Who doesn’t love camping? If you’ve scrolled through Instagram lately, you’d think that everyone loves to sleep outside and, you know, connect with nature. All the beautiful images of sunset-clad beaches, flares of light trickling through huge trees and families bonding over a campfire. GAH! I love it all!
So does all that outdoor adventure appeal to me? Do I like camping? HECK YES! My husband, on the other hand, not so much. Alas, there are people who don’t like camping. And I happen to be married to one.
Identify Why You Don’t Like Camping
My sweet husband is willing to try anything for me. And though I want our family to be more adventurous when it comes to outdoor living, I also don’t want to put him in situations he feels uncomfortable.
To help build a bridge between our two perspectives, I started to ask him bazillion questions, investigating exactly what aspects of camping he felt so resistant about. Turns out, he actually loves the outdoors and spending time in nature. We quickly identified his two camping concerns: sleeping outside and personal hygiene. Okay, I can work with that…
How To Camp When You Don’t Like Camping
My family and I were recently invited to GoRving’s Family Trip, hosted at the beautiful KOA Ventura Ranch. This was a great opportunity to push my husband’s camping tolerance while also giving the kids and I the outdoor adventure we crave. Actually, the whole experience made me realize that it IS possible to camp when you don’t like camping!
Pick the right campsite: While at the GoRving press event, we learned so much about how to pick the perfect campsite for your family. For those that don’t like camping to begin with, you should be aware of the various offerings. Hint: you WANT facilities nearby!
From BLM land (Bureau of Land Management) with literally NO utilities to national and state parks with basic facilities and then upward to private campsites like Kampgrounds of America who offer resort-like amenities and activities, great common areas and various ways to camp, picking the campsite that best suits your family is the most important step in making your camping vacation a success.
This was our second time at KOA Ventura Ranch and the Deluxe Cabin is totally my husband’s idea of “roughing it”: spacious, clean and with a private washroom. He loved all the outdoor adventure during the day, while still being able to take a hot shower and sleep in a comfy bed at night. Check out our full KOA Ventura Ranch review here.
Go RVing and Find Your Away
I once read that the most impactful memories are the ones in which kids are vacationing with their parents – specifically when they’re camping. The article went on to explain that when a parent is detached from their hectic, daily lives and allowed to be playful and explore, bonds with their children are strengthened.
I want that for my kids! I want that for ME!
Find Your Away: How do you begin to explore and immerse yourself when you’re not crazy about camp life, pitching tents or sleeping outdoors? Go RVing!
I’ve spent so many hours on GoRVing.com learning about the various types of recreational vehicles available and what would be best for our family. The website has loads of great information on everything from affordability, definitions of various types/class of vehicles, and tips on driving a RV. Remember when we went to our first California RV Show in Pomona? That was a huge turning point for my husband and his willingness to explore the outdoors… and I found out about the RV show on the Go RVing website!
Check out GoRving.com for RV travel ideas, new and family adventures.
No matter what your tolerance for camping might be, there are ways for you to still get into nature. From deluxe cabin accommodations at KOAs across the country to renting a RV for a road trip through a National Park, there are so many ways to explore.
For us, we’ve got a BIG summer road trip planned that will push our boundaries like nothing we’ve ever done. I can’t wait to tell you more about that!
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