Tips for Family Camping in Australia
Tips for Family Camping in Australia
Camping with your family is such an incredibly fun way to spend your long weekends, short holidays or even extended vacations! Whether you’re heading off for a short and sweet couple of days or you plan on discovering all that Australia has to offer, you need to do a significant amount of prep. Travelling with a family is just naturally more difficult, you have more stuff, needs and opinions on your hands from the get-go. In order for everyone to have the very best time possible, you should take a few clever measures before packing the car. Here are a few tips to a flawless family camping trip in Australia this year…
Do your research
Before you book any spots, you need to do quite a bit of research. There are so many determinates that you need to consider before jumping in the car. For example, amenities, location, natural features, pets and kids’ allowance, space, weather – the list goes on! Start with considering the amenities that are non-negotiable for you, if water, cold showers and working toilets are essential for you family (which they likely are), this actually rules out quite a few locations. Next, consider the weather and natural features, if you’re camping in the height of summer, you’ll want access to water in order to cool off and keep the heat bearable. If you’re going in the wet season, are you going to be able to access the site in your car? List out your needs, timings and attendees, hop on google and determine your ideal location from there.
Plan properly
Once you’ve done your research and picked an appropriate camping spot for you and your family, it’s time to plan out your trip. Get departing and arrival times established right away – remember, you want to get to your campsite in early to avoid faffing around in the dark with your setup. Plan fuel refill points, stopovers and any sightseeing you might want to do on the drive to curb unexpected, unscheduled interruptions.
Find or create a checklist
Every parent knows the power of the checklist, and you’re going to need one for your camping prep in order to keep on track of all the goings-on. Check out a printable or online family camping checklist to take a look at what you already have handy and what you need to head out and buy before you set off. You can also find food, gear and other category-specific checklists out there. Alternatively, create your own and pin it up on the fridge or on a chalkboard so everyone can see what they need to pack.
Put together a meal plan
Food is very tricky when camping with your family, so you need to put together a meal plan and shop for all the ingredients you need. Keep breakfast dry and meals generally simple to avoid any unnecessary stress or wastage. Get chopping and decanting to make packing seamless and consider precooking and freezing some backup meals for long days where cooking is not an option.
Be sure to pack some light entertainment
Your kids can’t quit being entertained cold turkey, even though nature is incredibly exciting, you should bring along some board games, books, cards and even an iPad if you’re okay with your kids having some tech time.
Consider investing in your family adventures
To make all your future family adventures easier, consider investing in a camper trailer that’s big enough for you and the clan. This is going to open up your options for off-road driving, travel, sites with limited amenities and storage, so it’s definitely worth the one-time splurge
