020: Family Camping Tips

Camping with the family can take a lot of thought and preparation. This week, we turned to the expert, Amy Whitley from Pit Stops for Kids, to get her best tips for when, where and how to camp with kids -- including suggestions on the best camping gear. ON THE PODCAST  :40 Tamara's recent trip to Florida 11:30 Amy Whitley from Pit Stops for Kids 15:49 Favorite camping trips 19:09 Camping tips 23:30 Best age for camping 26:26 What to look for in a campground 28:54 What to pack for a family camping trip 33:23 Favorite camping meals 37:09 Favorite games and activities 39:22 Favorite camping gear 43:20 Tip of the week 44:40 Next week: Utah Parks ABOUT AMY WHITLEY Amy Whitley, founder of Pit Stops for Kids, is a family travel, outdoor adventure, and gear writer based in Southern Oregon. A lifelong lover of the outdoors, Amy helps families get outside with their kids in all seasons. You can follow Amy on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter. FAMILY CAMPING TIPS  Start with car camping where you can drive to your campsite Look at your state park website for the First Time Campers program Use GetOutfitted.com to rent gear for the first time to try gear out Join a backpacking group or guided hike through a gear store to get started Take kids when they are young so they are used to being outdoors and not intimidated, but if they are babies it is more work than reward Families with toddlers and preschoolers might want to use a portable crib to have a clean place for kids to hang out Start with a two-night trip, possibly close enough to home so you can abort early if needed, but setting up and breaking down is time consuming so you want to have a full day to enjoy yourselves When camping in an RV, you can be closer together because you have more insulation from sound and privacy For car camping, look for walk-in sites where you have a parking spot but you walk a bit in to the campsite so you feel a little more isolated Look for where the showers, sinks and dumpsters are so you can choose your spot wisely Private campgrounds are more resort-like with pools, playgrounds, etc State parks and national park campgrounds might feel more "outdoorsy" What to bring: tent, sleeping bag, pad/cot, shoe organizer to hang with kitchen gears or a camp kitchen, rope to hang up towels/clothes, welcome mat to wipe off shoes before going into the tent, lots of garbage bags, plastic tote boxes to bring gear when car camping, frozen water bottles, and headlamps Favorite camping meals: fajitas, soup, chilis, hamburgers, steaks, breakfast burritos and other grill items Prep your food in advance and bring them in ziplock bags Set up a trail mix bar so everyone can design their own trail mix Favorite activities: scavenger hunts, campground bingo, ranger-led activities, geocaching, bikes/scooters FAVORITE TRAVEL GEAR Amy's favorite shoes for camping are Keen closed-toe sandals or Crocs for around camp. For hiking shoes, kids can generally use sneakers or trail running shoes. She is also a big believer in Columbia long-sleeve hiking shirts and convertible, zip-off pants. She also likes to bring bandanas or buffs for multi-purpose use. TIP OF THE WEEK  Plan your camp menu in advance so you can buy and prep everything you need in advance and not forget some important items like condiments! MENTIONED ON THE PODCAST Feeding the lemurs at Safari Wilderness Ranch Visiting Kennedy Space Center with Kids Brevard Zoo Camping hacks Review of GetOutfitted Archive of camping gear Fire tower lookout Camping menu meal plan FOLLOW US AND SPREAD THE WORD! If you liked this show, please be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play and leave us a review! Have a question or comment? Send us an email or leave us a voicemail at +1.641.715.3900, ext. 926035#   You can also follow our travels on Stuffed Suitcase and We3Travel, or follow the Vacation Mavens on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. Thanks for listening!