Travel Camping

After a family has discovered the joys of family camping and ventured out to several nearby spots, they may wish to put their skills to use on a longer trip. They may decide to travel by car, horseback, canoe, motorboat, bicycle, motorcycle, or on foot.

Methods of Travel Camping

Whatever form your travel camp assumes, you must keep in mind the peculiar dangers involved, the types of skills needed, and the special preparation necessary for your particular trip. Here are some travel camping methods popular now, and some things you need to know about each method.

Automobile Travel Camping

Prepare a Route

Determine your route and destination.

Determine the length of time the trip will take. Break it up into daily segments, and list the mileage needed to travel each day. Two hundred to three hundred miles is the maximum mileage which can be covered at a leisurely pace. If you find it necessary to speed up the trip, do not plan to go more than five hundred miles a day; provide frequent rest stops to exercise the family.

If you must travel several days in a row, making only overnight stops in campgrounds, stay in one campground two nights and one full day in order to give the group time to recuperate. Traveling can be fatiguing when you spend each night in a different place. When your group suffers from travel fatigue, travel camping ceases to be fun; it becomes a chore.

Prepare Equipment

After preparing your route, prepare your equipment. Inspect the camping vehicle (travel trailer or whatever), the towing vehicle, the camp equipment, and the personal equipment. Use a checklist, and check off each item as it is inspected.

Check the Load

Watch your load. Do not overload your vehicle in any way. Remember, the gross vehicle weight is extremely important. This information usually is posted on the door post of a vehicle or under the hood on the firewall. An overloaded vehicle performs poorly, wears out sooner, and often breaks down. Most importantly, it may become uncontrollable and cause an accident.

Pack the Equipment

Pack your equipment in the order in which you expect to use it. Make sure that what you need is easily accessible on the road. Each person should pack in his own suitcase or other container.

Watch Your Finances

Carry your money safely. This may mean using traveler's checks. Be careful in the use of credit cards. Some firms wait as long as six months to send you a bill.

This practice can certainly ruin your budget if you forget that you have the charge outstanding.

Make Reservations

Make all necessary reservations. During the tourist season reservations are essential. Ask for a confirmation and give the management an estimated time of arrival. If you see you are going to be late, call ahead and verify the fact that you are on the way. Nothing is more irritating to a family than to arrive at the campground and discover that it is all filled up.

Prepare for the Children

Preparation for children traveling with you is very important. Be sure that they have enough books, games, hobbies, crafts, and so forth to keep them busy while traveling.

Boat Travel Camping

Water sports are among America's most popular recreational activities today. And boat camping is one way for the entire family to be together in a boating experience. Here are some matters to be aware of in this method of travel camping.

Use a Good Boat

Be sure your boat and its emergency equipment are in first-class condition. If you are going to rent a boat for the trip, be sure that the rental boat is in excellent condition and that you are renting from a reputable marina or outfitter.

Prepare Personally

Be sure that your personal preparation and credentials are in order as a boat operator. Be sure your skill level is up to the demands of the trip. If you are renting a boat, ask for a demonstration and a check ride. In this way you can be sure that you know how everything operates and that you understand how to handle the boat.

Plan the Trip

Plan your trip in detail. Make a list of water-related activities for your family to participate in on the trip. Secure the proper nautical charts and plan a day-by-day schedule-including your refueling points. Leave a copy of this cruise plan with the boat owner or with a neighbor or relative. This person can report your plan to the Coast Guard if you are overdue on returning.

Learn the weather signs and keep an eye out for bad weather. Know what to do if a weather emergency arises.

Encourage the entire family, except the small children, to enroll in a Coast Guard or Red Cross sponsored clinic on boating. This training will provide a basis for understanding more of the trip, and it will give the family a greater appreciation for the trip.

Plan a Convoy

The joy of boat travel camping is enhanced when another family joins you in a second boat. This practice also has a built-in safety factor. If one boat has mechanical trouble, the other boat may either go for help or tow the stalled boat to the nearest repair facility.

Summary of Travel Camping

Travel camping may be done by bus, cars, canoes, horses, bicycles, motorcycles, or other means. Therefore the individual church group must select that method which best fits their needs. The major difference between a travel camp group and a group on a trip is that the travel camp will use camping as their method of living while traveling. Travel camping can be an inexpensive way of touring, making a mission trip, sight-seeing in multiple locations, and taking an adventure trip.

There are two types of travel camps:

1.    the self-contained group which does its own camping;

2.    an assisted camp, accompanied by a family camping group or a group of camping specialists who assist in making camp and cooking for the group.

Before making a travel camping trip, contact your county health department and see what regulations apply to travel camps originating in your area.