I am a camper, my husband
is not. We have three children whom I would love to introduce to the
great outdoors. I have been nervous though of camping solo. A few
months ago I had an epiphany. I am a proud owner of a super chic
minivan which has a back bench seat that folds completely down into
the trunk. Why couldn't I camp in the safety of my locked van (down
by the river)?
Here's 5 Tips on camping
happily with your kids in your van
(or SUV or if you're
really adventurous and have a great back-- your car)
1- Bring lots and lots of
warm coverings. Sleeping Bags, fuzzy blankets and even a futon or
foam mats if you can fit them make for a cozier and sounder sleep for
you and your kids.
2- Snacks and a great
movie are an essential part to this process. We don't have a built in
movie screen in our van but we have bought a
portable one for travelling long distances. I hang the screen on the
back of the driver's seat and we pick up a couple of DVDs from RedBox
on our way out. Then we grab a snack from a store or churros from
the local taco drive-in and find a nice place to park to watch the
show.
3- Find a safe spot to
stay the night. For the first half of our night we stay in a busy
public parking lot like Walmart or Target and then once the kids
have inevitably fallen asleep during the movie (it make take two for
you and if needed a nature DVD to bring on the snooze) I go to one of
the safest spots I know – my in-laws residential neighborhood. Now,
if you don't have family nearby or their neighborhood is not safe or
they're uncomfortable with you parking by the curb outside their
house, ask a friend if they would mind or as a last resort, park
outside your own home. Your kids won't know the difference and they
will still love the thrill of the adventure.
4- Put the wildest sleeper
on the edge. Trust me on this one. This will make it so there is a
possibility that you will want to go car camping again.
5- And finally, get to
know what makes your car honk. This is an essential tip. If you do
not discover that when you turn your car on in the middle of the
night to let the heater warm everyone up for a few minutes the car's
alarm is triggered, then you will find yourself peeling out of a
residential neighborhood at 3 o'clock in the morning frantically
trying to shut it off. If this happens to you, I have found that
pushing the unlock button on your keypad before inserting your key
into the ignition solves the issue.
Hope this inspires you and
helps you to get out into the world of camping solo with kids. So
what are your tips on making camping work with kids?
Linking Up with a Siblings link Up at Dear Beautiful Boy here
Linking Up with a Siblings link Up at Dear Beautiful Boy here
love this photo and the rocking mini van camping.
ReplyDeletethanks Kem! You gotta rock what you got
DeleteOh my gosh, this sounds like so much fun. Definitely the kind of thing I'll do when my kids are older. And what a gorgeous photograph. Thanks for linking up with Siblings. x
ReplyDeletethanks for organizing the link up & visiting my blog!
DeleteWow what a beautiful photo. My two are a bit young but I'm looking forward to taking them camping when they are older, although it's quite so much fun in the rainy UK! x
ReplyDeleteI miss the U.K. badly, even the rain, tho we used to joke that we never saw the sun -- (I lived in Mildenhall & my mum is from Coventry)...snowy winters here aren't so pleasant to camp in either-- we have done it once & I woke up twice in teh night & turned on the heater for 15-20 minutes-- then went back to bed-- wasn't too bad considering the bone-chilling cold outside! So glad you stopped by!
Deleteim not a camper myself though i would love a van but that photo almost converted me!
ReplyDeleteyes, yes, photos can be highly deceptive making things look all beautiful!
DeleteOh bless them! As a former vw camper van owner I love camping with the kids - this shot is beautiful x
ReplyDeleteooh, I would LOVE to own a VW Camper-- what fun that must have been!
Delete