Planning Your Family Camping Trip
Road trips and outdoor destinations are a natural fit if you’re looking for a vacation that allows social distancing. Camping is a fun, budget-friendly way to enjoy a getaway in the great outdoors. However, it does take some planning and preparation. If you’ve never tried camping before, these tips will help make your first time a success.
WHAT KIND OF CAMPERS ARE YOU?
Camping covers a broad spectrum of experiences, from primitive camping with a small personal tent to parking a luxury RV in a campground with its own restaurant and swimming pool. If you’re new to camping, tent camping in a campground is a great way to get started, as it doesn’t require a large investment and your family can enjoy fun camping activities such as roasting marshmallows and sleeping in a tent while still having access to restrooms, showers and other amenities. Some campgrounds even offer extra features and activities for kids, such as the ones chosen by AAA Inspectors as their top picks for “Coolest Campgrounds for Families”.
If pitching your own tent sounds intimidating, consider renting an RV or a safari tent at a “glamping” property, which will allow you to try out an outdoorsy vacation without having to invest in camping gear.
WHERE SHOULD I GO CAMPING?
While it’s tempting to set your sights on a spectacular, nationally known park or wilderness area for your first camping trip it’s a good idea to find a campground closer to home or at least one within easy driving distance of a city. That way, you can easily head into town if you realize you forgot to pack something you need, an unexpectedly severe storm makes tent camping uncomfortable, there’s an emergency or you (or one of the kids) suddenly decide camping is not your cup of tea.
It’s easy to find nearby national forests and parks with the National Parks search feature in AAA’s TripTik Travel Planner. Enter a state in the search box and select a national public land from the drop-down menu. You’ll be taken to a map of the area that shows features of the park, scenic drives and nearby attractions. Click on the camping icon in the toolbar to see AAA Approved campgrounds in the area.
You also can search for pre-planned, scenic Road Trips in TripTik Travel Planner or at AAA.com/RoadTrips, then locate campgrounds and attractions along the route.
Be sure to involve the kids in the planning. Ask what activities they would enjoy most – swimming, hiking, riding in a canoe? Making S’mores: Thinking about the possibilities will get them excited about the trip.
Once you’ve decided on a destination and chosen your desired campground, reserve a campsite as soon as possible, especially if you’re traveling during the busy summer months. Consider campsite preferences when making your reservation, such as location of the campsite – do you need to be near restrooms? Close to or away from a shoreline or swimming pool? If the campsite allows both tents and RV’s, find out if there are areas designated for tent campers only so there’s less chance of being disturbed by an RV generator running at night.
Start planning your family camping trip at AAA.com/camping
