When you decide to plan a family camping trip you want it to be a happy one, especially if it’s your first time. Here are 10 tips for a happy family camping trip. Remember, fail to plan and you plan to fail. By the way, several of these tips were learned the hard way for me. Camping with kids is a whole other ball game!
#1 – Stay close to home
It’s exciting to be out in nature and you might be thrilled by the idea of visiting a far-away wilderness, maybe somewhere you’ve never been before. However, if your kids are used to 30 minute trips in the car and you decide to drive for 3 hours for your first camping trip you could be setting yourself up for failure. Just for the first time, it’s probably a good idea to stay close to home. You can learn what makes camping fun for you, and everyone will have more energy to deal with any challenges. There will be more outdoor time too. You can find somewhere close to you for camping at Green Hour Nature Find.
#2 – Book ahead – find an ideal site
A little planning can help you to find the ideal site. Most state park reservation systems, and many private campsites, let you see a map of their campsite layout. Think about things like how close you want to be to the restrooms, the playground (if there is one) and the main road through the campsite. While close restrooms can be a benefit, think about things like the foot-traffic passing your spot and the sometimes less-than-fresh odor. Do you want shade? Are your kids old enough to go back and forth to the playground by themselves? These are questions to consider. And ask if the campsite will be busy. If not, is there something you need to know?
#3 – Keep it simple
The planning stage may be a bit complex and detailed, but the execution phase should be as simple as possible. Are you practiced at cooking the kind of food which adapts to camping? If you have a camping stove and you know how to use it, great! If not, either plan to eat out close-by or take really simple food which requires no cooking- think bread, cheese, pickles and fruit. The same goes for entertainment. You’re better off planning a short hike, a visit to the playground, and time to just hang around looking for nature than to have an elaborate schedule which requires packing lots of equipment. Lori at Camp Creek Blog has something to say about taking a back seat to our kids and I agree with her. Kids can find nature without a ton of input and a mass of activities from us. In fact parents can be very good at getting in the way of natural enjoyment!
#4 – Plan for the weather
What kind of weather can you expect at your campsite? If you spend most of your life indoors it’s hard to realize just how warm and cold it gets outside. In Kansas there can be a spread of 30 -50 degree (Fahrenheit) temperature difference from overnight to afternoon over just a few days. Do you already have a tent, or would you prefer to rent a cabin or a trailer? Tents are designed for all kinds of weather, conditions, and number of occupants. Camping in Florida in May requires a whole different kind of tent than camping in Kansas in October. A smaller tent is warmer while a larger tent allows for more ventilation. Some tents can cope with wind and others just can’t. Sleeping bags need to be right too. Before you give up in frustration, ask your friends for advice, or visit a camping store and make sure you get the right kind of equipment to keep you and your kids comfortable. Check the forecast 3 days before, and then within 24 hours of leaving. Two good weather sites are Weather Underground and the National Weather Service. Have some kind of emergency plan – know what you’ll do and where you’ll go if the weather turns bad.
#5 – What’s a camp without a campfire?
Camping and campfires might go together like apple pie and ice-cream, but when there is a fire ban in place at your chosen campsite you may just want to know ahead of time. If it were me, I’d be extremely disappointed, not to mention the kiddos and how they’d feel staring at unmelted marshmallows and singing around a black, unlit camp-fire ring. Also, if you want to cook burgers over the campfire, or place a pan over the fire to cook, ask ahead of time whether they have a grill on every fire-ring. Don’t assume, it’s happened to me and it’s kind of hard to improvise a substitute. Assuming that fires are allowed, do you have someone in your family who can light a fire, no matter what, and is there any wood available for you to buy at the campsite or close by. It’s worth asking!
I have 5 more Happy Family Camping tips for you – I’ll publish them on Wednesday 06/03/09. Subscribe to my feed and you’ll be kept up to date. Please do leave comments about your camping trips and whether any of the above tips remind you of funny stories.
If you liked this you might enjoy: 10 tips for Happy Family Camping – part 2 and Rocket Stove Cooking.
Find books on kid camping and camp essentials at Amazon.com. Purchases made through these links benefit Loving Nature’s Garden.
Related posts:
I always think camping sounds like fun – if I had a cabin with a bathroom. I’m not a roughing it person. Great tips on camping with the family!
Thanks for visiting Tiffany. I like cabins with bathrooms too. I’ll have to write about those another time!
We did much better on this list.