A Family Affair

Some people might baulk at the idea of taking such young children camping but I’d maintain it is the easiest, most flexible and least stressful way of going on holiday.

We’ve been taking them camping since the oldest was 5 months old and we’ve learned a few lessons over the years. Below are some tips we’ve found useful.

Pack Minimally and Stay Organised

We keep things organised in separate containers and we always use the same places to store things so, no matter how late, tired or stressed, we know exactly where something will be.  I even use coloured dry bags to store clothes (red for pants, green for socks, blue for T-shirts etc) so I can grab the right one easily. This is a hangover from living from a suitcase for years.

Don’t get stressed about dirt

We don’t mind if the kids get a bit dirty and stay that way. Putting on a pair of grass-stained trousers for a second day of rolling around in the undergrowth isn’t going to kill anyone. You do not need to spend every day of your holiday doing the laundry.

We do make sure that dirty and/or wet clothes and boots remain outside. And an awning, or even a little tent at the door, can be handy to store stuff. If it needs to dry we’ll bring it in in a bag and hang it in the shower. Going to this extra hassle saves work in the end as the interior of your home stay clean.

Be Flexible with Sleeping

Our sleeping arrangement in the motorhome has, and will continue to, change. We have one double and 2 single beds. In the beginning Bex slept with our youngest in the double bed with myself and the oldest having a single bed each. Now the boys sleep in a single each and the grown-ups get the double.

Minimise Food Hassles

Food is also pretty straightforward. The eldest eats what we eat. Porridge in the morning (minimal prep and washing up), on the go snacks for lunch (van-made sandwiches, quiche, fruit, salads) and for dinner we’ll normally make something using one pot (all in curries, stews, soups) – minimising washing up…are you spotting a theme. Often we’ll eat dinner out, after all we travel to experience the local culture.

Games for rainy days

Hopefully it never happens but having activities like games, crafts, colouring is handy for rainy days when you can’t be outside sunrise to sunset. We’ve also found them handy when the weather is particularly sunny as keeping a toddler out in blazing heat all day is not a great idea.

Morning Cartoons

We get up, make the kids cocoa and our coffee, then allow the boys to watch 10-20 minutes of cartoons on a laptop. They’re on holiday and it’s not going to ruin them and it allows us a bit of time to relax, drink out brews in peace and ease into the day.

Take Bags for Life

We’ve found these very handy and get used all the time. From grocery shopping (either in supermarkets or local markets) to laundry, swimming kit to toys.

Holidays in the motorhome mean we have to work as a team and kids catch on to this quickly. We travel, cook, eat and sleep together so when I’m back from a long period away it’s an opportunity to literally spend 24/7 with the kids.

Read What my motorhome is to me… here