Camping Trips and Entertainment on the Go: Making Memories Together

When our family goes camping, we all pile into the truck with the trailer behind us, ready for a long drive. To keep everyone happy, we start with a quick game of 'Travel Bingo.' Each person looks for things like a 'red car,' 'cow,' or 'windmill' along the way. It’s a simple and fun way to get everyone involved. If the kids start to lose interest, we switched to other games like the Alphabet Game, where you find letters A to Z on signs or license plates, or the License Plate Game, where you look for plates from as many different states as you can.

Our grandkids love the same classic travel games their parents did, like 'I spy,' which is always popular. '20 Questions' is another favorite. On our last trip, after we set up camp, our granddaughters had a great time playing 20 Questions. They used the usual 'Animal, Vegetable, or Mineral' categories and guessed that the neighbor’s Chihuahua was, of course, an animal. The game got pretty silly, and just when you think it’s finished, someone always wants to play again.

Scavenger hunts are another great way to keep kids busy. Kids love searching for treasures, so this is an awesome opportunity to make a list of things for them to find in nature, like:

• The perfect pine cone

• Odd looking rock

• Feather with stripes

• Heart-shaped leaf

• Flower with three colors

• Stick shaped like a letter

• Small piece of driftwood if you’re near water

To keep things organized, bring small bags, pencils, or containers for the kids to collect their finds. Challenge them to find three different kinds of leaves while you relax and have a snack. You might feel like a full-time chef as they run around and come back for snacks to recharge.

Cooking together is a classic part of glamping.

In our family, each child takes a turn as the chef for the evening, complete with role-play and homemade chef hats made from paper plates. Whether the meal turns out great or ends up a funny mess, these moments stay with us for years.

We keep a scrapbook of photos and camping memories in the RV, and our grown kids always laugh when we show their children the pictures of their cooking adventures.

One of our favorite campfire treats is 'Banana Boats,' a fun twist on S'mores. Slice a banana lengthwise, leave the peel on, and fill it with marshmallows, chocolate chips, and a little granola. Wrap it in foil and warm it over the campfire for 5 to 10 minutes until everything is melted and gooey. Kids love making their own and adding their favorite toppings.

Always watch the kids closely around the campfire to keep everyone safe while enjoying these treats. If you add ice cream, it cools down quickly and becomes a banana boat sundae.

Crafting is another fun way to keep kids entertained. Gather leaves, twigs, and anything else you find, and let the kids use their imagination. To make sure everyone can join in, bring some basic craft supplies like crayons, string, and paper. For a simple project, try leaf rubbings: put a leaf on a piece of paper and rub a crayon over it to show the patterns. You can also make twig frames by tying twigs together to display pressed flowers or leaf rubbings. Sometimes, it feels like the kids are building a mountain of nature’s treasures.

We still have some of those pressed leaves and flowers from almost 20 years ago in our scrapbook, and the kids are always surprised we kept them.

Telling stories around the campfire is a classic way to end the day, especially when the fire is the only light, and everyone is wrapped in cozy blankets. Use your best storytelling voice and share a long, engaging story. My dad’s favorite was the “Big Toe.” For anyone who hasn’t heard it, we always warn them about the wild and unbelievable tale. He changed the details every time, so it never got old.

The most important thing is to keep your stories light and fun so no one is too scared to sleep.

Adding dramatic pauses and a few silly shivers makes them even more memorable. You can start with something like..... 'Once upon a slightly cloudy night, when the stars were playing hide-and-seek with the moon, a curious raccoon named Riley decided to...'

Telling stories and sharing laughs brings everyone closer. That’s what glamping is all about.

Are you ready to give it a try? The key to a fun camping trip is variety. Mix in travel games, scavenger hunts, cooking, crafts, stories, and maybe even a movie night. Don’t forget about indoor activities for rainy days. Playing a family card game or sharing stories around a pretend indoor campfire can keep everyone happy, no matter the weather. By the end of your "Camping Trips and Entertainment on the Go: Making Memories Together" experience, you'll have great memories and a family excited for more adventures together.

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Happy Glamping!