LITHIA, Fla. — Camping is a popular, inexpensive way for many families to vacation.
It's getting so popular in fact, that it's sometimes hard to get a good spot at your favorite campground.
However, a new app opens up many more possibilities. HipCamp is also creating opportunities for people to make money by offering up campsites on their property.
Tucked away on the banks of the Alafia River is the River Goddess Chalet.
Once you arrive, you walk down a magical little path and the trees open up to the perfect place to pitch a tent.
"Being in this environment, it's kind of like when you find a really good recipe you make and you invite your family over to share it," Christine Alfonso said. "It just had to be shared."
So that's what Alfonso did. A few months ago, she found HipCamp, an app and website that would allow her to open up her land to people who want a unique, private place to camp.
"We've got bicycles they can use, just on the river we have a couple of canoes," Alfonso said. "There's fishing. There's a fire pit, so there's a place to do s'mores and a place for chats around the fireside and drumming circles which we plan to do."
Alfonso is not alone. There are more than 300,000 different sites across the country listed on HipCamp and each one is unique in its own way. In just a few months, she has hosted just a handful of campers, but she's excited to meet many more.
"I truly enjoy it," Alfonso said. "You tend to attract like-minded people and kindred spirits and you just create this big vibe tribe and people that stay in touch and want to come back."
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