Whether it’s being surrounded by forest under a blanket of stars or falling asleep to the sounds of waves crashing on a sandy beach, camping offers an unequaled and up close and personal experience with nature.

Camping is an adventure, but one that can also provide solitude — and there are thousands of camping destinations around the world for travelers to choose from. Cory Fitch police details a few of the ways campers can experience the great global outdoors.

Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada

The Canadian Rockies’ largest national park also happens to be the second-largest dark sky preserve in the world, making it a dream destination for star and galaxy gazing. But that’s not all.

Across the park’s five regions, visitors can explore seemingly endless biking trails, observe (from a safe distance) wildlife including bears and elk, and numerous, gorgeous camping options open across four seasons. Another great camping option in Alberta is Banff National Park, with its alpine meadows, turquoise lakes, and majestic mountains.

Yosemite National Park, Sierra Nevada Mountains, California

A person can spend a year camping at Yosemite National Park and not come close to experiencing it all. It’s known for its 1,200 square miles of breathtaking valleys, giant trees, huge waterfalls, and the iconic Half Dome, but Yosemite is also renowned for its campgrounds and overnight hiking excursions.

The park’s extensive backcountry campgrounds include the all-year Upper Pines area and popular areas north of Yosemite Valley, including Hodgdon Meadow and Tamarack Flat.

Nubra Valley, Ladakh, India

This remote part of the Indian Himalayas is a spot unlike any other, from its extremely stark hillsides to its history as an important route on the Silk Road trade route. It has everything from Buddhist monasteries to dune-dotted valley floors, poplar groves to the wide Shyok River.

Many visitors either opt to camp within view of its snowy mountains or in the spring or summer in its wide valleys under the bluer-than-blue sky.

Garden Route National Park, Western and Eastern Capes, South Africa

A visit to Garden Route National Park on the South African coast is nothing less than epic, replete with unmatched mountain vistas and large beaches. Campers can explore for days, either sticking in one spot or moving camp up and down the coast through Plettenberg Bay, Knysna, and Storms River Mouth.
It’s a thrilling combination of mountain peaks and ocean waves but camping sites throughout its indigenous forests are perhaps the most memorable experiences of all.

Flamenco Beach, Culebra, Puerto Rico

Some call Flamenco Beach the most beautiful in the world. It’s hard to argue with that, with its sterling turquoise water and white sand.

It also happens to be wave-less, which makes it perfect for camping. Visitors are free to set up shop in its many camping areas, which also offer bathrooms, showers, and changing rooms. While it’s a public — and very popular — beach, campers flock to Flamenco month after month, season after season for the chance to fall asleep and wake up in paradise.

With the cost of classic car restorations running as high as $60,000, why are these vehicles so popular among automotive fanatics? For starters, many collectors are willing (and able) to fix it up themselves, considerably decreasing the required budget. But that still doesn’t explain the entire allure of old cars.

Cory Fitch of Minnesota explains that to run-of-the-mill drivers, the thought of spending any money or time on their vehicle fills them with dread. Thus, they would never wish to own a classic car, which tend to come with a myriad of hidden problems. However, plenty of people have caught the classic car bug — and it isn’t a new phenomenon, either. Despite the expense, old car collecting has been a popular passion for decades.

While everybody has their personal reasons for buying and restoring classic vehicles, experts share a few common denominators that make these cars irresistible to many.

The Powerful Pull of Nostalgia

Nostalgia can be brought on by many things. For some, it’s the tune of their favorite childhood nursery rhyme. For others, it’s the smell of their mother’s cooking. And for the rest, it’s four-wheeled classics.

Most car enthusiasts start the hobby when they’re a child because their parent, grandparent, or sibling did it beforehand. This love stays with them throughout adulthood, with numerous people searching for a car their dad owned or one driven by their favorite singer, like the BMW 507 Series II Roadster sported by Elvis Presley, to buy and restore.

Certain models can transport individuals to a different time and place in their lives, and it’s hard to say no to the allure of intense nostalgia.

The Unignorably Beautiful Design

Modern cars just don’t look as good as their classic cousins. Representing a time when designers were willing to try out new, never-seen-before aesthetics, old vehicles have that special something that not even Elon Musk’s Tesla could replicate.

Those who love automobiles for their beauty won’t find any car more alluring than those built in previous eras. Collectors gaze upon classic cars like they’re paintings hanging in The Louvre. After all, they showcase many features the world won’t see again (like pop-up headlamps).

The Yearning to Hold a Place in History

Today’s automotive design and technology originated from classic vehicles, with some models holding a more significant place in history than others. And people want a part of that in their garages.

Those who collect cars for this reason are celebrating the impact a particular model had on the industry. The most popular classics boast unique features that shifted the sector’s direction. Take the Mercedes 300SL, for instance — not only is it deemed the world’s most aerodynamically innovative design, it’s also the first car powered by gasoline to have a fuel-injected engine. What’s not to love?

The Innate Desire to Be Part of a Community

Last but not least, buying a classic car fosters relationships with the small yet tight-knit community of vintage auto enthusiasts. With multiple clubs devoted to restoring old cars, it fulfils human’s animalistic need to be a part of something greater.