Member Advice on Camping

... ADVANTAGES OF TIE-DYE ORANGE CLOTHING

Ciao are not includng my requested 'members' advice' category and perhaps it's for the better as I can just tell you the story and muse and mull and list to my heart's content without unduly worrying about giving useful tips.

I decided to include all camping/child-caring aspects of our recent Italian holiday in a separate review as the proper 'Travel' category sight-seeingy one ...
...WE DID***

We wanted a cheap holiday and we also wanted to see how the camping thing would work with a small child. Italy with its warm, human-friendly weather and known child-friendly culture seemed ideal for this experiment. I won’t keep you waiting in suspense, it DID work out and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly although of course we did spend more money that we intended (mainly due to excessive consumption of ice-cream and too many ... more

... ADVANTAGES OF TIE-DYE ORANGE CLOTHING

Ciao are not includng my requested 'members' advice' category and perhaps it's for the better as I can just tell you the story and muse and mull and list to my heart's content without unduly worrying about giving useful tips.

I decided to include all camping/child-caring aspects of our recent Italian holiday in a separate review as the proper 'Travel' category sight-seeingy one are long anyway .

*** WHAT WE DID***

We wanted a cheap holiday and we also wanted to see how the camping thing would work with a small child. Italy with its warm, human-friendly weather and known child-friendly culture seemed ideal for this experiment. I won’t keep you waiting in suspense, it DID work out and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly although of course we did spend more money that we intended (mainly due to excessive consumption of ice-cream and too many meals out; my cabbage brain also contributed – see Grand Hotel Tiziano op for the full sadly hilarious story).

We flew to Brindisi in Puglia by Ryanair and we spend 4 nights in hotels and 10 nights camping. We used two campsites and one agrotourismo (review coming up). We travelled without a car and moved around rather than stayed put, so everything, and that included our daughter Katie, had to be transportable on our backs. Bearing this in mind we decided that all the gear had to fit in one rucksack and that had to be carrieable by either of us. The weight as well as volume was of prime consideration. Be aware though that I AM a big woman and however unfit I was at the beginning I had a good ability to lug stuff around. The person NOT carrying the rucksack was supposed to deal with the little one – hold her hand or carry her in the carrier, as well as carry the small day-pack with accessible essentials (water, extra clothes, food, maps, books etc.). Katie had a little rucksack of her own with books, pens, colouring books and her cuddly rabbit. This was of course often donated to me or DH to bear but she DID carry it for at least half of the time she walked.

***GEAR***

Considering the weight requirement we decided to buy quite a few things from new. Bearing in mind the money requirements and worry about possible theft we decided to buy as cheap stuff as possible. Eventually we ended up with:

(1) A tent, of course. This gave us most aggravation as our old tent was both too heavy and too small. Really lightweight good quality ones were very expensive and still small, being fundamentally mountaineering tents – too good for us. Eventually we bought a 3 person dome tent from Aldi. It was spacious, had useful front-porch storage area and was easy and fast to put up. At 4.7 kg it was also one of the lightest of cheap and moderately priced three-person tents. At 25 GBP it was the cheapest. It is, it has to be said, very very flimsy and I don’t see much life in the fibreglass poles but at the price it is almost disposable. Its water resistance was low (lower than Millet’s cheapest ‘Eurohike’ range made ‘for British summer’) so I have grave doubts about how it would stand to rain (we didn’t have any).

(2) We bough a 90 litre rucksack from Argos and although obviously worse quality and less resistant than our old 75 litre Blacks’ one; it proved up to the job and comfortable enough to carry. At 25 GBP a worthy addition to our possessions.

(3) We had two self-inflating sleeping mats and one karimat. Although the air-mats added extra 3 kg to the load, it was definitely worth it as the difference in comfort was massive especially as we slept without the padding provided by sleeping bags.

(4) Until the last day I couldn’t decide on the sleeping-bag issue (to take or not). Eventually we DID take a cheap rectangular one that unzipped into a duvet (MALU, thanks for encouragement) and it was a good decision as the early-morning, pre-dawn temperatures were definitely chilly. As it was, Katie and the parent that slept next to her would cover themselves with the sleeping bag when the chill came and the other parent had all the sheets and it worked fine. Of course a thin, soft blanket (fleece or good cellular one) would do just as well.

(5) Child carrier (read: a framed rucksack you stick you wee one in, sadly not: a native porter up to the task) was essential. We had one I had bought in a charity shop for a fiver having had arrived from Poland already rid of my pushchair. We didn’t do any off-road hiking to speak of, but it was still extremely useful. A three year old CAN walk quite far – I think about a mile and a half was Katie’s record. But of course a three year old WOULD only walk that far… We also did quite a bit of walking, what with campsites being located away from towns and our penchant for mad exploration, and Katie often slept in the carrier. I only wish I had a better one as with this one it was more of a strain on the lower back to carry a 15 kg child than to carry the 30 kg+ rucksack. I almost bought a high-quality one in Poland from makers of mountaineering equipment for about 80 pounds before we left and I did regret not having done this while in Italy.

(6) We brought very little clothes and of course we still brought too much. My recommended list will be:

- one pair of good, trekking-type sandals
- two pairs of socks (one for off-road spikes; one for sleeping in)
- shorts and long trousers, possibly two pairs of the latter; in a colour that is a reasonable compromise between not showing dirt and reflecting sun (khaki and grey worked well for us)
- one long sleeved shirt, 2 t-shirts. I actually wore the same t-shirt every day, washing it in the evening before and putting on damp even if it didn’t dry. The other one is for sleeping in and emergency tomato-sauce spillages. The long-sleeved one is to protect you from burn on long walks, mosquitoes, and can provide rarely needed but sometimes useful cover from night chills.
For a small child I would take 4 t-shirts/vests; all of them as light as possible but not too susceptible to these tomato stains. An orange tie-dye is an idea I would seriously consider next time.
Do NOT take black or navy tops unless you are prepared to use them in the evening only. A dark vest under a white top-shirt is a possible exception.
- a sun-hat, wide brimmed enough to cover face, floppy enough not to look disastrous when squashed.
-sunglasses were essential for me, while both Katie and DH did perfectly well without. This is personal and you will know.
- a swimsuit – everybody seemed to be wearing bikinis, even the fattest so if you don’t like to stand out get one as well. I was happy enough in my one-piece but we didn’t spend much time on the beach. Pre-pubescent girls wear only bikini-bottoms. I have not seen a single one in a one-piece.
- a towel – we had two (a medium and a small one), and I had to wash it about every two days, but ideally it would be new of these thin but absorbent cotton ones you get in cheaper hotels. I almost nicked one once.

(7) We had a small one-burner camping gas stove which run on standard canisters (about 1 euro and widely available). This proved enough as did two rectangular mess-tin type dishes for cooking and 3 plastic plates for eating off, with plastic forks, spoons and one pen-knife. We took tea-bags and these were brilliant as tea is hard to get and crap in Italian cafes.

(8) Anything I took and didn’t need to?
- the minimum of make-up I took was never used
- waterproof, although it DID make a good pillow.
- extra sandals newly bought by DH (he wore his old casual Polish-bought shoes throughout)
- big bottle of high-factor sun-screen. Let me explain before you start to get indignant. I took it as I was worried that it would be hard to find high-factor, cheap stuff there. However, the sun-screen multiplies the time you can spend in the sun. OK. So if I normally can withstand the sun for 15 minutes without burning, wearing factor 20 means that I can spend 5 hours in the sun! The thing was, I never did. The only parts of my body that would ever get exposed for that long were my forearms, face and feet but these were already bit tanned and factor 10 consistently applied would have been enough (and I am very white!). Of course, if you plan to spend hours on the beach in the sun without clothing you need the stuff. Otherwise 10 will do with perhaps a stick of factor 20/30 for nose or the exposed bit of shoulders.
-Post-sun lotion. Each of us used it once and as such was not worth lugging the 300 ml thing with us.

(9) Anything I didn’t have?

- Alarm clock and an extra watch was the only real problem. The mobile run out of batter after about 10 days despite being used just for clock purposes and I didn’t bring charger/adapter. DH lost his watch two days before we left and as I didn’t have one (I rarely wear a watch though I bought myself one now) catching the bus for our return required a lot of asking for time in the street.

- We bought straw mats for the porch and for the stony beach, but these were cheaper there anyway so this was OK.

- We didn’t take water shoes but if somebody wanted to do a lot of swimming from stony beaches these would have improved the fun.

*** ITALIAN CAMPING***

I have to say that my experience is limited. We were only there for two weeks, in one region and not in the high season. However, there are few points that are worth mentioning. If you know any better please feel free to comment and enhance the op with your experience, I don’t mind and will incorporate any corrections happily.

(1) Italian season does not start till end of June. Consequently, the prices before that will be lower, but some facilities will not be fully operational.

(2) Camping seems to be a family pursuit and is conducted mostly with caravans and motor-homes. Tents seem rare. We never had come across this typical Polish sight of a campsite filled with tents full of 16 to 25 year olds. Perhaps it changes in season. Perhaps we did not get to right campsites. But the consequence of the above we had to put up with is that…

(3) … prices seem steep. Some sites charge per pitch, some per person, some both. We didn’t come across anything below 10 euro per night, and that is in what was essentially the low season. If you can get to them, it is probably a very good idea to try the agrotoursimos (farm holidays). These seem often to be quite posh affairs but sometimes they do allow camping, even if not advertising it in their official materials or listings. We used one and although there was an implicit obligation to eat (we did and it was very lovely and very expensive by our standards); this can be resisted and the whole experience can be cheap and very pleasurable (see the review of Torre Pinta when it appears). It also is a good idea to do some phoning around before (we didn’t) and get the idea of prices. A comprehensive selection is provided at www.pugliaturismo.it as well as in accommodation listings distributed through tourist information offices.

The two campsites we used were:

- Smile Holiday Park in Otranto. This was mostly bungalows (mostly uninhabited at the time of our stay) and a number of tent/caravan/camper pitches, shaded by what looked like eucalyptus trees and divided by neat hedges of laurel bushes. The facilities included hot and cold showers, swimming pool with a water-slide and a life guard (caps compulsory so if you have one bring it and save yourself an euro 2.50 ), crazy golf, big play-park for kids, reasonably priced and OK quality restaurant, bar, programme of activities including children’s dance, aerobic, fitness and other rather cringe-inducing organised pastimes; twice-hourly free shuttle bus to a sandy (and extremely cultivated) stretch of beach. There was a shop and some other sports facilities difficult to identify, but these were not operational at the time of our stay. We paid 20 euro per night and this was well below their normal rate.

- Camping Degli Ulivi near Mattinata in Gargano Promontory. This was more like a normal campsite and had only few bungalows, and a large number of spacious pitches, shaded with olive trees and additional awnings; about half of them occupied by permanently parked caravans and the rest opened to visitors. The facilities were somehow less lavish but in a way better thought out than at ‘Smile’ There was a pool (no guard but caps still compulsory) small play-park, a basketball court, a well-stocked shop and daily visit of a fruit and veg van, bar (but no restaurant). The washing facilities were plentiful, including toilets, cold showers, laundry sinks with washboards (or a commercial washer for those willing to spend 4 euro), washing up sinks, token-operated hot showers (50 cents). One of the washbasins had a step for children and one of the cubicles housed a child-sized toilet.

***ALL CHILDREN ARE OURS***

As it’s well known Italy IS indeed a child-friendly place. Children are admitted pretty much everywhere and run around freely but DO seem bit better behaved than UK kids. Come to think of it, I cannot think of kids in any country I visited that do NOT seem better behaved then UK kids. No exaggeration there, though, the Italian little ones and the bit bigger ones did their share of making noise and doing all the childreny things, but there was never malice associated with it.

The biggest difference in comparison with UK was the reception a very small child got: in the UK it is generally only other parents and older people that react positively to children. In Italy you will get a mixed group of youths obviously travelling to have some fun on the beach and they will try to engage your wee one with chat, smiles and jokes. This also - sometimes at least - happens in Poland and is, in my opinion, the result of less separation between different age groups and ‘life-stage niches’ in these countries.

Being equipped with a pretty and sociable 3 year old was then a contact- advantage, as we were virtually all the time greeted with countless exclamations of ‘bella’ and expressions of interest as well as tolerance towards crying, running round the restaurant table at a speed, and twenty trips across the dining hall to have look at the fish in the aquarium on the other side while forming a major stumbling hazard for the staff.

Getting half-portions was always easy, I also managed to wangle a discount for a triple room out of two hotels on the ground that the ‘bimba’ didn’t really need a separate bed (she happily used one when provided though).

The more sophisticated establishments would probably expect a well-behaved child though and we did abandon one rather posh evening meal when our screaming child was confronted with a couple of hush-hush Germans and an impeccably quiet and well-behaved Italian family.

The title of this chapter is a Polish saying which is roughly similar in meaning to Ms Clinton’s ‘It takes a village’ – i.e. children belong to the whole society and deserve respect, recognition, inclusion and care. And they pay back for it hundredfold in both individual and societal terms.

***HOWEVER, THIS CHILD MORE THAN OTHERS…***

Our daughter is 3 years old, well travelled and very adaptable. She never had problems with new places and as long as familiar or likeable people were present she always seemed to positively relish new experiences. This is important as I know of children similar in age who would pay with stomach upsets and sleepless nights for a visit to grandparents in the same town. She is also healthy, quite tough and a good eater. With this in mind, please let me thoroughly and wholeheartedly recommend camping with a three year old in Italy.

Living in a tent was easier for Katie than us (she is, after all, smaller) and although she missed her toys and her bed, she caused no problems whatsoever. She slept well – I am sure that sleeping with both parents virtually in the same bed helped! She didn’t seem to have problems with heat, although she often slept around midday which she never does here. I made sure that she wore hat and I covered her with sunscreen to start with so she tanned nicely and without problems. She ate lots and lost of ice-cream (very good food for children and even all this sugar is OK as long as the child is on the go…), supplemented by piles of fruit, tomatoes and occasional plate of pasta or piece of grilled veal or beef. I made sure that she was well watered and never ever refused or delayed her drink.

We brought several small-sized books which we read more at first and less later (but how many times can one endure ‘Mr Funny’ or the story of Moomin-Mama’s lost handbag?) We also brought a set of felt-top pens and a few pencils with some colouring books and this was brilliant for the entertainment she needed during rare quiet times in the tent or travelling by train or in the airport.

She had one transitional object (read: cuddly toy) and she cuddled it, threw at walls, fed, and sang to – in other words it performed its usual functions.

We bought bucket-and-spade set and she had a chance to use it 3 times on the beach, we also bought lavishly illustrated ‘Pinokio’ book in Italian and she spend quite a long time poring over it as well as using it as bartering tool with Italian children.

Generally, the holiday was not child-centred at all. It is something you can still afford to do at this age when the child simply enjoys being with you and as long as you don’t
do anything INCREDIBLY boring like staring at one picture for 30 minutes everything should be OK. We did provide some concessions like seeking out that sandy beach once in a while or visiting every play-park she noticed. She had a chance to play with Italian children several times and generally that was successful, with gazing, smiling, touching, sharing toys and food making up for deficits in communication. She definitely missed the company of other children provided normally by the nursery she attends twice a week and enjoyed the encounters very much.

My tips could be summarised as follows:

(1) Keep the child close and engaged in what you are doing. She might not know about ‘Baroque’ but will be interested in the mythical animals on the church’s façade. He might not appreciate the breathtaking view but will notice sheep, lemon trees and poppies.

(2) Be ready and possibly equipped to carry your child, especially when it’s very hot and/or you are walking far. If you want her to go along happily with what you are doing provide something in return. This something is your presence, your back to lean on, your hair to pull and at least some attention.

(3) Allow, encourage and gently guide contact with other children when possible. Provide sweets and fruit to share, remind him of the local word for ‘thank you’ and watch from a distance.

(4) Make sure the physical needs are met: drink especially but also food, shade and toilet.

Of course there is a limit, and that limit is usually age. I can clearly remember my sister, aged 10 or 11, furiously kicking a millennia-old wall in Mycenae and muttering to herself ‘Walls and stones and holes! I can dig such a hole with stones myself! Just staring at these stones and holes! It’s boring!”. She was 11 though and you cannot put an 11-year old in a backpack for a sleepy when they get too hot and tired.

Thanks for reading, comments appreciated.
 

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