If you were lucky enough to enjoy camping trips with your dad when you were young, the chances are that you’re keen to spread the love to your own youngsters. You probably have dreams of stories around the campfire, and days navigating the forest.
Camping Trips Hails
Yet, when you actually head off, you’re faced with moaning, unhappy kids, and a trip that’s about as terrible as they get.
It can be incredibly disappointing when your kids don’t love something you’re so passionate about, but this initial dislike doesn’t mean that camping is off your cards altogether. In reality, kids are more liable to hate camping when you make a few prime mistakes. To help your youngsters embrace this hobby, at last, we’re going to consider what they are, and how you can overcome them next time a camping trip comes up.
Failure to plan
You might enjoy booking a camping site on a whim and going wherever the compass takes you, but this aimless rambling won’t appeal to your youngsters. Kids like structure, home comforts, and knowing what they’re doing. As such, planning your trip is vital for enjoyment. This way, you can structure each day to avoid the boredom kids often feel on wilderness trips. Perhaps more importantly, you’ll also be able to consider top destinations with kid-friendly parks, and facilities including toilets and showers. Setting up in a field and embracing the natural life might come when they’re a bit older, but, for now, get them onside with these basics.
Too much of a survivalist mindset
Bare-boned camping trips will also put modern youngsters off in moments. Sure, it might seem fun to make fire from scratch at first, but you can bet that excitement will be long-gone an hour in. Equally, the novelty of sleeping under the stars will wear off once those mozzies start biting. Before you know, you’ll have disgruntled children and a camping trip that’s dead in the water. By comparison, stocking up on everything you might need from a reliable camping checklist is sure to serve better. This way, you ensure your kids have at least some level of comfort, and are thus less likely to spend the whole time wishing they were in a hotel instead.
Too long, too soon
Camping trips are an acquired taste. These are the kinds of experiences we have to ease ourselves into before we can enjoy what they have to offer. Jumping into a week-long camping trip with kids who have never done it before is, therefore, asking for trouble. Instead, ease them into things with a weekend trip first. This will give them a taster to the best of camping life, and should make them much more willing for a longer trip down the line.