Bringing the whole family on a camping trip is one of the most creative, interesting, and natural things that you can do in your lifetime. You have come to the right page if you want to be as safe and as secure as you can be on any camping trip. First - safety and security begins with having the proper equipment and tools for your camping trip. There are certain rules of safety and security that you need to follow when you are camping out with babies and children. There are some tools and some equipment that will make your vacation easier and more fun.

CAMPING WITH BABY:

If you are bringing a baby along on a trip, prepare ahead of time and buy a baby tent. This is a small enclosure that will hold one baby - with one baby infant seat. The enclosure is not really a "tent" but it is more a screen enclosure that you will use inside the tent or outside the tent. This will make your baby insect-proof. Your baby will be free from mosquitoes and spiders and their bites. Bring a sleeping bag for baby (for inside the tent, when the baby is not inside the baby tent. This kind of sleeping equipment will make your baby feel more secure than a regular blanket. Remember that your baby is not at home and might feel some apprehension about its' new temporary quarters. Use the sleeping bag at home for a few nights before you go on your camping trip. This way, your baby will be used to it and will be familiar with it on the trip. Bring bandages, over-the-counter medicine, bottled water, a ball, some toys and whatever else is familiar to the baby.

LOCATION: When camping with babies or young children, try the "family" campsites first or the private campgrounds to see how the baby or children will react to the outdoors experience. Camping at a private campgrounds or family campgrounds offer many amenities that state parks might not offer. For example, at the private campgrounds, you might find a kiddie pool and a regular pool, an indoor store for necessities, internet connections, game rooms for children, golf carts, abundant water spigots and fountains, and many other items that make camping with children more fun. After choosing your campground, the next mission is to chose the best site for children and babies. You will want to choose a site that is near the bathrooms, near the public phones (bring a cellular phone too), and or near the store or the more trafficked areas of the campgrounds. When choosing a site near the bathrooms, choose the right one, not one too near it.

(A few years ago, one of the news items that did not make it into the newspapers, but did disturb the campgrounds, happened at Hecksher State Park in New York State. One night an RV family came into the campgrounds very late, after dark and proceeded to back into a water fountain. The driver of the RV did not look behind him as he parked and his RV landed right on top of a water fountain. The water fountain tilted and tipped, flooding the surrounding area with water. Thankfully, no human being was hit in this accident. But think of what a close call that was. . This campsite was the one very nearest the restroom and the area all around it was flooded. Good that no one had camped out there, so the only ones affected were the park rangers and the camper who ran the RV. So choose one close to the restrooms but not too close. You might want to choose a site that is near other family campers. Perhaps the children can play together in the daytime. Sometimes as an added safety precaution, campers put lights on the outside of their tents, and sometimes they use special camping blinking lights. If any campers near that water fountain had those lights on their tents that would have been an added protection for them that night when the RV ran over the water fountain.

RULES: Sounds simple? Most everyone knows the rules of the campgrounds if they have been camping in the past. But newcomers and children generally do not know the rules. One of the most important things that you can remind your children about are the vehicle and road rules. Remind them that the lanes in between the rows of tents are just like city roads. Cars and sometimes huge RVs travel those roads, so if the children are playing at the campgrounds, they must look both ways before crossing these innocent-looking lanes at campgrounds. So many times during the camping season, you will see children running and playing in or near the campsites roads. This is a very dangerous thing to do as there are many cars going back and forth even if you do not see them right away. Remind all children that roads are roads even when the roads are in campsites. Remember that RV that hit the water spigot and knocked it over ? That could have been a child. Luckily it was just a water spigot. You need to instruct the children on the road rules before you leave your vehicle and stress the importance of obeying all rules, including the road rules.

FOOD: Food rules are the next important. If you have decided to camp out in a state park, you need to stress the importance of food rules. Most times children do not understand why they cannot eat inside the tent (especially in bad weather). If you camp out anywhere in the wild or in state parks in any state, you must not have any food in your tent, not even cookies or cookie crumbs. Trust us on this one. Even at the most civilized camp sites, if you bring any food inside your tent you are asking for big trouble. There are state parks where there are no bears, but still the food rule should be number one on your list to remember. We camped out at Hecksher State Park in New York once or twice. We knew the food rule so we never brought any food into the tent and we did not leave any food on the picnic table either. That's almost a guarantee that you will have no animal visitors during the night. That's almost a guarantee but not a real promise. Even when you are diligent about camping rules and regulations, what your neighbors do will affect your stay at the camp. Sometimes your neighboring campers will forget food outside and that will be enough to bring raccoons and little animals and insects into your campsite. That happened to a friend of ours. While he was careful about camping and careful about his food, his neighbors left food out on the table - overnight. All through the night, the pesky raccoons kept pushing through the campsite going into everything they could find. They kept everyone up at night be their scavenger hunt for more food. Our friend found out the hard way that any food left out, even your neighbor's food, will attract small animals, raccoons and insects into his own campsite. He found out the hard way - by having the raccoons keep him up all night. You can learn the easy way, by just taking this advice. If your neighbors are inexperienced campers, tell them about the animals and raccoons that spill through the campgrounds at night. They will be glad you told them and you will have a good night's sleep. (Raccoons are creepy at night in the dark at night -especially since they are so bold). Good thing to remember is that some raccoons can carry or have rabies. So, store your food inside your car. Raccoons do open coolers up. Funny thing is that the one thing they could not do was open the zippered cooler.

RESTROOMS: Another important rule is that no one goes to the restroom alone after dark or at night. In the daytime also, accompany all children to the restroom. This is an important safety rule for our state parks in NY, and probably everywhere else also. If you think that this is "too safe" , think again. In some of our state parks, there are homeless people camping out; in others, there might even be newly-released inmates, and in others there might even be perverts. Yes, this might be shocking to you and it is something that most people do not think or want to think about. But the truth is -that is the truth. So, watch the children when they go off to the bathroom in the daytime and if they do not come out quickly, go and check on them. And, after dark or near dark, the rule must be that no one goes to the rest room alone. You can wait outside for the older children and you go inside the restroom with the younger ones.

DON'T FEED OR PET ANIMALS: You need to instruct children to not approach and to not pet wild animals, no matter how cute they look. Remind the children that some wild animals carry or have rabies. Some of the bold raccoons at Hecksher and some other parks will approach you and the children if you leave food out at night. So the best way to avoid this is to keep all food in plastic containers and keep them in your car. Keep the family pets at home (find pet sitters for them). Family pets attract wild animals and insects. Besides, if you are on vacation, you will want to leave them home and enjoy their company when you return. If you MUST bring family pets, the best place to go is to family campsites that advertise that they welcome pets. There are one or two state parks that accept animals. Do the research online and find out where these parks are.

WEATHER:

There is a difference between a storm and a rainy day. If you are prepared, relaxed and intent on enjoying your camping experience, even rain will not ruin your camping vacation. It is an interesting experience. That's really roughing it. That's camping! However, with babies and children, the wet camping experience is different and less fun. So here's how to handle weather. Bring a solar-powered radio and solar-powered flashlight. Having a radio on stormy or rainy days makes all the difference in a camping trip. Tune in to the weather station and you will find out if the storm is temporary or will last for days. You can plan - that is so much better than just having bad weather happen to you. If the rainy weather is just going to last for an hour or three, you can rough it out and outlast the rain. So , do not pack up and go home. Having that radio makes a big difference.

RAINY DAYS: These are great fun days and a great excuse to sit in the tent and get to know each other better. You can talk, chat, play games, share stories, and read. READ? Who ever heard of reading on a camping trip. Yes, you can read. Bring enough flashlights for the night. You can wait out the rain and you can play and read until the rain stops. If it is a light sprinkle, this is great for blowing bubbles in the rain (no thunder, no lightening). Stay away from the trees for safety. Kids love to splash in puddles and why not? It's vacation . It's time to do things you would not normally have them doing. You can cook out, so you can take a short trip to the local fast food place ( Many fast food places have play rooms), so your rainy camping day will turn out to be a fun success instead of just another day in the rain.

STORMY WEATHER: With the storms or prediction of storms while you are camping, use the malls to your benefit. During the worst part of the storms, pack it all up (not the tent) ; bring the kids and put them in the car and drive to the nearest mall stores. You can spend hours there going to the movies, browsing the bookstores, having lunch or dinner, and you can party-out the storm.

First things first, get away from the trees and out of the rain. Hop into the car or RV. You don't have to drive right away. Sometimes a storm can last ten minutes other times ten days. Knowing is being informed. Listen to your radio. Once at Hecksher State Park , all of a sudden it began to pour, lighting and thunder. It rained so hard and thundered so loud it sounded as if Noah would have to rebuild the ark. Most of the campers thought it best to leave the campsite for a while since the thunder was getting louder and louder. . There are malls not too far from Hecksher State Park, a short drive away. So, many times when the weather gets stormy, some of the campers pack up and spend a few hours at the mall instead of spending the entire day or night in the tent listening to the rain. If this happens to you, you can go to the mall, spend hours at a bookstore, have lunch in a fast food restaurant or at a pizza place and then head back to the campgounds after the worst of the storm is over. Everyone will be happy, entertained and feel that even the stormiest camping outing can be a total success. The rain will eventually lighten up, and you can experience your first rainy day camping but you will come away with a fun experience, not a griping holiday. Attitude is everything! Creativity is everything while camping. So many other people were there that same day - camping out through the storm but they were not as happy as as the campers who chose to leave the campgrounds and head to "CAMP MALL" . That's the difference between planning a great camping trip and being surprised by something that you did not expect. Plan your trip, plan for a storm and then you will know just what to do when the storm hits if the storm does hit. So, be prepared, be wise and you will have a wonderful camping trip, no matter what the weather.

RESTROOMS AND SHOWERS: Always accompany children to the restrooms. Never permit anyone to go alone to the restroom after dark or near dark, that includes adults. One of the things that people do not think or or remember is that whatever is out in the world is at your campgrounds too. Somehow people think that camping is a 'different' world just because they feel safe and peaceful in the woods and outdoors in nature. And that false sense of security is what puts many children and adults in danger. Take the same safety precautions that you would take if you are in a large city. Everyone goes to the rest rooms in pairs or in groups. Even in the middle of the night. Tell your children if they need to go to the restroom in the middle of the night, they need to wake you up. You will all go together. When you first arrive at the campgrounds remind your children what the rules are and let them know that these rules are for their safety and protection. Children should never go into any stranger's tent. And you need to remind each child that every other camper in the place is a stranger to them. At campgrounds, strangers and neighboring campers are always very friendly and after a day or two it can seem or feel like you all know each other. You need to remind your children that all over campers are still strangers and they shouldn't go into neighbor's tents at all -without you. Following this rule can keep children alive and safe. Keep the same rules that you keep at home. When at home, you don't allow your children to go home with strangers or go into strangers' homes. So when camping out - those tents are people's homes -even if only for a night or two. The tents are temporary homes so do not let any of the children to into any strangers' tents.

HOT, HOT, HOT! No matter what, always pack sunscreen, sunblock and insect repellent. These are essentials. If you don't have these, don't bring the children or babies camping. Bring a screen hut. This is an open-enclosure. It is open on two sides, closed on two sides. These go for around forty dollars, but we picked one up for ten dollars at a dollar store. This is a great tool to put over the picnic table. It brings you less mosquitoes and insects over your plates and food. Plus, it is fun for the kids. They enjoy sitting under it. Part of the enclosure is screened and part is cloth, so it provides some shade on hot and sunny days.

By: Linda Lin
Those are just some of the basic essentials of camping out with babies and children. Some of our upcoming articles will focus on tents and choosing the right tent for you. There are many more ways to be safe and secure/ Hope that you read our other articles for that information. If you want the free newsletter about camping, send an email to to writeus@yahoo.com

The author of this article is an experienced camper who graduated from Outward Bound School. Besides spending seven wonderful days in the wilderness in North Carolina, she received a Wilderness Survival Certificate. Her wilderness experience in game lands, in state parks and in private campgrounds adds to her expertise in the outdoors and in camping. The author invites you to write for the free camping newsletter (sent only by email).

Spending time together with the family is often an important aspect of camping trips, but if the wrong size tent is purchased, there may be more family togetherness than anyone desires.The number of campers that can fit in a tent is usually marked clearly on the tent, but it can become confusing. A two-person tent is designed to comfortably hold two campers, but this "comfort level" does not include two campers plus all of the camping items.

Usually, the camping supplies and extra gear will need to remain outside if the two campers want to be comfortable within the two-person tent. With this in mind, traveling light is an option but choosing a slightly larger tent is probably a better option if you prefer not to store all of you camping supplies outside.

The type of camping tent you want also depends on the grounds at the campsite at which you plan to camp. Many of the newer style tents come with a floor that provides a bug barrier to guard against any small critters on the ground when the tent is first set up. Tents without any such floor can always us an air mattress or put down a makeshift floor with a nylon or plastic tarp. Cots are also a great option for those desiring to camp off the floor. This also keeps sleeping campers off the immediate ground in the event any inclement weather comes their way.

Tents, of course, come in many different sizes. Some can hold an entire family while some even offer divisions to create a multi-room tent and offer some privacy to campers. Multi-room tents are great options for parents who may want a little privacy from the younger campers, or a private area to change clothing when other private spaces are not available.

It goes without saying that the easier a tent is to set up the better! Spending the first day at the campsite setting up can take away from some of the fun of camping in general. Most tents are fairly simple to set up, but some can be surprisingly complicated. Most tents include instructions but, as any camper knows, the instructions are usually lost by the second trip so be sure the tent is a simple model to set up.

By: Peter I. Wilson
Being particularly passionate about Denia tourism and attractions in Denia, Peter Wilson is authoring different long articles on this specific subject. You might come across his contributions on Denia and attractions in Denia at http://www.alicante-spain.com.

You probably would avoid camping all together if you considered all the many comforts found in homes. Good news, though. With so many camping accessories available today, you can escape to the great outdoors but do so with a feeling of being at home. Manufacturers have created many great accessories that can make your camping vacation more comfortable, and they continue to come up with new things all the time. Coleman, for instance, supplies a variety of camping gear ranging from flashlights to showers. If you have a camping trailer, you will be in even a better position to accessorize and make the trip more comfortable.

If you are planning to camp with a tent and not a camper, you will want to bring along some basic items and possibly a few accessories. A stove, cookware, lanterns, sleeping bags and air mattresses are some of the basic camping gear items you will want to bring. Oh, and of course you do not want to forget the screen tent. If your campsite has electricity, you could even bring along a microwave or a television. Put it in the screen tent and use this area as the sitting room and kitchen. A tent with privacy flaps makes this option even better since it can prevent others from looking inside.

If you have a pop-up camping trailer, you have many more options when it comes to accessorizing. Some excellent accessories are available, such as a shower, heater, air conditioning, portable toilet, refrigerator, range top stove, dining table and comfortable mattresses. You can always purchase an attaching screen tent if you want even more room. Of course, with pop-up campers you have much more privacy also a great bonus in and of itself.

It goes without saying that everyone wants an enjoyable camping experience. By adding some of the finer accessories available, you can make the camping vacation far more comfortable than you may think. It is amazing what is available today. Some are not quite convinced that camping is relaxing and need to simply try it out. Soon, they will see that a camping adventure can be loads of fun and an enjoyable trip.

Camping accessories can be found online or at local camper dealers or sporting stores. You can often find far better discount prices when you search online, even after paying the shipping and handling. You can find a variety of brands and models online, and usually far more of a selection online than in local sporting or camping stores.

By: Vince L. Paxton
Vince Paxton very often publishes articles on things similar to Alicante temperatures and averages temp alicante. His comments on weather Alicante are found on http://www.alicante-spain.com/alicante-weather.html.

Contributed by:
Stan Warner
Attorney Directories - Locate Attorneys

The natural beauty and scenic climes offered at Yosemite National Park compel many tourists to visit it by daytime, but making your Yosemite camping reservations in time will work to ensure you have a head-start on the madding crowds that can gather on a good day, some of whom only come on a day-trip.

To avoid the excessive traffic and to get a good view of the magnificent mountains at Yosemite camping, reservations is the way to go and also cut-back on any disappointment at not getting the perfect camping spot if staying over for the night. If you intend to make only a day-trip, then making Yosemite camping reservations is not necessary

You may have to remember thought that whether or not you intend to stay for the day or over-night camping at Yosemite, the entrance fees are applicable to you as a visitor; these are $20 for private cars or trucks and a license to come and go as you please for a full week! Those footing, biking or riding (horse-back) it to Yosemite will find this entrance pass at a discounted price of $10 per person while frequent visitors (coming many times in the year), senior citizens and disabled persons have discounted entrance passes available for them - you may need to enquire at the park to know about these.

You may find yourself spoilt for choice when making Yosemite camping reservations as there are over a dozen campgrounds to choose from there and all can be very competitive during different times in the year. For example, the Yosemite camping reservations for availing car campgrounds is open all year through in Yosemite Valley while Hodgdon Meadow, Crane Flat or Wawona camp sites can be made from summer season right through Fall. Besides these, about half the camping grounds at Tuolumne Meadows ask for reservations from Summer to Fall with the other Yosemite campgrounds operating on a first-come, first-serve basis purely.

Those keen on making their Yosemite camping reservations need to go through the National Park Reservation System, which is a little daunting for some and even with its 4 month in advance booking convenience, can be bothersome since it works on a strict schedule, beginning always on the 15th of the month, depending mostly on when you intend to make your arrival on the mountain scene.

You can book up to a period of 30 days, which is welcome but this - booking starting mid-month - can be confusing to say the least. For instance, if you want to visit Yosemite from December 15th to January 14th, August 15th is the first day you can make your reservations and if intending to visit between 15th January to 14th Feb, you need to book on 15th September and the list goes on. The summer to Fall season is most popular with all-full signs meeting you square in the face as reservations get picked up within hours of the first day, though you can strike lucky when checking back for cancellations.

By: Abhishek Agarwal
Abhishek is a Camping freak! Visit his website www.Camping-Guru.com and download his FREE Camping Report "Camping With The Family: How To Have A Safe, Fun, And Inexpensive Vacation" and learn some amazing Camping tips and tricks for FREE. Learn how to have the perfect vacation on a shoe-string budget. But hurry, only limited Free copies available!

Submitted by:
George Snedrow
Free Reverse Directories
Free reverse address, phone, email, cell phone and domain name directories for use in attempting to locate people.

A motorcycle camping trip is one of the most exciting ways to explore the country. Make no mistake in differentiating between motorcycle camping trips and a road trip. In a motorcycle camping trip you actually pitch a tent and spend the night in the lap of nature as compared to a road trip where you pull over and check into an inn or motel to spend the night. If you are an adventurer and would rather spend the night under the open sky, then get yourself a motorcycle, if you do not already have one, and plan a camping trip you will never forget.

However, before you set out in haste on a motorcycle camping trip, you will do yourself good to do a bit of research on the activity you are about to undertake. That is of course, if you are a newbie to the sport of motorcycle camping. Check your camping gear and then double check it. Ensure you have the right gear and no unwanted stuff you do not actually need for the trip. If you feel you need to make a camping kit from scratch or just add a few things to your already existing kit you will find no dearth of motorcycle camping items in your local sports shop or general market. You must choose the items wisely and buy only the ones that will fit comfortably on your motorcycle. You have a large selection of hard bags to choose from. The beauty of these hard bags is that they can fit snugly on your bike without the fear of falling off or having to stop frequently to adjust them, and they can be painted to suit your bike. However, unlike the soft bags that are easy to fold and store away, hard bags are required to be stored on a frame and are more expensive than their soft counterparts, and so are by-passed most of the time for the softer variety.

Some of the other essential items that must make it to your camping kit include; a tent, some waterproofing material such as plastic or canvas, a sleeping bag, compact cooking gear such as a collapsible stove, eating and cooking utensils, adequate clothing, motorcycle tools and a puncture repair kit. Choose the items for your motorcycle camping kit wisely, it will help you when you are packing and unpacking during the trip.

Get yourself a strong waterproof tent for your camping kit. Include a waterproof matting such as a plastic or canvas sheet to place under the tent to prevent water seepage if it happened to rain during the trip. However, if you are more of the open-air types and would rather sleep under the open sky, you will not need a tent, just the canvas will do for a base to place the sleeping bag on. However, it is highly recommended that you keep a tent with you as it may come handy should Mother Nature decide to pour down on you any time during your trip. Get a sturdy and comfortable sleeping bag as well. A lightweight bag made of down and polyester is strong, warm and can be folded up into a very small package that takes up very little space.

Once you have put your motorcycle kit together after a lot of thought, you can assure yourself many enjoyable hours in the lap of nature.

By: Abhishek Agarwal
Abhishek is a Camping freak! Visit his website www.Camping-Guru.com and download his FREE Camping Report "Camping With The Family: How To Have A Safe, Fun, And Inexpensive Vacation" and learn some amazing Camping tips and tricks for FREE. Learn how to have the perfect vacation on a shoe-string budget. But hurry, only limited Free copies available.

Submitted by:
Darren Winslow
California Law - Legal Information