Are you a homebody at heart, who also loves the idea of being in nature? If you are planning a camping trip with your family, and are nervous about being separated from your home comforts, here are some simple things that you can do to have the best camping experience.
Here are some tips to help you retain some of the homely feels that you may miss if you’re naturally, like me, a massive homebody at heart.
Read on for tips on how to have a comfy camping experience with your kids while maintaining some of your home comforts. There’s nothing to feel guilty about here!
Get started! What you need to do first to have the best camping experience if you’re a homebody at heart:
First things first, sit down at home, look around you and give yourself time to contemplate what makes you feel most at home. What do you look forward in your home? What makes you feel safe and secure? What makes you feel comfortable? Cozy? Warm?
Is it your bedding? Is it your special coffee? Is it your favourite cup? Your water bottle? Your pillow? Your PJs? Your loungewear? Your stuffed toy? Your book? Your journal? Your blanket? – no one is too old for home comforts, and sometimes a few simple items from home can be the only thing standing between an average camping trip and the best camping experience for a homebody like yourself.
1. Drive to your location
If you’re in the states this may sound unusual.
However, if you’re a family that doesn’t drive everywhere and are embarking on a camping trip then I’d recommend either borrowing a car, renting a car, or making sure that you are camping somewhere close to home or on excellent transport links within an hour of home.
To have the best camping experience as a homebody, it is essential that you can actually pack your home comforts, and the back of a car is a great place to store all of the things you may want to use. Just be realistic about size of items and how much you can realistically pack into the back of the car.
Always, remember to pack a water bottle like this to keep you hydrated as you may be further from civilisation that you realise.
2. Bring your duvet/ comforter to have the best camping experience
If you are camping during the warmer months (certainly would not recommend this during the cold, rainy season) pack your duvet insert and cover.
It may sound a bit lavish, however this is what many of us associate with being comfy, safe and cozy at home – our bed//bedding.
On the other hand, if you want the full camping experience, invest in a good quality sleeping bag. There are lots of great choices here and they stock all the camping gear that you could ever possibly need.
One of the items that greatly improved our sleep quality in a tent was a thicker self-inflating mattress for camping.
We opted for these two double sizes and they can zip together to make a huge family sleeping pad.
3. Bring pillows
Good sleep is essential to our ability to thrive and have the best camping experience.
What better way to ensure this than to make sure we have comfortable sleep on our favourite pillow. No one wants to wake up after a night camping with a sore, cramped neck.
Pillow are squishy and don’t take up copious amounts of space. It’s an easy item to pop in the back of the car, or better still use it during your car journey.
Your favourite pillow, coupled with your duvet or sleeping bag, and a fab camping mattress – comfortable sleep will not be a problem for you.
4. Be prepared with cutlery, plates, pots and pans for the best camping experience
The majority of people like to eat in a civilised fashion.
Make sure to pack enough plates and cutlery for your camping trip. You can either bring cookware from home or order a camping set here which comes with multiple pots that slots together easily to save on space.
Having the right cookware and dishes can be the big difference in feeling like you’re eating tasty food in comfort outdoors, instead of feeling like you’re roughing it. Plus it makes your food more presentable, or should I say “instagrammable”?
5. Pack essential condiments
Bring salt, pepper, herbs and spices to bring more flavour to simple camping meals.
Being able to drizzle olive oil over your food can make you feel like you still have access to your home pantry.
Have a think about the condiments that you use daily, and bring them along. If these are what you like to use at home, chances are you’ll be wanting to use them on your camping adventure.
6. Bring what makes you feel most like yourself
7. Pack your favourite towel and personal hygiene products
8. Bring your loungewear
Be realistic.
There is absolutely no need to pack uncomfortable clothing that is only fit for a city break.
Instead, opt for comfortable clothes. Leggings, t-shirts, earth runners, socks, hoodies, and bring along some rich cotton long sleeved pjs. If you are planning to go for hikes with your family. Choose some quality hiking clothes like this which are from a female led outdoor brand.
One of my personal favourite to bring camping are my Chickfly leggings which have a hidden seam, making is incredibly practical and easy to pee in nature!
Leggings are great regardless, but these leggings just offer a whole new experience in nature, plus they have pockets. You can read about them here.
9. Pack your favourite snacks for the best camping experience
Bring a cooler like this one along on your camping trip. Stock up on your favourite hot and cold drinks (warm drinks can be made easily too). If you have children pack enough pouches like these healthy options, and get them some instant corn or oat cereal like this which is super easy to make up in the morning.
I like to make sure to pack my supplements. It helps me maintain some of my normal home routine, and keeps my immune system strong. Any change in our environment, can be a gateway to sniffles.
My favourite supplements for camping are these and many of them can be added to cooking. I especially like cooking with this unflavored bone broth powder. It can be added to soups, stews, rice, sauces and baby cereal.
We always bring our camping french press and Stanley Pour-Over with us on our camping trips along with our favourite bag of coffee.
It makes early mornings easy and amazing, and gives the camping experience that mix of being in beautiful nature and retaining some feelings of comfort, plus nothing beats the smell of coffee wafting through the morning air.
While you’re cooking up breakfast, or preparing a meal in the afternoon your kids can grab one of these pouches to take the edge off their hunger. Nature really gives us a different, sudden appetite.
10. Bring your laptop
Whilst I try to avoid all technology when in nature, sometimes there is a need for a laptop.
For many, it may be doing a little bit of work, or writing, but for others, and perhaps for you too it may be the missing link between making you feel more at home in the wild.
Sleeping outside with minimal home comforts may leave you feeling in need of a little entertainment.
Download your favourite film or a few episodes of a show you’re watching and if at the end of a long day you feel the need to power up your laptop – go for it!
11. Use laundry baskets
An easy way to organise your camp setup is to use laundry baskets/wicker baskets to keep things neat. We like to bring these along for camp trips.
Each family member gets their own basket for their clothing and personal items, instead of bags and suitcases.
When in a tent with multiple family members having baskets ensure that clothes stay off the floor, and that gadgets and toys have their own home. Also, they look pretty and are a huge reminder of home life.
What’s next?
Once you’re all set up and have made your new home find out what to do next here! There are some little things that I like to do in order to get to know my surroundings.
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