Jeremy Puglisi
Adventure Awaits! Expert tips for camping with friends
Paradise by the Sea, Oceanside
Our family has made amazing
memories during shared camping trips both locally and across the country. Our boys love waking up each morning to find their buddies at the site next to us. My wife Stephanie and I love putting the kids to bed and hanging out with friends around the campfire. And we all enjoy watching our kids gain strength and confidence at the campground. There are countless advantages to camping together with family and friends if you do it right. Many trips with our friends go smoothly because we share a similar camping style and taste in campgrounds. Trips with other friends haven’t gone as well. So, how do you avoid conflicts and have the time of your lives? Here are six great tips to ensure that you make magical campground memories with friends.
22 • SanDiegofamily.com • July 2021
RV and tent sites dominate the landscape at most campgrounds, but the market for alternative accommodations is growing (many now have cabins, glamping tents, yurts, treehouses, airstream trailers and more). There has never been a more interesting time to take a family vacation at an American campground. – Jeremy Puglisi, co-author of “Where Should We Camp Next?”
Choose a Campground Together When traveling with others, one family should never be responsible for making all the decisions. Each family needs to research the campground and make sure it’s right for them to avoid being disappointed in someone else’s choices. Some families love rustic campgrounds, some love posh resorts, and some love both. Whatever category you fall into is fine, just make sure to know before you go and communicate with each other.
Arrange Sites Together (or not) We own an RV, but love camping with families who don’t. Most campgrounds are well suited for diverse groups of campers with varying experience and equipment. Tent campers, RVers, and cabin dwellers can have a great vacation
at the same campground, and often reserve sites that are close together. Some families may want sites right next to each other, and others may prefer a little privacy. If you want to camp right next to friends, ask if the campground has buddy sites. Buddy sites are designed so that two RVs face each other (awning to awning), and there is a common area in the middle with picnic tables and fire ring. Typical RV sites do not face each other—they face the back side of the neighboring RV. This is more private and could be desirable when camping next to strangers, but you may have a view of the neighbors’ sewer hookups. Keep in mind that there may be situations where you don’t want to have a site right next to friends—if you have different morning routines or the kids have varying bedtimes, for instance.
