Every summer the headlines say the same thing: vacations are too expensive, too complicated, too crowded, too late to plan. This episode says otherwise. Missy sits down with Shannon Jones of KeeKee’s Big Adventures for a conversation about why parks — national, state, and local — are the best answer to the summer vacation affordability problem, why kids don’t get bored in nature (they get scrapes, they build forts, they catch fireflies), and why My Hammock Summer might be the most radical vacation idea of the season.
A note from Missy: This is a collaborative episode with Shannon Jones from KeeKee’s Big Adventures. We were hearing so many messages about affordability and the stress of summer vacations — and we thought, let’s just talk about how parks solve all of that.
Episode Guest
Shannon Jones – Founder
KeeKee’s Big Adventures
About Shannon Jones & KeeKee’s Big Adventures
Shannon Jones is the founder of KeeKee’s Big Adventures, a resource for families planning travel with kids. KeeKee’s helps get kids engaged and excited in the planning process — making the trip better for everyone. Visit keekeesbigadventures.com for tools, resources, and the KeeKee’s Park Activity Suggester.
Transcript
Summer in the Parks: A Collaborative Episode
The Parks Podcast, Episode 74 | Shannon Jones, KeeKee’s Big Adventures
Setting the Scene
Missy Rentz: Are you packed for summer vacation, or are you still trying to figure out your plans? Let’s explore planning your summer vacation. I’m your host, Missy Rentz, and this is The Parks Podcast.
I’m excited to welcome Shannon Jones from KeeKee’s Big Adventures to this very special collaborative episode of The Parks Podcast. Shannon, welcome.
Shannon Jones: Hi Missy. Thank you. It’s great to be here. We were talking a couple of weeks ago about this summer and all of the messages that we’re hearing out there about affordability of summer vacations, people not taking summer vacations. And we thought, gosh, let’s do a podcast together to talk about parks as a really great option — whether you’ve already been on vacation this summer or there’s still over two months left of summer, and how you can explore them.
Missy Rentz: Yeah, a couple weeks ago I felt like every newscast had something about how we’re not gonna be able to go on vacation — it’s too expensive, gas prices are high, everything’s booked — and it just lacked all hope. And I just felt like this is ridiculous. It is still incredibly possible to have a spectacular vacation.
Shannon Jones: Exactly. And it doesn’t have to be a giant vacation. Doesn’t have to be a national park. There’s tons of parks. We’re gonna get all into that. And to your point, I was just seeing that Priceline put out a study that said for families, 89% of parents say they’re going to travel this summer no matter what — although about a quarter of them said they’ve had to make some changes based on some of those factors you were just talking about.
Why We Need This
Missy Rentz: Yeah. There is this commitment to be outside. We’ve been vacationing since the early 1900s and having these family vacations. And I think people need it because they are working so hard, and just to have seven days — or whatever amount of time you take — for your body to decompress, to be with friends, to be with your family, to play. I think it’s so important for our mental and emotional health. I think there is a commitment to do it.
I think the key is, how do you change? And for people who have this set tradition and just aren’t gonna be able to do it this year, that’s what we’re here to talk about — how can you still have a spectacular summer vacation?
Shannon Jones: Yes. And enjoy a great even long weekend. A staycation, to unplug, to get away. Whether that’s outdoors, whether you’re going to the beach, whether you’re camping — it’s really good for you the summer and all year round, right?
Missy Rentz: It is. And that’s a big piece of the work that I do on The Parks Podcast and Catch Yourself Smiling — it’s about the mental and emotional benefits. The obvious is just the relaxation, the getting off the grind schedule. But then there’s being outside, which often tends to come with not having your device, so you’re able to disconnect from what’s going on in the world.
For children — I’ve had some people say “what if my kids get bored?” I guarantee you when you sit around the campfire with your friends and you allow your kids to go play, they might get scrapes, but we all got scrapes. They’re gonna let their imaginations work in a whole new way. They’re going to make fun forts out of rocks, or they’re going to discover a roly-poly, or they’re going to go catch fireflies — which is something many of us did as kids, and we’ve just gotten away from that.
So by choosing a park for your family vacation, you’re giving yourself a mental boost as well when you’re out there, which I think is really important.
Shannon Jones: I’ve been seeing all the studies out there that talk about how much nature is just so beneficial. That’s why we thought this topic was really great for families, for everyone — really just talk about exploring your parks.
The Permission to Relax
Missy Rentz: And sometimes when you go to a nature vacation that allows you space to chill and relax versus a highly programmed vacation — as a parent, when you have that freedom to truly let your kids relax, then you get to relax a little bit more too.
Our parks have plenty of entertainment, and even for people who say “Oh, I don’t wanna tent camp” — they have lodges. I was at a park recently and they had turned this entire campground into yurts. They were unbelievable with massive beds, fluffy blankets, all the amenities you could imagine. The Ohio state parks have some of the most spectacular lodges I’ve ever seen. There’s cabins, there’s Airbnbs close to nature, or most of us live close to a park. So if you need to stay home, just plan some days to go out and be in nature.
In your experience working with families, do you find that there’s a standard obstacle that people have about a nature vacation?
Shannon Jones: I think it just seems hard, right? It seems unapproachable. Oh gosh, do I have to pack a tent, or do I have to do a lot of planning?
Yes, maybe if you wanna go to Yosemite or Yellowstone. But there are so many state parks and local parks to explore easily. And there are so many resources out there to help make it approachable — like you.
Missy Rentz: Oh, thank you. I think you’re absolutely right, and I have told the story on my podcast several times about that first time I went hiking — it took me six hours to get out the door because I was so nervous. But now there are so many groups you can join, and they do all of the legwork for it.
It’s just a matter of overcoming those firsts. What do I need to pack for a hike? Chances are you need a snack, water, and a pair of tennis shoes. Pretty simple. But you don’t know that until you experience it. Check into groups. Maybe see if you have a friend who’s done it before, or go to a park and talk to a ranger. Or message people who do this all the time.
Outdoor people love to welcome people to the outdoors. Message me on Instagram — I’ll tell you my thoughts. Because it is daunting, and we’re almost two generations removed from people actually going outside on a regular basis. We just don’t do that anymore. So it makes sense that “not knowing how to do it” is a big obstacle.
Shannon Jones: Yeah, absolutely. Now that we live in Florida we’ve become a lot more outdoorsy — between the beach and the pool and all of those things. My in-laws are in an RV, so they know so much about Florida state parks. We’ve explored a bunch of the nice state parks like Myakka and Silver Springs. Whenever we go to them, I’m just amazed at all there is to do.
Missy Rentz: I was at two different parks in Alabama this spring, and you approach it as a standard park, and then you start to drive down this road and there were zip lines, paddle boats, kayaks, a water park. There’s all these things, and I just thought to myself “this is the best playground for both kids and adults I’ve ever been to.” You could fish, you could sit on the dock.
Your park rangers — that is what they’re there for. They love helping people enjoy the parks and teaching them. So that’s the first thing I do when I get to a park — I go find a ranger, I go to the visitor center, I ask them what they would do. It’s daunting when you don’t know, but as soon as you take that first step, it becomes very easy.
Shannon Jones: Every state, every county has all of this information on their websites.
The Hidden Gems and the Reservation Myth
Missy Rentz: Yes, it’s so easy. I have been doing this for six years now, and I fell in love with the smaller parks. I think the big ones are gorgeous for sure, don’t get me wrong. But I fell in love with those parks that people usually don’t even know they’re 20 miles away from them — “I’ve never heard of that park” and it’s kind of in their backyard.
You can really tap into almost anybody’s interests when you’re out in a park, in nature, in public lands.
I think one of the obstacles and misconceptions is that when you wanna go to a park, you have to plan six months in advance. And there are some parks for sure that need advanced planning, but our national parks and many of our state parks have started to hold back some campsites and release them 14 or 30 days out. So it does give more availability. And one of my favorites for last-minute: don’t go on the weekends. Go on a weekday, or find a park that’s not super popular, and go explore that one.
Shannon Jones: Also — go midweek or go off season, right? You can also get good deals on places on the beach in those times of year. Same thing with parks.
Missy Rentz: Another thing — we talk a lot about staying in the parks, but you could get Airbnbs or hotels just outside of parks and either drive in yourself or take shuttles in. There are ways to work around the reservation system when you can’t get a lodge or a campsite.
Shannon Jones: Yeah, I did that in the fall. I was right outside of Great Smoky Mountains National Park — rented an Airbnb outside the park, but it was right there, and I’m still in the park anyways. It’s a huge area.
Missy Rentz: And with so many of these parks, you have to drive once you’re in there anyway — so it’s not like you’re gonna park your car at a campsite and not move it for five days. What other obstacles have you experienced?
Shannon Jones: I think one of the things that is very real for families is the “oh my kids will be bored” concern — so what resources are out there to help the kids? Like you said, go talk to the park ranger. In any place, they’ve always got things for kids.
Missy Rentz: Junior Ranger programs — most of them have it.
Shannon Jones: Exactly.
The KeeKee’s Park Activity Suggester
Missy Rentz: You all have a really fun activity on your website — it’s a fortune teller.
Shannon Jones: Oh, the cootie catcher.
Missy Rentz: We are clearly from different areas. But yes.
Shannon Jones: So this is so fun. Whether you call it a fortune teller, cootie catcher — we actually call it the KeeKee’s Park Activity Suggester. It’s one of those things that you fold up and count, and then you pull out the section and it tells you what your activity should be. Number two: listen to the birds — how many different bird calls can you hear? There are tons of fun activities for kids, and really for the whole family. This is a great way to get kids engaged with what they should do while they’re there.
Missy Rentz: And KeeKee’s Big Adventures has so many ways to engage children in the planning and getting excited for a trip. I think that’s so valuable — to get them invested in learning about the place they’re going and the activities they can do. And sometimes when you wake up in the morning and say “what do you wanna do today?” — that’s a daunting question, like “what’s for dinner?” To have it in game format with the fortune teller I think is so much fun.
Shannon Jones: Yeah, right. Let’s pick a thing to do. And all of the research shows that when the kids are invested in the planning, the whole trip is better for everybody. I think that applies for a weekend in a park or a trip to Europe — having the kids excited and engaged just makes it easier and more exciting for everybody.
Missy Rentz: Yeah. I think the same applies if you’re going with a group of adults and friends. If you just get a little hint of what everybody wants to do, it makes it a more fun trip for everyone, and it also doesn’t put the pressure of everybody having fun on one person — which I think is really challenging when it comes to planning vacations.
Shannon Jones: Yes. And that way everybody’s getting something out of it.
The Staycation Reimagined
Missy Rentz: Yeah, absolutely. And the other thing I wanna talk about is the idea of a staycation — because I think you don’t have to just staycation and stay home. There are so many opportunities to get friends together, go to the park, have a campfire, have a picnic, enjoy the lake or whatever’s there.
The key for me is: think about what are the elements that make a vacation to you, and figure out ways to incorporate that at home or on a day trip or on a couple day trip out at the parks and in nature.
Shannon Jones: Yeah, exactly. And like I said, we’re doing this in the summer, but year round that’s a great idea too. To be able to escape, to unplug for a day, two days. Let everybody just relax in nature. It’s good for the soul.
Missy Rentz: Yes, it is.
My Hammock Summer
Shannon Jones: I love that Missy has The Parks Podcast and Catch Yourself Smiling. How many episodes now do you have of your podcast?
Missy Rentz: We’re at 75.
Shannon Jones: That’s amazing. And how many parks have you been to?
Missy Rentz: 140 national park units, but then countless state and local parks.
Shannon Jones: So go check out her website, her podcast, because she’s got a ton of information to help make the parks more approachable. Ooh, and I love this thing you’re doing for the summer. What is it called?
Missy Rentz: It’s called My Hammock Summer. This started because I felt like I was a little disconnected from myself and my wellbeing — I’d gotten back on this hamster wheel that we all can get used to. And so I committed to spending 30 minutes a day, every day between Memorial Day and Labor Day, outside in my hammock. There are no rules. I can do whatever I want. And I am inviting people to either do that or pick their own nature activity. The idea is just: get outside. And I know you bought a hammock for it.
Shannon Jones: We did. Yes! I bought one for Paul for his birthday, and he has been enjoying it. So have I.
Missy Rentz: I love it when you send me pictures of the sun setting and Paul swinging in the hammock.
And I just wanna say — go check out Shannon’s work with KeeKee’s Big Adventures because on her website she has so many tools and resources to help plan your vacation. Particularly the activities for kids to get involved in the planning.
Shannon Jones: That’s what KeeKee’s is all about — getting the kids involved, getting the kids engaged. And we keep launching new stuff to help you plan your vacations. We’ve got a really cool vacation planning kit that we are going to be launching soon. It’s not just about how to plan it, but also how to get the whole family involved and make that easier — because a lot of times it all falls on mom.
Missy Rentz: And is that something that will be like a subscription?
Shannon Jones: It’ll be a kit — a one-time purchase. And then as we update and add, we’re gonna have a community with it. We’ll have experts come, like yourself, and talk about different types of vacations and planning. So that it is easier to get out there and explore, just like making it easier to explore the parks.
Missy Rentz: That is gonna be a huge, very beneficial resource. I’m excited to see it when it launches. And we’ll make sure to share a link when it launches so that The Parks Podcast audience knows how to find it.
Shannon Jones: Fantastic. Well, Missy, it was great chatting today.
Missy Rentz: Yes. Thank you. I’m so glad we finally got to debunk the myth that it’s too late to plan your summer vacations.
Shannon Jones: Absolutely — and that it is too expensive to do anything. There are so many things to do. Whether you’ve already done your big vacation or you’re not doing one, there’s plenty of time and activities still to enjoy.
Missy Rentz: Well, I’m so excited to spend time with you today, Shannon. Thank you so much. That’s it for today’s episode. Until next time, we’ll see you in the parks.
Music for The Parks Podcast is performed and produced by Porter Hardy. Follow us @TheParksPodcast or visit TheParksPodcast.com.