Most of the staff and leaders here at S2Si are not only experts in expeditions and adventure but also parents. So we have put our minds in gear and have decided to help out fellow parents with hints and tips for fun and safe family adventure travel.
You don’t have to travel far with your family, adventure travel can be anything you are all not familiar with in outdoor surroundings, all the way up to a full blow, well organized family adventure travel vacation with a company like ours.
We are going to look at hiking. This can be done anywhere at any time and in almost any weather.
To make hiking a family activity without the fear of unhappy or lost children, remember these six tips:
1. Wear and Bring Proper Outdoor/Hiking Clothing
Having the correct clothing on will make all of the difference while hiking. If you only plan on a half day hiking trip to the park, a comfy shirt, casual shorts/tracksuit, and sneakers will do just fine. For more serious hiking, bring coats, long and short pants, t-shirts, sweaters, rain outfits, and hiking boots. Try on your clothes before you leave home. If they don’t fit right or they’re too uncomfortable and your kids are complaining, switch outfits. Having the proper clothing can prevent you all from being too hot or cold, or dry and wet.
2. Plan Out the Route You Wish to Take Before You Get There
You definitely don’t want to roam around for hours trying to find the right path. Get a map of the location you’ll be hiking at and plan out a route beforehand by highlighting it, or at least go somewhere you are familiar with. Consider how far you’d like to walk each day if you’re camping as well, and how far you think your kids can walk before they become irritable. Allow your kids to use the map and guide you, as this is a great learning experience for them. We all know how quickly the young ones can lose interest, so involving them will help keep their mind focused.
3. Food and Water
Whether you’re hiking for an hour or three days, it’s essential to bring food and lots of water. Don’t bring foods that perish easily or contain too much sugar. The best snacks for hiking are trail mix, sandwiches, granola bars, fruit, and crackers. Keep your food safe from nature’s wildlife and teach the little ones the importance of taking home with you your waste! Don’t forget you are there first outdoor coach, they will remember what you teach them.
4. Bring or Find Hiking Sticks
Hiking sticks provide not only stability, but the feeling of being an actual explorer, which is great for kids. Hiking sticks also provide safety on more challenging trails and terrain. When buying or finding hiking sticks, be sure to pick sticks that are a good height and weight for children. Or, if in a wooded area and on a short stroll pick up a suitable stick (don’t snap one off a tree) and let them poke around the leaves with it.
5. Pack a First Aid Kid
This is very essential. Nothing ruins a day out than the start of a blister! Make sure your first aid kit has things like band-aids, anti-biotic creams or sprays, anti-itch creams, bug spray etc, and extremely important is any immediate medication they might need during their time out (inhalers, Epi-pens for severe allergies, insulin). Children are more likely to complain about a little scratch, so having the first aid kit with you at all times can prevent hours of discomfort for your kids.
6. While Hiking
Start your hiking day early and learn to be patient with your child’s hiking efforts. Smaller children may only want to walk so far, while older children don’t mind longer hikes on rougher terrain. Make the trip exciting for your children; make them find certain animals and plants. Know what the poisonous plants and animals are and keep a good eye on your kids at all times.
7. Be Prepared for the Worse
Being prepared is essential when hiking with your children. Taking simple precautions can prevent anything from a tiny scrape on the knee to missing a child. If you’re bringing young children especially, get footprints of your child’s shoes in tin foil and carry it with you, give your child a whistle or a bright plastic bag or poncho with holes to wear in case they get lost, and establish rules to keep together; like hiking buddies. Having radios and walkie talkies are great as well to keep track of everyone. Stop to rest and reconnect occasionally. If in range use mobile phones and make sure you know the right numbers to call in emergencies.
The end of part one. Remember … don’t hide your kids away from the great outdoors. Family adventure travel is an excellent way to bond, get fit and have fun.
(Thanks to Paul de Bruin of Spain for letting us use this excellent family picture)
Tags: Family adventure travel, Family adventures, Fun for the family, Health and safety on expedition
