Camping is nature's way of promoting the motel business.

Dave Barry used this line as a characteristic one-liner in his humor writing about the gap between romanticized “outdoors” ideals and the messy realities of camping—bugs, weather, discomfort, and improvised sleeping arrangements. The joke fits Barry’s long-running persona as a suburban everyman who approaches supposedly wholesome activities with skepticism and self-deprecation. Rather than praising camping as restorative, he frames it as an experience so inconvenient that it ultimately drives people back to paid comfort—hence “promoting the motel business.” The quip circulated widely in quotation collections and on posters as a standalone Barryism, often detached from its original column context.

The joke hinges on reversing the usual sales pitch for camping. Instead of presenting it as a return to simplicity and nature, Barry frames it as an ordeal so unpleasant that it drives people back to paid lodging. The line satirizes the gap between the idealized image of camping—fresh air, freedom, authenticity—and the realities of discomfort: bad weather, insects, hard ground, and logistical hassle. By calling it “nature’s way” of promoting motels, he personifies nature as a marketer and suggests that modern humans are, at heart, creatures of convenience. The humor works because it acknowledges a common experience while deflating outdoor romanticism.

“Camping is nature’s way of promoting the hotel business.”
“Camping is nature’s way of promoting the motel industry.”