Camping Top Tips

Have you promised the family a camping trip, but now struggling to know what to take with you? The professional domestic cleaners, MOLLY MAID, have come up with the Camping Top Tips to help make your impending trip a success.

• The correct tent – ensure that you have chosen the correct tent to meet your needs as spending a two week holiday in a tent which is too small or not of good enough quality can be a recipe for disaster. Make sure you choose one with a spacious living area for wet days.
• Assembling the tent – practice makes perfect after all. By practising at home you will be able to check that all parts are present and that you can see how it works.
• Camp beds or sleeping bags – Why not let the children test out their new holiday beds prior to going away to ensure that they will be warm and comfortable enough.
• A local campsite – it’s always a good idea to camp close to home on your first trip in case you forget something, or if you have very young children.
• Do a rekkie – Drop in and have a look at the campsite if you are nearby or passing as it’s much easier to see the ‘real’ campsite rather than on websites. This is less easy to do if you are travelling abroad.
• Be realistic about cooking – try not to overcomplicate things and take easy food to heat up on the first night. Pre-cooking a stew or a curry is always a winner as it has filling ingredients and only needs one pot, or two if cooking pasta or rice with it. Other food that is useful to take with is boil-in-the-bag rice, cereal, crisps, tinned foods, tomato sauces etc. Don’t forget the marshmallows!
• Plan for wet weather – it is a good idea to do some research on the area and to have some alternatives should rain set in. Board games, card games and chess are always good family games, but after a few days can lose their appeal. Make sure you set the children a ‘fun project’ whilst you are camping and ask them to record their findings in a diary. How about finding wild flowers for the girls and recording different animals or rock types for the boys for instance. Remember to pack outdoor games too for good weather such as, Twister, skipping ropes or a badminton set.
• Refrigerator/ keeping food cold – it is a must to travel with a cool box and several ice packs to rotate in and out of freezers. Most good campsites will offer a re-freezing facility and some will have an electric hook up too. You may want two cool boxes – one for drinks and one for food. Freeze your milk and pop it in the cool box to keep other things cool on your first day.
• Take clothes pegs & string – these are so useful when trying to keep clothing dry and to keep a little order in your confined space. Sturdy string is especially useful for drying towels.
• Choose dates wisely – if you have pre-school age children, then consider avoiding the crowds by going camping just before or after the holidays. Even mid-week during the holidays are a little quieter.
• Be patient – this is a time that could easily frustrate you if you are not prepared to relax and not to take anything too seriously. After all, it’s moments like these that families remember.
• Don’t be shy – the very nature of camping means that one is sharing one’s personal space with others (if you are on a campsite). So, if you have any queries or find yourself lacking in ‘camping experience’, don’t be shy in asking those who appear more experienced some questions. It may revolutionise your camping trip.
• Emergency supplies – remember to take a First Aid kit complete with anti-sting cream, plasters and antiseptic cream. Also gaffer tape has multiple uses should you experience a leak for example.

Have fun and let’s hope these Camping Top Tips will allow you to make the most of your Camping trip away.

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