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Vacation Ideas

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Who doesn't need vacation ideas?

The average vacation time for every American is shrinking every year. In fact, the average American vacation is only 4 days long.

Some blame a down economy these days for the lack of down time.

Others site the Travel Industry and their marketing madness for the run and gun style of

"vacation" that many Americans undergo.

What we need is more vacation ideas to make sure our time is well spent.

How many of us comeback from a vacation and feel more tired than when we left?

We look at our better half and say something to the effect of "I need a vacation from our vacation!"

Average American gets 13 vacation days compared to Asian and European countries that range from 25-42!

The bottom line is, what we do and how we do it is a big deal and its only getting bigger.

Not all of us have the time or the money to take that trip to Hawaii or the Virgin Islands. Many of us need vacation ideas that will get us excited and reinvigorated.

Travel agencies will give you vacation ideas with large price tags and time restrictions. Those things are the last type of vacation ideas we need.

We want vacation ideas that will allow us to decide how long we want to stay.

We have compiled a list of Vacation ideas for you to wander your eyes through.

No matter what state you are living in you will find at least one vacation idea to inspire you and your family.

Camping Activities

Camping activities are an essential part of any family camping trip for adults as well as for the children.

When we would travel for six to eight hours in the car my husband would complain that the silence would make him want to fall asleep.

We had to make up games that kept all of our minds active and didn't take up space in the luggage (he was already saying that I was taking the kitchen sink with us).

In the Car
When you are traveling to your campground you and the children can entertain yourselves with camping activities like:

The Theme Song Game: One person hums the tune to a favorite TV show ex: Gilligan's Island, Andy Griffith, Movies etc... the one who guesses does the next song.

Word association games (you pick a word and the next person picks the first word that comes into there head) this always made us laugh .

Reading books out loud to the children (Shel Silverstein wrote many greats and was our favorite).

Sing songs (you don't have to wait for a campfire).

One Line Stories: Make up stories one line at a time (each person takes a turn adding a line).

Guess what I am: One person states what they are; either a person, place or thing. The others ask questions Ex: do you have 2 legs, can you speak, do you bark etc... until they guess what the person is. The winner chooses next.

These ideas are great because none of them have to stay in the car; they are also great around the campfire or any time.

There are many Classic Camping Activities that will make memories for you and your family. Here are some ideas to keep you going through out your trip...

Water Activities
If you are camping at or near a lake swimming games are great fun! I remember playing:

Marco polo

Swimming races (I loved this because I could beat the boys).

Belly flopping contests or diving contests.

Steal the Bacon also works in the water.

With the knowledge you gain from the knot-tying lesson you can go to the lake and make a rope swing for the children to jump into the lake with.

Board Games and Card Games
There are always those great board games like Monopoly, Scrabble, Sorry and Uno. But if you don't have space to pack them there are many classic games like:

Go Fish

Hearts

War

Rummy

Dominos

Bridge

These can be played late into the night by the adults also.

Have a Ball?
The children have a tendency to stay up late at night talking in their tent and keeping the adults awake so you can tire them out with camping activities such as:

Dodge Ball

Kick Ball (Just like baseball with no bat and a bigger ball!).

Soccer

You only need one ball and some sticks to mark off the field! If space is not an issue you can bring a football also.

If there is a lake or stream these balls float so there is another idea to play with.

Group Camping Activities

Capture the Flag

Kick the Can

Scavenger hunts are also a great way to get the children up and running around. Just give them a list of things to find like acorns, types of leaves and even bugs! Children will do just about anything for a good time!

When my son was a young camper Snipe Hunting was his favorite camping activitie. You might be asking what is a snipe?

A snipe is a make believe lizard like animal (or whatever you want it to look like) that lives in the foliage around your camp. Tell the children to get a nice stick to beat the bushes with and start them off looking for the snipe.

It is best to start this "hunt" around dusk. It will be more difficult to see and the imagination can run as wild as the children are fast. Not only is this a great way to wear them out but also it is a good laugh, I mean memory, for you.

Children's Camping Activities
Depending on the age of the children you can organize a game of:

Some of these games can be played in and out of the water.

You can also enhance any day or game with bubbles!

Camping Activities In The Dark
At night one of my favorite things to do is look for constellations . For just a few dollars you can pick up a star finder and teach yourself and the children about the planets and the night sky. It's not hard to do and it is a lifetime of knowledge and fun for everyone.

Also you can:

Make S'mores around the campfire.

Sing Songs

Tell Ghost Stories

So there are some ideas for now. Keep checking back because we will continue to add to this list.

Remember, no matter what camping activities you choose keep an eye on all the children, be safe and have fun!

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