How to Plan a Camping Family Reunion

There are plenty of reasons to plan a camping family reunion. You get to enjoy the great outdoors, give your kids an opportunity to explore nature and have some quality time with family. Today I’m sharing some of my best tips for how to plan a camping family reunion!

Family reunions are a super fun annual tradition and a great way to stay connected to family spread across the country. But have you considered a camping trip for your family reunion? Here’s how to plan a camping family reunion for your clan.

A family reunion is the perfect time for everyone to come together from across the country for a few days to catch up, relax, and enjoy quality time together. Camping is a great option for a family reunion, especially for larger families. It also guarantees that the family spends time together instead of watching TV or going shopping!

Family reunions do take a lot of advance planning, deciding where to meet, where to stay, activities and all the logistics. A camping family reunion may even require a bit more planning than usual, but you will surely have an even more relaxed and enjoyable time together when you all get to the campground.

Choose the Right Campground

The first decision is to find a campground that can host your entire family. Pick a location that everyone can get to then check out what campgrounds are recommended or have a good reputation in that area. Choose one with activities available so groups can break off to do things they enjoy this is especially helpful if you have mixed age groups or teen campers.

Make a Camping Family Reunion Newsletter

Make up a fun family newsletter that gives everyone details of the campground, a list of activities that can be reserved in advance, and tips on what camping equipment to bring. You won’t need six camping stoves, for instance, so list out what camping gear each family can bring for the group in addition to their own supplies.

A family newsletter will also help keep everyone in the loop and things running smoothly. It is inevitable that certain family members will be keener on the camping idea than others, so ask the more experienced campers to advise and help out those who don’t go camping as much.

Mark Off Where to Pitch Tents

When you get there have the area mapped out so that when people show up, they will know where to pitch their tents. It works best to have each individual family set up their own camping spot and then have a central area for family meals and activities.

Plan for Meals and Activities

Activities and food will need to be well planned for your big family camping trip to be a success. Plan out your meals in advance and ask everyone to bring some food supplies, as well as their own plates and silverware.

Delegate Chores and Responsibilities

Everyone will have to work together to make the camping trip a success.

Delegate responsibilities to different families and make lists for everything. There is nothing worse than the entire family waiting around for breakfast because someone forgot the eggs!

Make sure that you not only plan for the preparation and service of meals, but also for the clean up afterward. It is important that you leave your camping site as it was or better than you found it, so come prepared with trash bags and cleaning supplies.

Activities can be split into two categories: large group activities and smaller group activities. It’s important to have a mixture of both so have large group scavenger hunts, obstacle courses, and games that everyone can join in with. Then break off into smaller groups for more traditional camping pastimes like hiking, canoeing, and animal watching.

Enjoy Family Time Around the Campfire

At night bring the whole family together around the campfire for a devotional or campfire songs and stories while you cook and eat. This is a great time to hear from more senior members of the family who can recount tales of previous generations or their own memories.

As with all camping trips, remember your s’mores ingredients, with plenty of marshmallows to toast, and some blankets for stargazing. Many great family memories are made camping under the stars and around a campfire, the more the merrier.

In Conclusion

Family reunions will always be memorable but making your family reunion a camping trip will guarantee that it sticks out. Camping is a great time for extended family to join together, build stronger relationships, and create more of a family identity and unity. The next time it’s your turn to plan the family reunion, why not suggest camping?