Planning Trip

Planning Your Trip

Book your site in advance.
When at all possible book your reservation in advance. It is important to choose your destination early, this way you can book your site ahead of time and have your pick of the prime sites. What a good site is, is up to you. Do you want to be away from other campers, in the woods, in the open, by the river or lake, near the restroom, ect. The exact location of your site can make or break your stay. Your site is like your mini real estate, your home away from home. When choosing your campground and site remember all are not alike. If you want to avoid the crowds try a smaller campground with fewer sites. For more activies, try a campground with a large number of sites. Remember that the best campsites are the first to go.

Make a check list.
There are many items that are a must. Making a check list will make sure that all the items that you need will not be left behind. A few days before your trip start checking out your gear and check off you list.

Take a basic Trip.
If it is your first outing, a nite in the backyard will help you in your preparation. If there is anything you need, you don't have to go far. This will give the children a chance to camp out and be ready for your real adventure. Or if you've never camped before, go camping with a friend or family who has, and you'll learn more from their experiences than you would by trial and error. First time out, stick to the basics, one or two nites. Go to a campground close, set up camp, cook a simple meal, sit around the campfire, sleep, eat breakfast, and break camp. Keep things simple.

First-Aid Kits.
Every camp and every camper will need some type of first-aid kit at some point, you will need a first-aid kit if it is for a small cut or an emergency. Also have a hiking first-aid kit for those side trips.

Map out your route.
When traveling with children remember these words "WHEN WILL WE BE THERE?" Most children have a hard time staying in the car for more than two hours. Therefore you must plan to stop about every two hours for a break. Have a map with your route so the children can use it to determine distance. This will help with their map reading skills.

Activities and Games.
When traveling have some travel activities planned to pass the time. One of our favorite is the Alphabet Game. Pick teams, usuallt right and left side of the car. Find signs on your side of the road, find a word with the letter A in it and yell out the word. The first one to Z wins. Another is beaver, to play pick a type of car, (station wagon, convertible, same car as yours) pick a number you want to play to 25 or 50 .Look for these type of cars, every time you see one say "beaver". First to number wins. Check out is state plates. See who can find the most states on license plates. One of the games that we play are the campfire is Animal 20 questions. Think of a animal an try to quess what the animal is by asking questions like does it have 4 legs, does it fly, does it live in the woods, etc.