Family Adventure Holidays

A Camping Holiday is an Affordable Option

January 30th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

If you want to take your family on holiday but you are on a budget, a great option is camping. Along with the ability to discover the beauty of nature, there is always an element of adventure when camping. There are a wide range of options from basic to luxury camping, and many options for locations including RV parks, RV resorts and campgrounds.

Accommodation
Although a complete camping experience involves getting away from all the trappings of our modern life, this doesn’t mean you will have no decent conditions at all. Most camping parks include a grill, fire-pit and picnic table, as well as shower and general bathroom facilities. Others provide extensive facilities, such as heated pools, cable TV and wireless Internet access. Apart from pitched tents, there are also cabins, cottages and lodges available. But some camping parks are very basic, and may have no electricity at each camp site and may only have cold showers. So it really is a case of checking what facilities are available when planning your trip. While it can be fun to really get back to basics, it can also be a real chore if you are trying to cook for 4 or 5 people on a single burner gas stove beside your tent!

Activities
Going camping is extremely appealing for the kids, too. There are tons of enjoyable activities available on camping holidays, both for children and adults. Many camping parks feature lakes, rivers or are by the sea, which enables swimming, boating, water-skiing, canoeing and fishing. Most will have some sort of nearby hiking trails, and some may even offer basketball courts and playground facilities. Many include such activities as, nature crafts, free movies or ice cream socials for the kids. You can bring along your board games, bike and balls & gloves too. On a camping holiday you will have plenty of time to play with the kids, then enjoy a beautiful sunset and watch for shooting stars!

Pricing
Going camping is not only fun and exciting, but also probably the most affordable family adventure holiday you can plan. The cost for four family members can be kept under $1000, including the cost for buying new gear (tent, sleeping bags, cooler, camp stove). The new gear should cost somewhere around $4-600, while the campground fee is usually less than $200 for a whole week. You should expect to spend another $200 for groceries. If you already have gear, the cost for a camping holiday is even less. If you want to test the waters, you can start by staying in a cabin or an on-site caravan or camper. The price ranges from $30 to $100 a night. If you all enjoy the experience, you can buy gear for the next year.

Camping is becoming more and more popular each year as families look for an affordable family holiday. Recent research has shown that about 70 percent of all the active campers went on a camping holiday with their family at least once and 50 percent went with the extended family, including their children. 60 percent of all the active campers are already grandparents and take their grandchildren along when camping. Although camping is growing in popularity, it is an unfortunate fact of life that many of the best camping parks are disappearing, as the land they are on (particularly for seaside locations) has become so valuable that many parks are being sold off and turned into residential sub-divisions. So make a camping holiday a high priority for your family, so that you can enjoy the best of the parks while they are still available.

Posted in General, Camping | Top Of Page | 1 Comment »

Family Adventure Holiday Options

January 10th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

When planning a family holiday with a touch of adventure, there are a number of different options to choose from. In fact, planning an adventure-style holiday can almost be as much fun for your family as actually going on the holiday itself!

Some of the more common types of adventure holidays that might be suitable for your family are shown below:

Skiing

A favorite for many families, ski holidays are popular for both experienced and novice skiers. There are many packaged ski holidays available. If members of your family are inexperienced or do not have their own ski gear, look for packages that include these, as it will usually work out cheaper than paying separately.

With ski holidays, you are restricted in terms of what time of year you can enjoy them, unless you have the resources to travel to the opposite hemisphere when it is summer at home. Keep an eye on the likely overall costs, which can mount considerably with equipment hire and lessons on top of the usual accommodation and meal costs.

Water-Based Adventure Holidays

One popular water-based holiday is a canoeing trip. These are relatively inexpensive, and are often combined with camping for that real “outdoors” experience. If you are new to this activity, you will need to take advice on what suitable waterways are available in your area. It would also be wise to get your family involved in a suitable exercise routine several weeks in advance, otherwise there will be some very sore arms, shoulders and butts after the first day or so!

Houseboat holidays are another fantastic family holiday option. Although the daily hire rate can seem quite expensive, you have to remember that the hire rate includes accommodation and transport. In most countries, the houseboats are speed-limited so that whoever is in charge of the houseboat does not require a special licence.

Lastly is the cruise boat holiday, which is usually the most expensive option. This is less adventurous than the other water-based holidays, but never-the-less can be very exciting for your family. Depending on where the cruise operates, the ship will often make calls into some exotic destinations, but time ashore is usually brief and most of the time will be spent on board the ship at sea. However, cruise ships are equipped with a wide range of sporting, entertainment and leisure activities which can provide many new experiences for the whole family.

Camping and Hiking

Camping holidays are a firm family favorite. Even though it involves giving up most of the comforts of home, there is something almost primaeval in our contentment when we get back to nature.

One of the main options is to stay in one camping spot for the duration of your holiday. This facilitates taking more equipment and having a well-established campsite.

The other option is combining camping with hiking, where you only stay a day or two in each place before hiking to the next camping spot. In this way, you can experience more of the countryside and enjoy the walk between campsites as well. The downside is that you will have to carry all of your gear with you, which means you will have to stick with just the basics in terms of equipment and provisions.

Bicycling

One popular type of bicycling holiday is combining it with camping, whereby you move around the countryside carrying your equipment and food with you. This will generally require a medium to high level of fitness if you intend travelling any significant distance.

Alternatively, you can base yourself and your family at a suitable lodge or other accommodation, and undertake day trips on your bicycles in the surrounding area.

Whatever type of adventure holiday you decide to take your family on, the opportunity to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life can provide a tremendous opportunity to grow together as a family, and enjoy some remarkable experiences that you will remember for a lifetime.

travelbug

Posted in General | Top Of Page | Leave a Comment »