11 In Travel

The Secrets Of Stress-Free Family Camping

Post contributed by Hayley Jones

Family vacations are times for fun, relaxation, and enjoying the company of those you love, not one you live to dread. Unfortunately, though, this sort of adventure can often be stressful. When you’re on a camping trip, in particular, you will feel the tension bearing down on your after a matter of hours. That is unless you take the right steps. To help you out with this, this post will be going through some of the best ways to improve the time you have in the wilderness.

As a parent, you probably have a good idea of the energy reserves you kid has built up to unleash throughout the day. Especially when they’re young, keeping them occupied while camping can be a challenge. The key to survival here is the use of constant activities to keep them satisfied. Thankfully, while camping, you shouldn’t be short of things to do, and your kids will be able to get by with imagination alone, in some cases. Just make sure they’re all out of energy when it’s time for bed.

Photo from Paige’s Mount Magazine post

When your kids are young, it’s unlikely that you’ll want to leave them in a tent on their own. Instead, most families will camp together, sharing a space for the duration of their vacation. Your choice of shelter will make a huge difference to the emotions floating around in your group. Before you buy a tent, you first have to know the details surrounding it, including things like waterproofing and the rooms it has inside. In most cases, you’ll want to keep the kids separated from yourself and your partner. This will give everyone some much-needed space throughout the vacation.

Remember the energy reserves covered earlier? Well, this aspect of your child is one that can be greatly impacted by the food that they eat. You’ve probably already felt the effects of your little ones indulging in too much sugar before, and won’t want to have this plaguing you during the night. This means that sugary treats should be saved for during the day, as much as you can. Along with this, you should make sure the food you’ve brought with you is nutritious enough to keep everyone going during your active break. Although, you can allow yourself one or two evening S’more roasting sessions!

The natural world can be a scary place for adults and children alike. During the night, every little sound outside your tent will be incredibly loud. The restless mice and rustling of leaves all make for a festival of sound, and this will leave a lot of kids struggling to sleep. With the right reassurance, though, you should be able to turn this around. You probably have a good idea of what makes your kids feel comfortable. So, employing the right methods will just take a little bit of thought. 

Hopefully, this post will inspire you to consider camping as your next family vacation idea. Not a lot of people choose this sort of break, worrying that they will have to deal with problem after problem, making their break into one of stress. But, with the right effort, you can make this great value vacation into something everyone loves.

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11 Comments

  • Reply
    Fiona Maclean
    October 14, 2017 at 5:45 am

    We used to camp when I was a kid. I wish my parents had your article! Mind you – our family was slightly challenged as we got older as I have two little brothers. No teenage girl that I know wants to share a room with her younger male siblings…

  • Reply
    vukojevic
    October 14, 2017 at 6:07 am

    I’m a big fan of camping since I did it every summer with my family growing up. Other tips I’d add on is, make sure to pack some indoor activities in case it rains. Also, kids really enjoy making octopus hotdogs where you put a hot dog on a stick and slice the bottom in four. That way when when it roasts, the bottom pieces curl up like tentacles!

  • Reply
    The Travelling Mermaid
    October 14, 2017 at 6:34 am

    Nice thought about kids having their own tent. Some families would try to fit everyone in one tent like our family as we used to camp in the beach when I was a kid. It’s one of the most unforgettable childhood memories I have. 🙂

  • Reply
    Agness of aTukTuk
    October 14, 2017 at 6:56 am

    Your tips are so practical and definitely helpful for a stress-free camping. Thanks a bunch for making the experience more enjoyable and manageable!

  • Reply
    Roman
    October 14, 2017 at 10:37 am

    Great tips! I remember camping in the Bear country in New Hampshire (without knowing it in advance). The place is beautiful, but the signs to be careful here and there didn’t let us relax. Fortunately, we didn’t hear any bears from the tent, still I don’t recommend this place for a family vacation.

  • Reply
    Brooke
    October 15, 2017 at 2:30 am

    Camping is one of the best activities for kids- as a big family we camped often ( plus with parents who married young a tight budget meant activities like camping were the best bang for buck). My parents hiked with us, we cooked over campfire, and we all loved choosing the perfect stick for roasting marshmallows- we all still love camping ( thought with a camper or air mattresses now that we are older:)) as a family 30 years later!

  • Reply
    Danik
    October 15, 2017 at 4:26 am

    I cant wait to take my kid out camping one day soon. She is only 16 months at the moment but given time, I will be building bonfires etc. Cant wait for all that hiking and good food.

  • Reply
    Hannah
    October 15, 2017 at 6:29 am

    I have fond memories of camping with my family as a kid. Back in those days, me and my brother shared a tent, and my parents would have their own next to us (or across a clearing) – but then again, back in those days, those fancy multi-room tents didn’t exist! Great tip to keep sugary snacks to during the day, cos hyper kids at night are not easy to get to sleep!

  • Reply
    SkyeClass
    October 15, 2017 at 10:19 am

    One of my dreams is actually to have a kid in the near future and travel the world with them, which will most certainly include camping. Thus, this is a perfect post for me. Oh, and that photo of the doe is beautiful!!!

  • Reply
    Beverley Goodsell
    October 15, 2017 at 12:09 pm

    What a great way to spend time with the family with camping and of course it has to be stress free. There are some really great tips in there about keeping the children active and entertained, and most importantly not giving the sugars to children in the evenings. I would not have thought of having separate tents, but this does make sense.

  • Reply
    quirkywanderer
    October 17, 2017 at 12:04 am

    This is indeed a great way to get together with the family and spend quality time with your loved ones. The company of nature heals and it is when you are outdoors you can totally be in a different zone and discuss everything under the sun which you wouldn’t be able to when you’re back to your mundane life!
    As a kid, my mum always encouraged road trips and being outdoors! I now understand why, it is the best way to teach your kids that nature needs to be appreciated and so does togetherness! 🙂

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