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13 Relaxing & Fun Activities to Do While Camping

| Updated Aug 25, 2022

A newbie asked for fun activities to do while camping and our members answered! Here’s what they recommend…

Recently, one of our RV Lifestyle members asked our Facebook group what they do when camping. 

Emily asked, “Do you sit outside and read? Play games? Tour the town you stay in?” 

The post resulted in nearly 300 comments! RVers of all ages shared their favorite activities to do while camping, and it’s quite a range. 

So, I compiled the most common suggestions into a list (boy, I love lists!) and shared helpful related links.

13 Relaxing & Fun Activities to Do While Camping

I love the RV community because there’s such a wide variety of people and different types of travelers. 

Some are the lounge and look type. Others are the active and hands-on type. Still, others balance somewhere in between.

So, here’s a list of activities to do while camping that was recommended by the whole range of travelers. Plus, plenty of links to expand on the ideas!

1. Be artsy!

One great thing to do during vacation is to get creative. You can play a musical instrument, paint, work on your photography skills, or draw. 

It is always fun to bust out a guitar or other musical instrument and sing campfire songs around the fire. 

Some recommended starting a travel journal to document your adventures or to sketch. 

You can also try out these best travel crafts.

2. Practice Yoga, Mediation, or Prayer

Yoga, mediation, and prayer go hand in hand with nature. These practices connect with your natural body and the world around you. 

They can help you quiet your mind and body and help you live in the moment. They are also great way to help you put a busy work or otherwise stressful week behind you. 

If you have not tried yoga, meditation, or prayer, they are worth a shot on your next outing. 

13 Relaxing & Fun Activities to Do While Camping 1

3. Kick Back & Relax

Do you know one of the most popular activities to do while camping? Relaxing!

Yep, that’s right! Lots of people love to kick up their feet in their favorite camping chair, close their eyes and take a nap. 

You can also relax with a good camping book, soaking in the quiet sounds of nature. Or enjoy doing one of your favorite crafts like knitting or crochet. 

4. Biking

What is the adage? Something like you never forget how to ride a bike. And thank goodness that’s true!

Riding bikes is excellent exercise and can be a relaxing way to explore a new area. If you don’t own and bring your own, many cities have bike rental companies to do the schlepping for you. 

Take a leisurely ride down a nature path or along a beach boardwalk. You can always try out an e-bike, too. We love all the bikes we've owned! And recently we've been enjoying our Lectric ebikes.

Like what you see in these videos? We'd appreciate it if you would Subscribe to our YouTube Channel (easy to do right here) and consider “ringing the bell icon” to be notified of any new video from us. 🙂 Thanks!

5. Cooking

Another activity that people enjoy while RVing is cooking a good meal. Just because you’re camping doesn’t mean you can’t make a gourmet meal… or at least one that consists of more than beans. 

Don't worry, it doesn't have to be difficult to make to count. You can cook up a crockpot camping recipe or simply throw burgers on the portable camping grill.

Of course, don’t forget to follow a scrumptious meal with a yummy campfire dessert. It's worth checking out the best campfire accessories, too.

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6. Hiking or Exploring

My love of camping started from my love of exploration. As a traveling journalist, I was always on the move for my career and now I’m always on the move in “retirement.” (Clearly, I never fully retired from sharing information with others!) 

RVing is a great way to explore a new country, region, or site at a national park but an RV can only get you so close. Sometimes your feet need to take you the rest of the way to discover the truly spectacular.

Thankfully, hiking doesn’t have to equal overexertion. There are almost always hiking trails of different difficulties wherever you go. 

Goodness, I’ve written so many hiking articles, from gear to wear to where to hike, that you’ll have to skim through to see what catches your eye.

7. Toss Around a Ball

Quite a few people mentioned tossing a ball around or playing yard games with their friends, family, and camping neighbors.

From cornhole to touch football, there are so many great outdoor camping games for all ages and skill levels.

Shoot, you don’t even need people! I know my favorite partner to play catch with is our dog Bo. And I’ve been known to challenge myself to a game of cornhole.

7 Best Outdoor Camping Games for Your RV
bossy birds

8. Birdwatching

When people start camping, they are often surprised by just how many different species of birds there are. Some even plan their whole travels around seeing as many species or unique birds as possible.

I recently wrote an article about Birding and the RV Lifestyle that offers birding tips and best destinations to birdwatch.

9. Play Boardgames

When it comes to camping, I think playing board games at the picnic table is equivalent to sitting around a campfire. That, and card games, of course.

It’s a wonderful way to wind down in the evening or even hide in the shade of a hot afternoon. I have some great lists to help you stock your game cabinet:

Grab a cold beverage and ask some camping neighbors to join you for a game!

10. Water Sports

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Jennifer enjoying the kayak

Jennifer and I love to stay active. It helps keep me young and feeling good! One way to keep active is to do a watersport. 

Many camping locations are near bodies of water. Whether you are close to the ocean, a lake, or a river, there are many different water sports you can explore. 

Try out kayaking, tubing, surfing, canoeing, or paddleboarding. If you don’t own any watersports equipment, plenty of companies do. And they would be happy to rent it to you!

(My personal favorite is kayak fishing!)

A lowkey and relaxing waterport is paddleboarding. Glide peacefully across a glacial lake or bay. It can give you a whole new perspective of the area in which you are staying. 

If someone you are with does not want to do the water activity you are exploring; they can take a walk and enjoy the water at the same time as you, in a different way. 

11. Cloud Watching & Stargazing

If you are lucky enough to have relaxing cloud coverage when camping, you have the perfect setting for a relaxing activity!

Let your mind relax and see what pictures you can pick from the clouds to peacefully pass the time.

Stargazing is also an amazingly relaxing pastime. So much so, that I put a stargazing kit together!

12. Watch the Sunset 

sunset

Being outdoors gives you the best front row seat to a sight that never gets old: the sunset. Pull up a chair and enjoy nature showing off its beauty!

That’s what several commenters said is a highlight of their trip.

13. Storytelling

Telling a good story can be relaxing, nostalgic, or be a fun way to tell a spooky tale. 

What better time to relax and tell a good story than when you are sitting around the fire?  

It’s also an excellent way to make new friends while camping.

What Are Your Favorite Activities To Do While Camping?

We’d love to hear what your favorite camping activities are. Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

And be sure to check out these RV Adventure Guides that outline all of the best things to do and see!

Want to learn how to boondock?

We created a PRINT version of our most popular guide to help you with the most common boondocking problems. We get a ton of questions from our subscribers about how to get started boondocking that range from where to go and wild animals to water conservation to what equipment to use and more. 

13 Relaxing & Fun Activities to Do While Camping 4

Throw off the shackles of traditional RV Parks and campgrounds, stop paying high fees every night that you spend in your RV, and experience the boundless amounts of nature while boondocking!

You’re done with the noisy RV parks, the 3.5 feet of room you have squished in between two other RVs, and other people’s kids running through your campsite?

You’ve ditched the hookups, the concrete blocks and have replaced them with self-leveling and Navy showers?

This is the book for you.


Mike Wendland

Published on 2022-08-23

Mike Wendland is a multiple Emmy-award-winning Journalist, Podcaster, YouTuber, and Blogger, who has traveled with his wife, Jennifer, all over North America in an RV, sharing adventures and reviewing RV, Camping, Outdoor, Travel and Tech Gear for the past 12 years. They are leading industry experts in RV living and have written 18 travel books.

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