their friends outdoors.
Our research has shown that those families who find
the time to camp together really do share a much closer
family bond than those who have never camped.
Tasks that would normally be considered boring or
‘not my job’ become more exciting and interesting
when you camp. Families find that they take on different
roles and realise that their partner or kids have skills that
maybe they didn’t even know they had!
Happier
Families
Camping makes
families feel closer –
and richer
Corfe Castle Club Site66 Get rich quick at realrichness.co.uk

75
Camping brings a
family together as
everyone contributes,
everyone works
towards the same
goals and each
member rediscovers
the simple pleasures
of playing cards,
talking, reading and
cooking together.
Simon Calder,
Travel Writer
My parents and I had a
caravan in the ‘70s and
I have fond memories
of our camp holidays.
I wanted to give the
same experience to
my children…the
camaraderie and the
amazing smell of bacon
as the site comes to life
each morning.
Jane Wilcock
Member No.472
Over 90% of campers
said that camping is
fun for all the family
and our non-campers
also saw the beneﬁts
of camping, with half
agreeing that camping
could be fun for all!
1
69% of campers
agreed that they feel
close to their children
on an average day,
compared with 46%
of non-campers
3
On holiday, campers
are also more likely
to feel closer to their
family and friends
than non-campers
5
Campers were almost
twice as likely as
non-campers to say
that camping brings
you closer together
as a family
2
83% of campers said
that they feel close to
their partners on an
average, compared to
59% of non-campers
4
The Family Rich List
7

We found that 85% of adult campers think
camping can make you healthier and
nearly half think it should be prescribed
on the NHS! And 1 in 3 kids who don’t
camp think camping would make them
feel healthier.
The idea that spending time in nature is ‘good for our
physical health and mental wellbeing’ is not a new one.
And it’s certainly something those who camp would
support with half of them saying that camping should
be prescribed on the NHS!
The World Health Organisation estimates that depression
and depression-related illnesses will become the greatest
source of ill health by 2020. Predictions like these are
putting pressure on Governments to encourage people
to spend more time with nature.
In the United States, ‘therapeutic camping’ has a
long tradition going back to the early 1900s and the
emergence of ‘tent therapy’.
Tent therapy partly came about when the positive
benefits of camping were identified for tuberculosis
patients… these patients had to camp on the hospital
grounds to ensure non-contact with other hospital
patients...but the unexpected benefits were that their
physical condition and mental attitudes improved
far faster!
Barry Garst1
in his 2010 study of American campers
found that ‘restoration’ was the meaning most associated
with camping. Camping represented an opportunity for
physical, mental and emotional recovery and for many
of those he interviewed it was a way to bring balance
back into their lives.
Get Richer,
Feel Better
Pitches on prescription – just what the doctor ordered!
Corfe Castle Club Site8 Get rich quick at realrichness.co.uk

75
Top 5
Camping really is good for you
wellbeing giving properties of
camping – according to campers
Campers are more likely to regard themselves as having a higher
than average fitness for their age compared with non-campers
Campers are also more likely to see themselves as being active
and healthy for their age compared with non-campers
1 in 4 campers think that camping is a great way to lose weight!
For me, it definitely
chills me out and I
find it’s a great way
to switch off from
my manic schedule.
I can’t wait to get my
growing family into
the camping habit
and introduce them
to all the joys and
fun it brings.
Ben Fogle,
TV Presenter
I rediscovered the joys
of camping in my 40s.
Within months my
health improved as I
began to enjoy a better
work/life balance and
my business improved
too. My outlook on
life is so much more
positive now.
Alison Edwards
Member No.357
1 95% say it recharges
your batteries
3 84% say it’s good
for a child’s health
5 78% say it makes
you fitter
2 89% say it
relieves stress
4 84% say it improves
mental health
Charmouth Club Site
9

Meet the
Rich Kids
Our study shows that camping doesn’t just
have its beneﬁts for adults. 87% of kids who
camp say camping in the countryside makes
them feel really happy.
Interestingly, 73% of adults say camping is
something every child should experience
and 59% of campers say it should be on the
national curriculum!
Campsite as a classroom
– where it’s fun to learn
A recent study conducted by Natural England2
found
that children spend 60% less time out and about
than their parents did at the same age...and even
less time in the outdoors. There is much evidence
to link this to growing childhood obesity levels,
more time spent with video games and a growing
disconnection with nature. And yet, our research
has shown that a staggering 91% of children say
that spending time in the outdoors with their
parents would make them happy.
There are a number of studies that have looked at
the impact of outdoor experiences and particularly
camping on children, and there is much evidence
to show that not only can it improve a child’s
behaviour, but it can also make them more attentive
and interested in the world around them...as well as
encouraging greater levels of physical activity.
For those campers with children, one of the most
important meanings for them was being able to
teach their kids new skills. Teaching children how
to improvise, play and ‘make-do’ was an important
part of developing their children’s perspective on
life. It showed them that they don’t need all of the
creature comforts of home in order to have fun.
Campers agree that
immersing kids within
nature makes them richer
• 88% say it’s something that every child
should experience
• 84% say that it’s good for a child’s health
• 66% say it’s important for a
child’s development
• 59% say that it should be
on the curriculum
• 45% say it improves a child’s behaviour
Charmouth Club Site

Top 5
For those kids who hadn’t camped, the thought
that there’d be too many creepie crawlies was
more off-putting than missing their TV and
computer games. A third also thought they’d get
too messy and dirty!!
We asked kids who haven’t camped why they would like to go camping
and the same top three answers as above, were top of their list! This tells
us that whether kids camp or not, they love the idea of spending time
with their family exploring the outdoors and doing new and fun things
79% of kids who have never
camped said they would like to!
Kids who have camped
were significantly more likely than
those who hadn’t camped to have
done the following:
• Flown a kite
• Climbed a tree
• Made a den outside
• Explored a pond with a net
• Cooked on a campfire
What I love about
camping is when
I sleep in the
sleeping bag,
it makes me
feel all excited
especially when it
is my first night.
Caitlin Jewell
age 8
things kids say they
love about camping
My Dad’s a Derbyshire
lad and a big lover
of the outdoors –
landscape, flora and
fauna – so he brought
me up to appreciate
it in the same way.
There is no better buzz
than some fresh air, an
amazing view and time
together as a family.
Julia Bradbury,
TV Presenter
1 I get to explore
new places
4 I get to do new and
fun things
5 I get to do things with
my family that I don’t do
at home
2 I can get muddy and dirty
and don’t get into trouble
3 I learn about new
things in nature
11

73% of campers say it’s a great way to make new friends
When people talk about their social
network these days, chances are they
mean their list of Facebook friends,
not the people they spend quality time
with regularly.
It’s part of a trend that has seen lots of us making more
and more ‘virtual’ attachments to more and more
people – but at the risk of making fewer meaningful,
rewarding relationships. Social commentators call it
‘gaining breadth and losing depth’.
But at The Camping and Caravanning Club, we’re
beginning to notice a shift back to more old-fashioned
ideas of socialising. People want to get together in an
authentic, face-to-face way that has nothing to do
with Facebook.
And what better way to do it than a camping holiday or
weekend away? Because it’s not just about the family
and friends you go with, it’s also about the new people
you meet along the way.
In fact, a study by the University of Otago3
, New Zealand
found that mixing with other families was a big part of
the camping experience, and even if they come from
different backgrounds, when they camp together the
social barriers melt away.
Lots of our members talk about the lifelong friendships
they have made on camping trips. Some have even met
their future partner through camping and have gone on
to bring up their children with the camping bug.
The Real Social
Corfe Castle Club Site

Network
I love camping as it’s
great to be able to get
back to basics and
it lets you connect
with nature again. It’s
always worth it for the
wonderful moments
we share as a family...
it’s those moments that
lure me back time and
time again.
Sarah Beeny
TV presenter
In our sixties, my
husband and I decided
to give camping a try!
We had believed that
the old community
spirit had disappeared...
but no, it is alive and
well on Club sites all
over the country.
Pat Gwynette
Member No.712
1
2
3
4
5
Expands your horizons
92% of campers agree
Is a great social leveller
Is a great way to
make new friends
Allows you to be yourself
81% of campers agree, almost
twice as many as non-campers
Improves your social life
61% of campers feel they are very
sociable on an average day
compared with 52% of non-campers
Socially speaking the Top 5 riches of camping are:
13

We (Boyzone) took a
couple of tents and
sleeping bags and set
up camp in a remote
forest in Ireland. It
was really nice to get
away and relax – there
were no pubs and lots
of privacy. Camping
continues to be a
big part of my family
life. My mum has a
static caravan, where
she spends most
weekends, and my
children frequently
stay with her.
Keith Duffy,
Actor and Singer
Ready for a
Richer Life?
There are lots of ways to do it – and it’s not just about tents and caravans.
There are holiday homes, lodges, pods, dens and camping barns.
In fact, if you still have the old-fashioned idea that camping is ‘just soggy tents
and dodgy loos’, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. Modern campsites offer
everything from electric hook-ups and power showers to award-winning toilets!
And camping equipment has moved on massively, with everything from wind-up
radios and solar lights to gas-powered barbecues and self-inﬂating airbeds.
And with so many campsites and different ways in which to camp to choose
from, both in the UK and abroad, there’s something to suit everyone –
and every budget. In fact 7 in 10 people in our research study agreed that
camping is accessible to everyone, regardless of income. It’s the truly
inclusive way to get away.
If you have kids, there are sites with family-friendly facilities, like cool
playgrounds and the chance to pet farm animals. There are sites close to theme
parks, beside beaches and even deep within forests. For couples, there are quiet
hideaways off the beaten track, sites in hill walking country, or close to cities
with their shops, restaurants and pubs.
Ready to give it a go? We’re here to help. We’re not called The Friendly Club
for nothing. Feel free to give us a call and ask us anything.
We’ve been around for over 100 years so there probably isn’t
a question we haven’t heard. But you could always try us!
References:
1. Garst, B.A., Williams, D.R., Roggenbuck, J.W. (2010). Exploring Early Twenty-First Century Developed Forest Camping Experiences and Meanings.
Leisure Sciences 32(1), 90-97. 2. Natural England – Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment. Annual Report 2009-10
3. Freeman, C. (2010) The Role of camping and what it means to families as part of the New Zealand psyche. University of Otago, New Zealand
For less than £40 a year, you and
your family can become members.
Ways to join:
1. Online at campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk
2.By phone – please call us on
0845 130 7632 or 024 7647 5442
3. In person at any of our UK Club Sites
Now you’ve seen all the evidence that camping
really can make you richer in mind, body and
soul, why not give it a go?

7515Terms and conditions apply.
As part of National Camping and Caravanning Week 2011 (from 30th May to 5th
June), we’re hosting a national event called The Big Pitch. There are 1,500 free
pitches up for grabs. To claim yours, all you have to do is to go online and tell
us where you’d like to camp and what you’ll do when you’re camping. It could
be anything from taking the kids ﬁshing to cooking a barbecue with the whole
family. Visit nccw.co.uk now to register for the chance to receive a free pitch and
upload your ideas there.
REGISTER FOR THE
BIG PITCH GIVEAWAY
at nccw.co.uk before 6th May.

At The Camping and Caravanning Club, we’ve always championed the richness money can’t
buy. It’s the richness of mind, body and soul that a camping holiday provides like no other break
can. It’s the perfect time and place to enjoy life’s simple pleasures in the great outdoors and
share those wonderful moments with family and friends. It’s the perfect way to get rich quick.
GET RICH QUICK – Download your guide at realrichness.co.uk or
call us on 0845 130 7632, quoting reference 3266, to order a printed copy.

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