Tips for a fun and easy family camping experience

The words “family camping trip” can either gladden the soul or strike fear into any parent!

Camping is one of the most amazing things you can do with your kids it allows you to connect with them on a whole new level, and a little screen free time doesn’t go astray either.

So, what can you do to ensure you have a fun and easy family camping getaway?

Here are some of our top tips.

Before you Leave

Planning is paramount!  Being spontaneous is a great in theory, but camping with kids does call for you to do a little pre-planning!

• Camping fees – it’s always good to know in advance how much your camping getaway is going to cost you.
• How busy will the campsite be and do you need to book? 
• What facilities are there? Are there toilets, showers, playgrounds, Barbecues, Camp Kitchen, picnic tables.  Are you close to the beach, the bush, the creek? Or are you going completely off grid and need to be self-sufficient.
• Do you need to pack all food needed or can you restock or even get a meal nearby? Let’s face it everyone wants a break!
• Lists are your friends; this means you minimise the chance of forgetting to pack all those essentials.  Make sure you factor in items to keep the kids busy. And that goes double for food, I write a meal plan and go from there – no-one wants to run out of food in the middle of nowhere, you may have a revolt on your hands if all you have left for dinner is dry Weetbix and peanut butter!
• Check the weather, but just because it’s going to be cold or raining isn’t a reason to cancel your trip, you may just need to amend your packing list!

Getting There

To save yourself from hearing that most loathed phrase - Are we there yet?  

Try downloading a few games the kids can play in the car.  Check out our "Top 10 road trip games for your camper trailer holiday" blog complete with downloadables.

Pack lots of snacks – no-one wants an attack of the hangrys. I always have a lunchbox jam packed with snacks ranging from sandwiches and cut up fruit to individual serves of bickies and chips on hand for every member of the car – even the adults! 

Download a podcast or an audio book that everyone can enjoy – you’ll be surprised how much you look forward to jumping into the car to hear the next instalment!

Once You've Arrived

Setting up camp can a stressful part of your camping experience, but it doesn’t have to be.  A well organised hybrid/camper can make your life so much easier! 

Don’t get me wrong, a tent can be an amazing way to experience camping.  You can get to places with a tent that a hybrid or camper trailer just can’t go, a tent site in a caravan park is often cheaper than a camper/caravan site and how much fun is it for kids in a tent?  But if you like the finer things in life like a good night’s sleep on a comfy bed that you can leave made up, a good kitchen with lots of storage and everything at your fingertips, then a hybrid/camper trailer is for you. Of course, the biggest advantage of a hybrid/camper trailer is that you can be all set up in minutes rather than hours, thus minimising that stressful time.

Top Tip – For a good night’s sleep look for a camper with a bed with a full-sized inner spring mattress. For more information, see our blog post: What's the most comfortable type of camping mattress to sleep on? 

Campground Top Tips

• Set boundaries around the distance away from camp your kids can go
• Educate your kids about cars – not everyone will adhere to the speed limit.  Making your kids step off the road if a car comes is a good way to safeguard them against accidents.
• Insist on helmets – A road is a road after all
• If your kids are going further afield, maybe look into walkie talkies.
• Teach your kids camp etiquette – No running through someone else’s campsite, be quiet in the morning not everyone wants to be up at the crack of dawn and of course give other campers space.
• And the biggie – fire! Campfires are a wonderful part of camping but they need to be respected.  Don’t get too close to the fire, ask an adult to help stoking the fire and remember the embers can still be extremely hot the next morning.

Keeping Kids Amused at Camp

Here are a few of our favourite daytime activities….

• Try a scavenger hunt – here’s an example to get you started.

Click here to download our scavenger hunt template

• Build a bush hut, it’s a great way to meet your fellow campers everyone in the campground invariably ends up pitching in! We’ve had times where we’ve revisited campsites to find that not only is our hut still there, but it’s been improved!

• Use an empty jerrycan as a raft to float down the creek, or just dam the creek – it’ll keep the kids amused for hours on those hot days.  It’s a good excuse for the adults to have a relax in the creek as well!

• For the craftier kids, take along any scraps of wool or material, get the kids to collect straight sticks and make a God’s eyes (pictured below). Or try bush weaving - Take a rectangular piece of cardboard and cut slots approx. 1 ½ cm apart in the short ends. Wind your wool around the cardboard through the slots. Tape in place at the beginning and end. The string should be tight but not so tight that the cardboard buckles.  Collect leaves, flowers, grasses etc and weave in and over and under fashion onto your board.

• Chores that would bring on groans at home can become the best fun when camping! Collecting firewood and building the fire for that evening gets the kids involved and also teaches them valuable bush craft. 
• And want a use for those dry weetbix that no-one wants to eat? How about the weetbix challenge – how much of a dry weetbix can you eat in 1 minute! Warning not for the feint hearted or the very young!
• Learning to cook their own food is pretty special too!

Once the sun goes down, it’s camp fire time!

• One of my favourites is Mystical Fire – available in most camping stores or online Mystical Fire can transform your fire into an amazing colour spectacular!

• Roasting marshmallows over the fire is a go to, but why not mix it up a bit and try S’more cones!

• Torchlight tag’s always a winner
• Why not try glowstick bowling?

• Or use the same water bottles for a game of glow stick quoits

So, whilst the kids are kept amused with the activities above, it’s time for the parents to have a little bit of rest and recreation! 

Camping’s all about everyone getting away from the rat race and recharging those batteries, not just the kids, so you don’t want to spend your time running yourself ragged!

This is where a hybrid/camper trailer with a well organised kitchen really comes into its own! Having an easy-to-use kitchen with a well laid out pantry and everything at your fingertips is so much easier than having to hunt through box after box for your food and utensils!

I like to pre-prepare a few meals at home so I don’t have to spend all my time in the kitchen.  Using a vacuum packer to pack your food can save you time and washing up when you’re out camping as you can just reheat in the bag. Check out my cook-in-the-bag chicken with sundried tomatoes and feta recipe by clicking here.

And don’t forget happy hour! 

We all like to sit around the campfire with our favourite beverage.  So why not make it a little bit more fun! We have a tradition that everyone brings along a Hawaiian shirt for happy hour – the brighter the better!  

In addition to getting you out of the rat race and into the fresh air, camping can also improve your mood, boost your energy levels, and provide a better night's sleep.  It’s also a great way to get out and experience Australia with your kids.  The skills they learn and the quality time spent as a family will be remembered long into the future.  We look forward to seeing you out there.

Interested in an off-road camper? 

Modcon RV offer a range of hybrid camper trailers that are built to withstand the harsh conditions our beautiful Australian landscape has to offer while providing the ultimate in comfort and convenience for you and your family.

Combining the internal living and quick set up of a caravan with the outdoor lifestyle of a camper trailer our Hybrid campers have it all.

Visit our nearest showroom to experience the Modcon difference for yourself. We’d love you to stop by. Click here to get in touch with us today.