Why I Spent $1100 For a Winter Camping Spot

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I hope this finds you well.

Welcome to another edition of The Matt Viera Newsletter.

The newsletter with the goal to inspire you to invest in life experiences.

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Last winter, I only used my camper once.

One time. One weekend. One adventure in the snow.

Not because I didn't want to more often (I absolutely did), but because I couldn't find anywhere to go.

Most of the places I can go camping, that are relatively easy for me to get to from Brooklyn, close for the winter.

And the one place I enjoy going to that stays open year-round only has a handful of camping spots, if that.

Every time I tried to reserve a weekend last winter, there was no availability.

So for this winter, I made a different decision.

I paid $1,100 to reserve a winter camping spot for the entire winter season.

And my camper will stay parked there, fully set up, ready for me to enjoy.

This past weekend, I spent time organizing everything so that when I drive and arrive there, all I have to do is show up with some food.

No hitching up the camper. No towing. No setup or breakdown.

If it's a Friday night after work, I can head straight there.

If I wake up early on a Saturday morning and want to spend the weekend in the woods, I can go.

Long weekends become mini-vacations.

That investment of money removes every barrier between me and something that restores me.

It removes every barrier between me and something important to me.

The Lesson

If an experience is important to you, make it easy to do consistently.

Remove the friction.

We often tell ourselves we'll get to the fun stuff "later."

But without intention and preparation (without removing the friction) "later" quietly turns into never.

When you remove the friction, your priorities stop being wishes.

What's the Point of All This?

The point is to emphasize that, without realizing it, we end up living our lives in which the things that make us feel alive are sometimes challenging to access.

Most people don't struggle to enjoy life because of a lack of desire.

They struggle because logistics get in the way.

But a simple shift (a system, a commitment, a setup that removes obstacles) can completely change your happiness.

Ask yourself:

• What would I do more often if it were easier to do?

• What barriers can I remove to make joy the default instead of the exception?

• How can I lock in the experiences that matter before everything else fills the space?

It’s not about enjoying experiences when or because they are convenient.

It’s all about choosing what deserves to be convenient.

The Final Point

Investing in that winter camping spot wasn't about spending $1,100.

It's about investing in something I value so it becomes something I actually do.

As often as I’d like to.

This winter, I won't be wishing I were in the woods when it's snowing out.

I'll be there.

If something matters to you (adventure, rest, time with people you love), don't leave it to chance.

Make it automatic. Make it easy. Make it happen.

Otherwise, you risk looking back and realizing the things you'd love to experience (and the things you love most) were the things you did least.

Quote that caught my attention:

“It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men’s hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit.”

—Robert Louis Stevenson

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