Wait, are Camping Resolutions really a thing?

Well, it’s a little tradition of ours that we love and share with the rest of The RV Atlas community each year.

See, we go camping as a family.

A lot.

And it’s not just because we really, really like the woods. (Although we do)

And it’s not just because we really, really like our kids. (Although we do)

We’ve learned over the years that a lot of positive things happen when we make the effort to escape the busyness of our everyday life and leave behind the endless chore list for at least the weekend. So even though it’s sometimes extremely hard to find the time in our schedule, we still go camping.

Over the last five years or so, we developed a tradition that we absolutely love as parents and individuals. At the start of each camping season, we each make a few camping resolutions. These are just goals, some simple and some a bit more complicated. But it gives us the opportunity to reflect on the things that happened over the previous year, and our hopes and dreams for the upcoming year.

We know our podcast listeners have enjoyed sharing this tradition with us. We love hearing from all of you in our Facebook Group and through email. If you are thinking of making this a personal tradition of your own, listen to the complete episode on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app. You can also just press the play button at the top of this article.

And if you need even more inspiration, check out the Camping Resolutions episodes from previous years. It’s been a lot of fun for us to go back and listen ourselves. Many of our previous resolutions are still a work in progress. Others have changed dramatically as our kids have gotten older. Either way, we love this tradition and are happy to share it with all of you.

If you are inspired to make a list of your own hopes and dreams for the 2019 camping season, here are some tips for creating meaningful camping resolutions.

Camping Resolution Tip #1: Think about what you want to do MORE…

We like to start out on a positive note and think about the highlights of our camping season from the previous year. What moments were the best for our family? Which activities really brought us together? What made us laugh out loud? Are there memories the boys are still talking about all the time? Whether it’s hiking, making s’mores around the campfire, or fishing, try to focus on squeezing more of the good stuff in. This year, Jeremy wants to make sure he plays catch with the kids every day at the campground. They love it so much, and we want to embrace the simple pleasures in life.

Camping Resolution Tip #2: Think about what you want to do LESS…

So it’s not always unicorns and rainbows, right? Raising kids is hard. And we have plenty of moments as a family that are not on the highlight reel. Think about what the pain points are for your family when camping together, and try to specifically focus on at least one to change. Some years we’ve resolved to plan less activities and embrace the down time. Other years we’ve been honest and shared that we just want to yell at the kids less.

Camping Resolution Tip #3: Think about something you want for your children…

We want to help our children learn and grow through our camping adventures and sometimes that takes extra work on our part. It’s really helpful to identify at least one area of growth that you would like to support in your child, and think about positive ways to make that happen. In the past, we’ve talked about teaching our boys how to prepare camping meals and giving them more chores at the campsite. Other parents try to reduce screen time or increase physical activity. Every kid is different, but they could all use our help in this really difficult process of growing up.

Camping Resolution Tip #4: Think about something you want for yourself…

Did you forget that you matter once you became a parent? Sometimes we realize that we’ve been focusing a bit too much on the rug rats. It’s important to remember that every member of the family deserves a place at the table. Maybe you don[t go hiking anymore because the rest of the family moans and groans. Or maybe you find yourself doing all the cooking while camping and you need a break. We’ve set goals to become readers again, or even learn how to play the ukulele. Dig deep and reacquaint yourself with that happy camper inside.

Camping Resolution Tip #5: Think about something you want as a couple…

Do you remember The Amazing Race television show from years ago? Couples either worked together or fell apart. We joke that camping and family travel is like The Amazing Race for us. Sometimes we amaze ourselves with our teamwork. Other times we could probably use a marriage therapist in our RV. If you travel with a partner or spouse, take the time to make some goals for your relationship. It could be as simple as backing in the camper without fighting. If you ever accomplish that, let us know how it feels.

We’ll continue to share our yearly camping resolutions in the hopes that it inspires all of you to make the most out of the time together at the campground.

Stephanie + Jeremy

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