When you were a kid did you ever get a bunch of friends together and set up a tent in the backyard and pretend you were camping? You and your friends thinking it was hysterical when you told your sister that it was for boys only and she could not play and ran away crying. Or at least it was funny until mom found out. Did you ever go backpacking in the mountains? Or, hiking in a forest? What images does it bring to your mind?

Many kids enjoy going to summer camp so they can hang out with a bunch of other kids and tell ghost stories around the campfire while everyone pretends they are not really scared. You can't admit you are actually afraid because that's not cool and they may make fun of you. Yet you are already thinking about the camping equipment you may need for next summer and starting your camping checklist, as well as planning your revenge for the year before.

Is this the year that you and your family are going to load up a camper van or something similar, gather any and all camping equipment that you will need and head for the hills on a great camping vacation? Depending on the time of year, you may need campground reservations, so it is a good idea to plan ahead and call just to be safe.

If you are planning to travel to the great outdoors in an RV camper, then plan ahead and find out if any of the locations you plan to camp in have restrictions in place. They may not allow motorized vehicles of any kind, or maybe there is day use only and they have no overnight accommodations available. This type of planning helps to avoid what could be a huge problem for you, not to mention having to deal with "are we there yet?" from the kids. If you have not already decided where you plan to go, then consider a lake campground where there will be swimming, fishing or just relaxing options for everyone. Remember to call and double check on what, if any, restrictions are applicable for the locations you plan on visiting.

Sometimes, despite all the planning, something may go wrong or happen unexpectedly. Which is why traveling in an RV has some advantages. If you are unable to find a family campground or anything else acceptable, then you already have all the equipment that you need, so you can choose to keep going until you find something or stop for the night and continue your camping vacation in the morning. What could be better than a new adventure each and every day? Don't worry about the kids, they will have a blast.