Will my kids like a 4x4 adventure?
If you were hoping for a straight ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed! The answer of course is, ‘it depends.’A 4x4 adventure is very different from your average family beach holiday, or even your average family camping holiday. There’s the distance travelled (a lot of time on the car), and the different cultures explored, (usually off the beaten track and well away from the usual tourist scenes). Throw in the ‘back to nature’ element of wild camping, and the fact your child will probably be the furthest they’ve ever been from wi-fi, and you might have the elements of a rebellion on your hands.
Young children on 4x4 trips
There is a lot to charm inquisitive younger children on a 4x4 adventure. If they like camping, then wild camping is even better. All the excitement of putting up tents, creating a little village and building a camp fire. No end of stones to turn over and tiny creatures to find. And no bath time! Family orientated 4x4 adventures will have carefully planned their itineraries so kids aren’t strapped in the back seat for seven hours a day. Lots of breaks and finishing the driving day early enough for some swimming , exploring or just hanging out is vital.If your kids are older, and welded to hair straighteners and YouTube you might have a harder sell on your hands. Wild camping means no bathroom and no toilet as well as no wi-fi. Unthinkable for some!
Taking teenagers
However, there’s a lot to recommend to teenagers too. If your child is the adventurous type there’ll be lots of scope for swimming in lakes, exploring wild places, learning new stuff, making new friends, soaking up new languages and cultures. Great independence building skills too – map reading, cooking in the wild, maybe even a bit of off road driving (if your nerves are up to it!) Would be botanists and biologists will discover lots to excite them. Creative types - keen artists, photographers and film makers - will be inspired by the places and landscapes they’ll discover. And for teenagers who aren’t natural great explorers, film makers or botanists? They might surprise themselves to learn that life without games consoles can actually be fun.Sitting up around the campfire gazing up at more stars than you ever see at home is awe-inspiring. Wild camping is a great adventure in a life that’s often short of the real thing. And don’t we all want a little bit of that?
If you’ve got any questions about bringing your children on a 4x4 adventure give us a call on 07776 140626
By Paul Blackburn