For certain people, camping is in their blood. They love spending time outdoors and actually prefer a night under the stars to a night at home. There are also people who have no interest in being outside when the sun goes down.
When trying to plan a camping trip for the entire family, it can be challenging to get everyone on the same page.
4 Tips for a Camping Trip Everyone Will Love
When you camp alone, you can do everything your way. When you bring the entire family, though, compromise is everything. Trying to immerse them in a wilderness camping experience isn’t going to work.
Accept this early on and remember that you’re here to spend time with your family, not win an award for your wilderness skills and toughness.
With all of that being said, let’s look at some tips for planning a camping trip that the entire family will enjoy.
- Pack the Comforts of Home
It might not be your version of camping, but packing the comforts of home can go a long way towards helping your family maximize enjoyment on your trip. If your daughter wants to bring pillows, blankets, and an air mattress, let her. In fact, if it’s blankets your family needs, check out high-quality waterproof camping blankets to ensure that you all stay warm and dry while in the great outdoors. If your son wants to bring his headphones so he can listen to music, don’t fight it. The more you push back on trivial things, the less enjoyable the trip will be.
- Plan Out Meals
A family camping trip generally revolves around mealtime. Instead of just throwing a bunch of ingredients into a cooler and figuring it out as you go, plan out the meals ahead of time. Pick classic camping meals that are tasty, yet unique.
One of the best cooking tools you can bring is a cast iron Dutch oven. “The flavor produced by cast iron can’t be achieved by any other method,” Barebones Living shares. “The flavors from years of seasoning create a base that blend to produce something magical.” Just place it in your campfire, toss in your meals, and enjoy.
- Provide Options
A lack of planning is unwise, but a rigid camping itinerary is sure to annoy your family. The key is to come up with a loose game plan that provides options for everyone. If some people want to go on a hike while others would prefer to read by the campfire, that’s fine. When people can make their own decisions, they’re much more likely to have a good time.
- Don’t Overstay
A week-long camping trip might sound good in theory, but the number one tip when camping with your family is to avoid overstaying your welcome. A one- or two-night trip is great. Anything longer than that and people tend to get tired and agitated. There will be longer trips in the future. For now, keep things brief so that everyone enjoys the experience.
Spend More Time in the Great Outdoors
The average American watches 5 hours of TV per day. What’s most depressing is that the average weekly usage ascends by age group. By the time you reach the age of 65, you’ll average more than 50 hours of TV viewing per week.
If your number one excuse for not spending more time outdoors as a family is that you don’t have the time, think again. If TV isn’t an issue in your household, there’s most likely something else that’s occupying your time.
By reassessing your priorities, you can regain control of your life and do more of the things that bring you together as a family – like camping.
