Comments on: 5 Tips For A Stress Free Family Camping Trip

By: Airfare

Airfare — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:04:05 +0000

Family campings are all about thinking free and total relaxation. Following these tips will ensure you of those experiences indeed. Thanks

By: Karen

Karen — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:26:59 +0000

I camp with my family for years so this is all well known. In this way, we see many places for little money and we have great comfort in our camping trailer. We mainly use the tents only on the beach.
Karen´s last blog ..The Benefits Candles for Weddings

By: Sarah

Sarah — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:09:39 +0000

Pretty cool post. I just came by your blog and wanted to say
that I’ve really enjoyed browsing your blog posts. In any case
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By: Nice France Airport

Nice France Airport — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:20:44 +0000

I only experience camping once in my entire life. Back when I was just 15 years old. It was such a great experience that I’ll never forget. Thanks for the tips. Ill definitely remember it for my next camping. Hope it will be soon.

By: Nik

Nik — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 20:43:25 +0000

Nice article !

And very nice changes you got there. I hope you resolve all the wordpress issues

By: Ellie

Ellie — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 22:36:50 +0000

Thanks for the tips. I love camping and these look like 5 easy steps that can make it a lot less stressful!

By: John

John — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:32:22 +0000

Genie, sounds like a wonderful trip. I can’t imagine taking a 4 week vacation! If I’m gone that long from work, they probably don’t need me! You are very fortunate that your father was able to take off for so long. Someday, in retirement, my wife and I plan to travel around the country. I don’t mind the kind of stress you describe, at all. We have been lost on just about every vacation we have ever been on, until we recently got a GPS! We have driven in circles around Disney World. Taken the wrong exit in Buffalo NY, while visiting Niagara Falls. We feared for our lives! We found ourselves 20 miles down in a canyon on a clay and rock road, somewhere in Utah. We were racing a giant thunder storm. I was fairly stressed as we kept passing signs that read “Do not attempt to cross when raining” and “Warning, flash floods may wash out road”. We were all laughing hysterically, as the kids watched the lightening “chasing” us, through the rear view window. One time, we made a series of wrong turns when leaving Death Valley and ended up on the “Extraterrestrial Highway” headed to Area 51. When our daughter was about 7, on a trip to Canada, she answered all of the questions wrong at the border crossing and almost got us detained! On a trip to the Grand Canyon, our daughter got the flu. I won’t describe what happened at the breakfast buffet that morning after eating some eggs. Let’s just say that my daughter was probably not the only one to get sick. We spent one whole day in the hospital. I am no stranger to vacation “adventures”!!! All good times and some great memories!

By: Genie

Genie — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:43:30 +0000

6th Tip: Don’t break a bone! Whoops- you knew that one already!
Seriously, great tips, John. It reminds me of a great, but very stressful 4 week camping trip my family took from NC to VA and then down to Florida, after my 4th grade. Kids got car sick, we often arrived after dark, father and brother had a hard time getting the tent up, Mom ran out of Sterno, and we had to shop at those horribly expensive camp site stores. We left Mountain Lake on a road, but the wrong road, which turned into a rocky trail with no place to turn around. A rock punctured the oil pan in Dad’s new Rambler wagon. I remember “showers” with spiders and daddy long legs. For every “bad thing” I remember about that trip, there are 10 good things. Is being awakened at 5:00 AM by the otters splashing around a good thing or bad thing? One of the best things was finally arriving in Florida at my grandparents house and getting a real shower, without the bugs. Too bad Dad didn’t read anyone’s tips before leaving! To this day, I love a crazy vacation where “bad” things happen. It’s not so “bad” if you don’t think of it as “stress”, but “adventure”. Even with planning, you can’t take the stress out of the experience when unexpected and unplanned things happen – you just have to see it as “adventure” – a great and memorable thing for kids!

By: John

John — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:55:16 +0000

WOW! That’s amazing! No stress? No kids? lol I can’t imagine camping for 3 weeks. Our longest trip was a week. AND by the end of the week, we ALL wanted to get back to civilization. When I speak of packing food, I obviously mean a couple of days worth, not weeks! Yeah the camp store novelty is cool, but my frugal nature won’t allow me to shop there! Meal planning and budgeting saves our family several thousand dollars a year. It’s how we fund our vacations. Mingling with other camping families and visiting local attractions is a big part of the fun. We used to take the “inside the Dam” tour at one of our favorite camp grounds. However, since September 11th, it has been closed. Kind of like visiting Hoover Dam, but different. When the kids were younger, we always worked in historical sights and tours. In any case sounds like your family enjoys camping as much as ours. Many great memories! Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend! Oh and btw I fixed your website url…

By: Sandy

Sandy — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:49:19 +0000

Have camped more times than I can count, and I never found it stressful.

I agree with some of your points, set up camp before dark. Set up camp before running to the playground or the pool, or fishing or other activity that be at hand.

We only took small things, and always did our shopping once we were there. We took spices, things you only need a dab of this and that. We took specialty items; but we found it made no sense to take up valuable packing space with something you could easily get once at your destination. We never bought more than a few days of food stuff at a time, that way ensuring a variety. And really who knows ahead of time what you’re hungry for, most people don’t. I don’t plan meals ahead at home, so why make it more stressful by adding an extra task when you’re on vacation? We often found taking time was helpful. Firstly, camp stores are just plain fun…and different. When you’re elsewhere it’s cool to eat differently. You mingle with the other campers, and locals and thats fun. AND…it’s a great activity when it’s raining, or the kids have been out in the sun too long. We generally would go into town and do the bulk of shopping; but would stop for odds and ends at the camp store.

Love the pictures, looks like you take a lot more equipment then we used to. We had a small dome style tent, small wallless canopy (didn’t even have it in the early years).

Our long trips were usually 3 weeks, so we would camp awhile 5 days or there abouts and then hit a hotel for a night. Great memories.

Sandy
hope you’ll swing by for a visit, welcome mats always out