A national park is meant to be an oasis — a reprieve from the traffic and crowds of urban life. Unfortunately, though, many people seek this same reprieve, meaning some national parks have become extremely crowded during peak seasons.
7 of the biggest mistakes tourists make visiting national parks, according to empty-nesters who have been to all 63 of them
01.05.2024 - 01:23 / insider.com
Matt and Karen Smith know a thing or two about getting the most out of a national park visit.
After their youngest child went to college, the couple, who met at a university in Kansas and are now based in Seattle, quit their jobs in 2010 when they realized they could finally travel freely.
"When we moved to Seattle, we met another couple named Bob and Sue," Karen, 63, said. "They would take their family to the national parks. That was all new to us. We weren't national park people, so they inspired us to start."
Matt, 63, said they were "fortunate" to have enough savings to spend over a year visiting every major US national park. Throughout their travels, they wrote emails to Bob and Sue that they eventually compiled into a book titled "Dear Bob and Sue."
Nowadays, Matt and Karen regularly post about their national park experiences on Instagram, where they have over 246,000 followers, and discuss them in their podcast.
The Smiths recently spoke with Business Insider to share the biggest mistakes they've made themselves or seen people make when visiting national parks — and how to avoid them.
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