I am not an expert by any means and I know what works for some doesn’t always work for other, but I thought I’d share my philosophy on group camping, since it seems to work out well for us.
The group decided to all go peach picking
- Try to camp with like minded individuals, if you’re a laid back type of person and you’re camping with another camper who feels the need to plan out every minute of their trip, then someone is going to get stressed real quick.
- Most campgrounds will try to accommodate your group. Just give them a call and let them know your plans. Some even have a pavilion you can use if your group is too large to eat at one campsite.
- Set a basic schedule of things you’ll be doing for the day, then let those who want, go on the planned event and those who’d rather, can stay back at the camper or catch up with the group later.
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The group eating dinner at MFAE's camper
What and when to eat can be tricky some times. My personal preference is to mix it up, some meals together, some with just your family. I feel this is a good mix so that you get to have some family time blended in with getting to visit with everyone on the camping trip. Try to decide ahead of time which meals you’ll be doing as a group, this way everyone can plan how much extra of a certain food they’ll need. Doing the main course in a crock pot can save having to have someone stand over the grill.
- A nightly campfire is a great way to wrap up your day. I really enjoy sitting around the fire hearing what everyone thought was their favorite part of the day. Plus any excuse to cook a brat or make a S’more is a good one.
Above all just remember to relax and have some fun, because that’s what camping is all about. We just got back from our big family and friends camping trip this past week and it seemed like everyone had a great time. While we all didn’t spend every moment together, we created some wonderful memories. It must have been a good trip because no one was ready to go home on Friday. The only bad part of the trip is that we have to wait a year to do it all over again.