To start the new year right, my husband and I are already making plans for 2017. That also means booking a vacation for our summer vacation this year. Since our little girl is already going to school, we are tied to the high season. And that means booking early and all the more holiday anticipation! Are you already looking for a suitable summer holiday for your family? I have already listed a few things for camping with children. No more hotel for us! Although we had to get used to it, but now we know a bit what to pay attention to. Let the holiday fun begin!
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To be fair, we are actually not real campers. When my husband and I were still just the two of us, we preferred to travel far or fly to a nice warm island, where we looked for the most beautiful places and accommodations. Of course outside the high season, because that was obviously much cheaper and it was less crowded. Now that there are three of us and Laura is now going to school, we are looking for something closer to home. Since the prices can rise a lot during the high season, we prefer to book a camping holiday, but with a little luxury 🙂 . Our camping experience from last year was so good that we are completely blown away. This year it will be camping in France again for us! And also a must:at the campsite in Italy, with a nice glass of prosecco…
Camping is ideal for children. Our experience last year was really great. Laura loved playing outside, swimming and she slept like a baby. We had a very nice relaxed time. We went to a campsite not too far away in the Loire area of France. We consciously chose this because we don't like traveling far by car and it was also the first time for Laura that we were going to make such a long car journey. We thought in advance how we could entertain her in the car, because we didn't want to buy a tablet for the car yet. A golden tip I got from a colleague with three adult children was this:buy an audiobook for your child .
I thought it was a good idea and we bought the audio book by Pluk van de Petteflat. It was a real hit. Laura sat quietly for hours listening to the adventures of Pluk, Aagje and Mrs. Helderder. We now know the book by heart, so it was definitely a success! It is listed below, along with a number of other popular audiobooks.
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Do you want to travel further afield with your family? Then think about this. If you are going camping in France with children, there are several beautiful and child-friendly parking spaces along the highway. They are child-friendly places with good picnic opportunities, playgrounds and sometimes even trampolines. Very nice if the children want to go out during a long drive. On our trip last year we came across a beautiful place with a large bouncy castle. Laura had a great time. Bring your own sandwiches and a jug of coffee and after a while you can drive on again when the children are tired of playing.
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France is a real camping country, so you can find a lot of different types of campsites there. An important choice when camping with children is whether you opt for a large or small campsite chooses. This of course also depends on the age of your child and how you are put together. Last year we consciously opted for a smaller, car-free campsite and we will do so again this year. It is nice with young children, because the camping site is more organized and they can explore on their own.
Tip:We took Laura's balance bike with us and she loved that she could already cycle a small round at the campsite.
The downside of large campsites for younger children is that your child can really get lost. For older children, a large campsite is often nice because there is more entertainment and animation. Animation is certainly not a must for us. A balance bike, a ball and a swimming pool at the campsite will soon be sufficient for young children. In addition, they make friends more quickly on small campsites, because it is easier for you to claim them. This is also a big advantage!
Since we are not real campers, we have no camping equipment ourselves. Last year we went for a ready-made furnished tent and we will do it again this year. Because we had such a nice camping holiday last year, we considered buying a family tent ourselves. What stops us is not setting up the tent, but the large amount of camping gear, sleeping gear and kitchen equipment that you need and have to take with you. Not to mention a table and chairs that are really necessary if you are going out for two to three weeks.
A friend of ours who goes camping with children every year described it as follows:'a complete migration, every spot in our car is occupied, packed full. Nothing, absolutely nothing, can be added and the children are completely crammed into the car'.
This is a handy site to print your camping list. Here you can tick what applies to you and then print your personal packing list with camping items. Also handy if you go glamping and don't have to bring everything yourself, an extra reminder to check whether you have everything.
On the other hand, it also has something, that real camping. Another couple of friends goes out every year with their two children with their own tent without booking anything advance. The big advantage is of course that you can stay as long as you want, or if it is disappointing, leave early. Is it bad again? Just pack up and go to an area where the weather is nice. Her tip is:Take a good camping guide with you. If you don't set too high standards, you can always find a place in France, even in high season. You can easily find a good camping guide online.
For the time being, we opt for a little luxury during our camping holiday, so a furnished safari tent or bungalow tent, for the real glamping feeling. With a little browsing you will find all kinds of providers for camping with children in France who rent out various types of tents. There are even tents with private sanitary facilities for rent. I have already had a lot of websites!
Luxuriously furnished tents with private sanitary facilities, sun loungers or a hammock next to your tent. It's all possible and you can adjust the luxury of the tent to your own needs. They are often spacious, small-scale green campsites. And -if you want- you can also find campsites with Dutch owners who have exchanged their lives in the Netherlands for a life in the French countryside with a little search. You know it… the secret dream we all actually have 😉 . Ideal if you like luxury, but still want to go camping.
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