But then this pandemic hit and we were left with no other choice but to take mini outdoor trips with zero human interaction. In 2020, we had a couple of day trips to farms/ zoos but having to wake up very early in the morning and driving home after a long day in the sun got pretty exhausting.
Marv and I did a lot of camping trips during the pre-Summer era and we've accumulated a couple of camping gear already so we decided to test the waters and introduce Summer to camping.
I know some might shutter at the thought of camping with small kids but honestly, it has become one of our favorite things during this pandemic. We made so many memories that I know will stick with me forever and hopefully with Summer as well. To those squinting their eyes and not inspired to go on camping trips, hopefully I can change your mind, or at least get the thought process started.
Do Your Research and Plan Ahead
I know what you're thinking: "I know how to plan a trip, I've travelled before." But a camping trip is different. A camping trip with a child is also a different experience. A camping trip with a child during a pandemic may be something we all never experienced before.
Before we even think about what to bring, we really research twice, thrice, about the camping site. Camping with kids during a pandemic brings extra considerations. We usually look into the following:
- Double check, triple check if the camping site allows kids. And if it does, what needs to be presented to check points along the way. In the Philippines, travel procedures change every 2 weeks so what was allowed 2 weeks ago may not be allowed anymore. So I call the establishment and iron out the logistics.
- Avoid walk-ins. Establishments are really strict during this pandemic season. Reservations are a must. I personally don't like risking it and taking chances because I hate to break Summer's heart when I have to tell her that we have to go back home. Although this is something that we communicate with her always: there is a chance that we won't be allowed and we have to follow the rules. Luckily, we haven't experienced it, YAY!
- Look for lesser known or newly-opened camping sites. The virus is still out there so we don't go where everyone else goes. Plus, it's so nice discovering new sites, I'd like to think that this is one of my skills.
- Choose camping grounds with massive spaces. We always choose camping sites that have big open spaces for social distancing. And also so we can be far away from a noisy party crowd which may keep Summer (and us) up at night.
Weekdays Are For Winners
If you can, do your camping during weekdays instead of weekends. Maximize your child's vacation days because during the school year, they'll have classes during weekdays again. And we, personally, don't like doing online classes at the camping ground and running after mobile signal.
There will be fewer crowds around because most people are working. And the less people, the safer your family will be.
Take Baby Steps
Even though it will look so amazing in photos, don't rough it IMMEDIATELY. Start with glamping areas first--those that offer huge tents with bed set-ups, electricity, lights, and electric fans.
If you've noticed that your child has no problem sleeping inside a tent, then you can move on to the next step: car camping.
This is the stage where we are in right now and Marvin and I decided that we'll be doing car camping for quite some time as we are all heavy packers in the family. For our peace of mind, we prefer to have our car parked beside our tent so we won't have to carry all of our stuff to a far away camping site. We also believe that hiking's not for us FOR NOW 😃
I am less stressed when we're right beside our car because we can easily go inside it when rain and wind are too strong for our tent (but hope not because this is a waterproof tent), when it's too hot so Summer can feel the car air conditioning, and when we need to charge our lights/ cameras/ gadgets.
Buy Your Own Tent
Pre-pandemic, this item will never be included in this list as I really believe that you should borrow a tent and camping equipment to conduct a test run and check if camping is something that you'll like BEFORE buying your own gear. Good quality camping gear isn't cheap after all!
However, for safety and hygiene purposes, it's better to invest in a good quality waterproof tent. At least you are sure that you and your family are the only ones using the tent, you're also aware how it's cleaned and stored after each trip.
Marvin and I used to borrow tents from different friends back then until we were able to get our own tent. Waterproof tents with mesh screens, which is what we prefer, that are available locally used to be extremely expensive back in 2013--we got ours from the US. However, because of Lazada and Shopee and all those buy and sell camping gear in FB groups have now made good quality tents more affordable.
Here is where we were able to get our Naturehike 4-person waterproof tent, 4x less the price of our old tent 😆 we've used in twice under the rain so far, so good 👍
Don't Overpack but Pack for All Kinds of Weather
To be honest, this is something that's extremely hard for our family to practice because Marvin and I, and even Summer, are heavy packers. Marvin likes to bring all his gadgets/ gear just in case, I love to bring lots of outfits and even gowns for OOTDs (hehe), and Summer likes to bring all her stuffed toys and coloring materials. STRESS! Haha. But thanks to our small car, we can no longer bring our whole house because of the small space in our car.
So my new rule is: leave the "just-in-case-items" at home. We can re-wear clothes, we can use our soft garment bags as pillows, coolers as storage and as mini tables.
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| Playing in the rain |
Although it's fun to roam around, play with nature, and take photos the moment we arrive at the camp site, we choose to set up our tent and all our stuff and take a bath while there is still light. This is also what Marvin and I used to practice during the pre-Summer era because it's tremendously hard to go to the comfort room when it's dark, we have to bring our toiletries, change of clothes, plus lights. And this is even more important now that Summer is with us. We're all freshly-showered and have already finished applying bug repellant lotion when it starts to get dark.
Be Kind to Yourself During the First Night
Usually when we go on vacations, the first night is everything. It's the time to go all out and to celebrate because you're finally where you need to be. However, it's not always that way when it's a camping trip, especially when you arrive late in the day.
Everyone's tired from the travel/ commute, everyone still has to set up camp, so we decide to be kind on ourselves and just prepare a simple meal on our first night. What I usually do is to prepare a meal at home, something that doesn't spoil easily, like adobo, inasal, barbecue, and then just heat this up for Night 1 dinner. We just have to prepare the soup and rice.
Pack Your Kid's Favorite Things
We let Summer pack her own bag so she'll get excited about the trip. We also give what Summer calls her camping snacks (snacks which she doesn't normally have at home i.e., Oreos, Hello Panda--I'm a cool camping mom!). For a good night's sleep, we let her wear her favorite pajamas, bring her favorite stuffed toys, and listen to her usual bedtime song. We also let Summer choose a few small toys to bring, usually those that she can play inside the tent when it rains or on the grass so she can play alone.
And we also have a small rechargeable electric fan just in case Summer gets uncomfortable at night.
Kid Will Be Ready When Adults Are Ready
During the pre-Summer camping era, Marvin and I would bicker all the time over nonsense things, such as pitching the tent, what time to cook, blaming if someone forgets to bring a certain item, etc. But the dynamics changed when Summer was here. We became pros! Haha.
So we make it easier for Summer by showing her a positive and can-do attitude. My favorite line is: "(insert whatever change/issue here) but it's okay" i.e., "our feet will be wet during camping but it's okay".
Find Teaching Moments
We invest in a lot of books for Summer, especially nature books, but Marvin and I are strong believers of experiential learning. Before each nature/camping trip, we read a farm/nature book and then show it to Summer in person. One of my favorite things to do is watching her eyes grow big and listening to her whisper "wow!" 💚💚💚
Marvin teaches Summer about bugs and birds, he bought her a pair of binoculars so they can watch birds. And they usually spend time looking at or taking photos of bees, worms, dragonflies.
Summer knows how to respect wildlife (i.e., being kind to bugs, not picking flowers). We teach her about stars and constellation during our "family kwentuhan" outside our tent before going to sleep. Different landforms (i.e., rice fields, mountain ranges, cliff) and waterforms (i.e., lakes, river).
If you've reached this far, I hope I was able to convince you to skip waiting for malls/ restaurants/ indoor places to allow children inside and consider going outdoors and camping. Sharing some vlogs of our past camping trips to motivate you even more:
Summer's First Camping and Zipline Experience
We'll bring you with us in our next trip! Let's do this! 💪
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