Tips for helping you and your family get outdoors to hike, camp and enjoy the Great Outdoors
For more outdoorsy tips, follow us on Instagram: @backyardtravelfamily
Tramping Food Ideas for New Zealand hikes
This is perhaps the hardest part of my pack for an overnight or multi day hike. Making sure there is enough food, enough variety without it being too heavy. Catch 22. Here we share a huge list of hiking snacks, breakfast ideas, lunch deliciousness and dinner options to help you plan
Best Family Friendly Huts in the South Island
If you’re looking for a beginner hike or family friendly hut walk, we have collected some of our favourite walks in the South Island to suit the kids
Kepler Track
The Kepler Track is a 66km New Zealand Great Walk hiked over 4 days and 3 nights. The scenery is absolutely stunning and we hiked this with our boys who were 7 and 9 at the time
This article covers exactly what it was like for us, the food we packed and all the gear we took, as well as everything that worked and didn’t for us on this trail
Spoiler alert: We loved it
Tramping with Kids: A Guide on how to plan and keep safe
The two most important things when tramping with kids: Having fun and making it home safely
Learn where to find the right information on trails, how to plan for the weather, what to pack, how long a trail to choose, emergency situations and more
including my most controversial piece of tramping advice
Tramping Gear List: Hiking Gear for Kids and Families
Ever wondered whether a flashlight is a must have on a tramping trip or nice to have?
Gear lists are long for day hikes and overnight hikes so do you need it or not?
We cover what is essential, what you can make do with and some things that will make life a little easier on your next family hiking trip
Outdoor Gear Recommendations: What Backyard Travel Family use
There are so many brands of outdoor gear and some are very expensive. It’s fair to say that we have tested our fair share in a range of conditions
Here in one place we discuss what gear we choose to take into the outdoors, why and what we love about it and don’t
It’s a great place to start if you are looking to get new outdoor gear fro the family
Hiking the Routeburn Track with Kids
The Routeburn Track was our first multi day hike and although we were used to 6-8 hour day hikes, a multi day is a new beast
We share exactly what this New Zealand Great Walk was like with a 6 and 8 year old and everything we learnt along the way
Some stuff we nailed, others we made changes. So read up so you don’t make the same mistakes we did.
Awastone Family Rafting Trip
If you’ve ever dreamed of taking the family white water rafting, I bet you didn’t think you could do it with a 3 year old. Well I certainly didn’t
This great family rafting adventure is gentle (by adult standards) yet so much fun and includes an overnight camping adventure beside the river
It’s the perfect kiwi experience suitable for all generations
The Ultimate Family Camping Checklist and Recommendation Guide
If you’re like me, I always forget something on a family camping holiday. Often the mallet for me which is quite essential
Our camping checklist covers everything you’ll need for a great family camping holiday and also includes discussions on the best tents, sleeping bags, air mattress vs sleeping pads and more
16 Top Tips for Camping with Kids and Loving It!
Kids love camping and I reckon they sleep better being in the outdoors all day
If you’re a little on the fence, here are a few tips to help your family love it as much as we do
And wrangle in the chaos
The Best Outdoor Gifts for Kids: Birthday and Christmas Gift Ideas for Adventurous Kids
Kids love toys, but I’m also mindful that many are fun for a short time and end up in the cupboard. And there is such a thing as too many toys! So we are often searching for christmas gift ideas, or birthday presents for kids that are also practical.
So we have put together the Ultimate Kids Gifts list that will encourage kids to get outside and enjoy nature as well as be active. These items should last, be able to be passed down to younger siblings, or passed onto family and friends too.
