5 Undeniable Benefits of Living in a Tent Year-Round
Whether it's because we want a challenge, our financial situation has taken a turn for the worse, or we just want a change of pace: Living in a tent, all year, is a choice more and more people are making. While it is takes some getting used to, living in tent has some interesting benefits.
IT'S CHEAPER LIVING IN A TENT
One of the best reasons, I think, for wanting to live in a tent is because of the cost of living decrease. It's pretty extreme. Even in the winter, buying a good tent, stocking it with supplies, and setting it up with a heater isn't too expensive. Especially when compared to a year's worth of bills for rent, gas, electricity, and internet. If you're looking for a normal life experience while living in a tent just add a gym membership that has a shower and a library with internet and you should be good to go, at a considerable savings.
IT'S A CHALLENGE
Living in a tent, for any reason, is going to be a challenge. And that challenge is a great reason for trying it. There is something very rewarding that comes from being able to live, and thrive, in a tent. We're using so much less than the average person. Maybe we're even living off the land. We're doing what humans have had to do for hundreds of thousands of years before the luxury of the modern day. Going back to that empowers you. It fills you with pride and accomplishment. It's unlike anything else, for sure.
LIVING IN A TENT LEAVES A SMALLER FOOTPRINT
If you care about your Footprint, the mark you leave on this world as you live on it, then you've probably already read up on living in a tent. The difference between living in a house and living in a tent is massive. Tents produce such a small impact on the world. Couple this by buying a tent made from organic and natural sources (or, dare I say, make your own?) and your footprint is ever smaller. If you want to make an impact, living in a tent is one of the biggest you can make.
IT OFFERS MORE FOREST BATHING
Forest Bathing is a new trend that has taken off in the east, but it's becoming more and more popular everywhere. Basically, when you hang out near trees you feel healthier and happier. No, really. This has to do with phytoncides that plants release. This chemical keeps the body regulated, allows for more air intake, and boosts your immune system.
In Japan there was a study done that compares the suicide rates of citizens that regularly forest bathed to citizens that never left the city. Those that forest bathed were not only happier and healthier, but their suicide rates were miniscule compared to those that never did it.
TENT LIVING = SIMPLICITY
Life today is more complicated than ever before. And, for some, it feels less rewarding. We get so wrapped in things that don't matter. Every thing goes by so fast. A little change of pace, a little more simplicity is what's needed. Living in a tent forces the important things to matter again. And it puts things that don't matter in the back, in the way back. Some of us haven't experienced true simplicity ever before, which can make living in a tent a life changing moment.
These benefits of living in a tent year-round can be staggering. Saving money, feeling happier, challenging yourself, lessening your impact on the world, and making life easier are things many, many people want. It can be easy to say that you can't do it, but when you look at it and look at it close, it becomes a real possibility.