Happy Campers
This post is first in an occasional series on family camping.
What does it mean to get campy with your family? According to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, it is 3 : something so outrageously artificial, affected, inappropriate, or out-of-date as to be considered amusing. Sleeping in a tent with your spouse and children may take on this characteristic. Or it could be a great family vacation!
Do your homework. As with most family adventures, camping is an expedition. First decide if camping is for you. Weigh the benefits and drawbacks. While camping is beautiful, it can quickly become a nightmare if you are not prepared.
Pros
Cheap
Camping is cheap. At most campgrounds, it will cost $30 or less to reserve a campsite. To what decent hotel can you take your whole family for that price? Because you have to bring some equipment, most folks prefer to drive to their destination. Even with soaring gas prices, piling the kids in the van still costs less than buying them each a plane ticket.
Camping also saves you money in the meal department. You still have to eat, even when you are on vacation. When you camp, you can buy your food at the grocery store and cook it yourself. I don’t have to tell you that it costs less to cook than to buy Johnny a hamburger that he may not even finish.
Nature
Camping brings you nose-to-nose with the outdoors. Children can inspect leaves, feel the rain on their faces, spot constellations and hear dozens of different birdsongs. Camping beats any classroom nature lesson.
Kids can play
The thought of being stuck in a hotel room with my three children sets my teeth on edge. We all get cabin fever. At a campsite, they have an instant yard to play in. They can play nearby as you relax in your camp chair. In some cases, they can even bike around safely and make some new friends!
Meals of your choice
You are in charge of what goes in your cooler. You can bring healthy choices that are hard to get at restaurants. You can even splurge and buy some treats. Your meals will still cost less than they would at a restaurant. Of course, you can have a few special nights and get dinner out if you want. But sometimes—with children—it is more relaxing NOT to go out to eat.
Low-tech
Because camping does not have the bells and whistles of an amusement park, children have to use their imaginations! It is amazing what children can create with sticks and leaves when they are given the chance. On our most recent camping trip, my yougest daughter built an amazing fort in the copse of trees near our tent.
Cons
Cheap
The reason that campgrounds provide inexpensive accommodations is that they do not provide in-room bathrooms, hair dryers or ironing boards. You have to walk to the bathroom. Sometimes in the middle of the night without a flashlight. Campground bathrooms are not what I would call luxurious. But they are usually clean and have running water. If you are going on vacation in order to spend a lot of time in the bathroom, you may want to consider a hotel.
While driving will save you transportation money, it may cost you in other ways. After all, someone actually has to do the driving. It can be tiring and stressful to be trapped in the van with a grouchy spouse and antsy children. Smart mom Vicki Lansky has great road trip tips in her book Trouble-Free Travel with Children.
Nature
If you have never slept in a tent, you may not know that birds wake up around 5:00 a.m. and start singing VERY LOUDLY. I am usually not ready to roll out of the sleeping bag at dawn, but I would much rather wake up to the birds than to my neighbor’s car alarm. Also, an eye mask and earplugs are helpful.
You are not alone on your campsite. There are creatures, large and small, who are very interested in what you brought in your food box. Since you are a smart mom, you can easily work around this: Wear bug spray, keep the tent door zipped, lock the food in the car and put the garbage in its receptacle.
Kids can play
They will get dirty. Very dirty.
Meals of your choice
You have to cook them! You probably won’t have a gourmet kitchen at your campsite with every tool imaginable. Camp cooking does not, however, have to be complicated. Chuckwagondiner.com shows how, with good ingredients and foil, camp meals can be simple and very tasty.
Low- tech
If it rains and everyone is bored to tears, you can’t just put in a movie. That is, unless you have a fancy camper or a DVD player in your car. Otherwise you can find a local movie theater and make it a day on the town. Better yet, snuggle in your tent and play games!
What does it mean to get campy with your family? According to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, it is 3 : something so outrageously artificial, affected, inappropriate, or out-of-date as to be considered amusing. Sleeping in a tent with your spouse and children may take on this characteristic. Or it could be a great family vacation!
Do your homework. As with most family adventures, camping is an expedition. First decide if camping is for you. Weigh the benefits and drawbacks. While camping is beautiful, it can quickly become a nightmare if you are not prepared.
Pros
Cheap
Camping is cheap. At most campgrounds, it will cost $30 or less to reserve a campsite. To what decent hotel can you take your whole family for that price? Because you have to bring some equipment, most folks prefer to drive to their destination. Even with soaring gas prices, piling the kids in the van still costs less than buying them each a plane ticket.
Camping also saves you money in the meal department. You still have to eat, even when you are on vacation. When you camp, you can buy your food at the grocery store and cook it yourself. I don’t have to tell you that it costs less to cook than to buy Johnny a hamburger that he may not even finish.
Nature
Camping brings you nose-to-nose with the outdoors. Children can inspect leaves, feel the rain on their faces, spot constellations and hear dozens of different birdsongs. Camping beats any classroom nature lesson.
Kids can play
The thought of being stuck in a hotel room with my three children sets my teeth on edge. We all get cabin fever. At a campsite, they have an instant yard to play in. They can play nearby as you relax in your camp chair. In some cases, they can even bike around safely and make some new friends!
Meals of your choice
You are in charge of what goes in your cooler. You can bring healthy choices that are hard to get at restaurants. You can even splurge and buy some treats. Your meals will still cost less than they would at a restaurant. Of course, you can have a few special nights and get dinner out if you want. But sometimes—with children—it is more relaxing NOT to go out to eat.
Low-tech
Because camping does not have the bells and whistles of an amusement park, children have to use their imaginations! It is amazing what children can create with sticks and leaves when they are given the chance. On our most recent camping trip, my yougest daughter built an amazing fort in the copse of trees near our tent.
Cons
Cheap
The reason that campgrounds provide inexpensive accommodations is that they do not provide in-room bathrooms, hair dryers or ironing boards. You have to walk to the bathroom. Sometimes in the middle of the night without a flashlight. Campground bathrooms are not what I would call luxurious. But they are usually clean and have running water. If you are going on vacation in order to spend a lot of time in the bathroom, you may want to consider a hotel.
While driving will save you transportation money, it may cost you in other ways. After all, someone actually has to do the driving. It can be tiring and stressful to be trapped in the van with a grouchy spouse and antsy children. Smart mom Vicki Lansky has great road trip tips in her book Trouble-Free Travel with Children.
Nature
If you have never slept in a tent, you may not know that birds wake up around 5:00 a.m. and start singing VERY LOUDLY. I am usually not ready to roll out of the sleeping bag at dawn, but I would much rather wake up to the birds than to my neighbor’s car alarm. Also, an eye mask and earplugs are helpful.
You are not alone on your campsite. There are creatures, large and small, who are very interested in what you brought in your food box. Since you are a smart mom, you can easily work around this: Wear bug spray, keep the tent door zipped, lock the food in the car and put the garbage in its receptacle.
Kids can play
They will get dirty. Very dirty.
Meals of your choice
You have to cook them! You probably won’t have a gourmet kitchen at your campsite with every tool imaginable. Camp cooking does not, however, have to be complicated. Chuckwagondiner.com shows how, with good ingredients and foil, camp meals can be simple and very tasty.
Low- tech
If it rains and everyone is bored to tears, you can’t just put in a movie. That is, unless you have a fancy camper or a DVD player in your car. Otherwise you can find a local movie theater and make it a day on the town. Better yet, snuggle in your tent and play games!
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