When you’re planning a family friendly glamping trip it’s important to choose a destination that offers plenty of activities to engage and excite even the choosiest members of your family. Think about the kinds of things you might like to do together. Look for a location with local hiking trails, wild swimming spots or cute little villages to explore. Are there interesting historical sites, National Trust properties or fascinating places to visit nearby? Or perhaps you fancy being within reach of a larger town or city offering museums, cinemas or other indoor activities in case of bad weather?

And don’t forget to think about your travel to and from your chosen glamping location. Make sure if you’re planning a weekend glamping trip you’re not signing up for hours and hours each way in the car.

Glamping accommodation can range from luxury safari-style canvas lodges to cabins, yurts, treehouses and even a decommissioned bus. So you’ll have plenty of choice. The type of accommodation you go for will depend on how many of you there are, how much you are willing to spend and the level of comfort you want from your glamping getaway.

Some glamping sites offer the type of basic facilities you might find on a campsite, while others offer an impressive level of luxury. Think fully-equipped kitchens, cosy log burners, private shower rooms and supremely comfortable beds as well as outdoor living spaces too.

When you’re glamping with kids, you’ll want to make sure there’s plenty of outside space available
for running, playing and adventures with friends old and new.

Of course, when it comes to packing the benefit of glamping over camping is the vast reduction in the amount of equipment you’ll need to wedge into the car. That said, the idea of a family glamping holiday is to spend time together in the great outdoors, and in the UK, that means you’ll need to be prepared.

Be sure to pack plenty of layers for everyone as well as comfortable shoes for outdoor activities, and wellies just in case there might be some muddy puddles to jump in or streams to wade across. It’s worth throwing in the raincoats as well as some extra scarves and jumpers for those late nights toasting marshmallows over the barbeque. Even in the height of summer it can get chilly later on. We suggest bringing insect repellent and sunscreen, as well as a first-aid kit and some after sun for
those grazed knees and rosy noses – sure signs of a wholesome day spent out in the elements.

And don’t forget to pack some small board games, books, stickers, art supplies and other activities for rainy days and downtime between adventures.

Most glamping sites will have a list of activities available in the local area that they’ll be happy to share with you. So why not plan in some visits to local sites? We always suggest visitors to our luxury glamping site here at Hadspen head over to our neighbour, The Newt in Somerset to visit the amazing gardens, Beezantium, taste their home-produced cyder and even explore their very own roman villa.

But don’t forget to leave plenty of time to simply hang out and play around on your glamping site. There’s nothing better than relaxing with a cool beverage while the kids just enjoy being kids for a while. Plan a scavenger hunt, make s’mores over the barbeque or firepit.

Just because this is a family glamping holiday doesn’t mean there won’t be time for relaxing. The beauty of not having to fit the tent and all that paraphernalia in the car, is that there is plenty of room for little treats to make sure mum and dad get to enjoy themselves too. While the kids are off playing in safety, you’ll be able to kick back in the sun with some magazines, get down to that knitting project or take on that jigsaw puzzle that’s been staring at you since Christmas.

Glamping is a great opportunity for kids to disconnect from technology and to learn about and enjoy the natural world. Encourage your kids to leave their phones and tablets behind and immerse themselves in the outdoor activities and adventures. This means making sure you take along activities and games that can be played off screen, and remember to download some music before you go. But there are amazing mental health benefits to just unplugging and enjoying the simpler things for a while. Once you try it, and embrace it, you’ll be devastated when it’s time to return to the real world, we guarantee it.