Kaboutjie SA Mommy Blogs by Lynne Huysamen
Camping is a great way to take a family holiday, especially when you are on a budget. Once you have purchased your family tent and all he rest of your camping equipment you will find that camping is the most cost effective trip you can take, plus camping offers many benefits for your family.
The most important task of each camping trip will be to choose the best camping location for your family to ensure that the trip is as enjoyable as possible.
Here are some of the things you need to consider when choosing a camping site for your family holiday:
Traveling Distance
The distance you are willing to travel will play a big part in the choices you have of camping sites. If you are going for a weekend or just a few days you will probably not be too keen to travel very far. If you have small children traveling a long distance might also be off the cards since young kids don’t always do so great with long drives and in turn parents find it hard too if the kids are crying, whining and performing on the drive.
However if you are not willing to travel very far your options will be more limited when it comes to choice.
Cost Of The Camping Site
You may be strapped for cash and be limited when it comes to a choice in your budget. Draw up a list of camping sites that are you may be able to stay at and check all their pricing.
Size Of The Camping Stands
When you are checking out possible camping sites make sure to find out how large each stand is. You may have bought the best tent for family of 4 only to find that your stand barely accommodates for your tent, never mind a bit of extra space to set out a table and some chairs.
Having a larger stand allocated for your family is going to make such a huge difference to your trip. It is nice to have a decent amount of space that you can call you own that other campers can’t encroach on.
Are you taking a large tent or maybe even more than one tent? Perhaps you are taking a caravan and/ or a trailer. You need to ensure that you will be able to set up your camping site and all of your equipment comfortably.
Take note of whether you have a braai area or not at your camping stand.
Closeness Of Other Campers
Are all the stands right next to each other with spare space in the camping grounds? I personally recommend finding a camping site that has some extra space and that has stands that are not always right on top of each other. Kids need space to run around and you also don’t want to hear everything that goes on in the camping spot next to you, or have anyone else hear everything that goes on in your camp site.
Kid Safe
Find out whether the camping sites you are interested in are child safe and child friendly, especially if you have very young children. Here are some things you will want to ask:
- If there is a swimming pool does it have a child safe fence around it?
- What is the speed limit inside the camping site for cars driving inside?
- What are the rules regarding noise? Will you be asked to keep your kids quiet while they play?
Roughing It Or Not?
There are many different types of camping grounds that you can choose from. You may want to rough it completely where there are no ablution facilities, instead you bring a spade to go to the toilet and find a cold river to wash in There are some camping grounds that have lovely ablution facilities with hot water and flushing toilets. Some camping grounds offer electrical outlets for each camping stand.
Many camping grounds have a bar and a shop too. Knowing what you are wanting when it comes to comfort will help you to make a good choice for your family.
Facilities & Recreational Activities
It is important to see what the actual camping grounds have to offer in terms of things like ablutions, a swimming pool, electricity and a kids playground, and just as important to see what the area has to offer.
If you camp near a mountain there could be lovely walking trails and activities such as kloofing, rockclimbing and abseiling. If you are neat the beach you may be able to hire surfboards or canoes.
Find out what there is to do in the surrounding area when you look at possible camping grounds.
Read Reviews
This may be last on my list but it is certainly not the least, in fact this should be a really important part of your research. Look for reviews on all the camping sites you are considering. Google reviews are really great for this, but also check for reviews on blogs and travel websites.
It is important to note that every campsite will have its own vibe and unique atmosphere. There are some campsites that I have been to that have a loud party vibe with people drinking to all hours of the night. This is certainly not going to be conducive to getting a baby to sleep if it is going on right next to your tent!
There are other useful things you may learn like whether there are monster ants that attack your toes, camping stands that slope or camping sites that offer no shade or shelter from the wind.
