When I was a little boy, being stuffed into the small car among all the luggage and camping
equipment, for a 2 day drive all the way from Toronto to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, my
parents wanted to give me an experience of camping.
A simple vacation with beaches,
warm weather in the middle of winter, the taste of nature and hamburgers cooked on an
open fire. Also, a leaky tent and terrible washrooms at the cheapest campground they
could find. It was memorable and fun to be out of school on break, but there wasn’t a lot of
variety of activities to actually do there!
Me and my sister went along and braved the long drive, asking “are we there yet?”, and we
were glad to build castles on the beach. Today’s kids, unfortunately, demand much more if
they agree to have a family vacation and be motivated to be involved in the trip without
staring at their phones all the time.
They demand parks, playgrounds, watersports, other kids to socialize with, boats, better
food, and some freedom from their parents in a safe and stimulating venue, almost like a
theme park!
Bouncy Castles, check! Playgrounds and climbing structures, check! Events
and Movie Night, check! Adventure activities like ziplining, check! Maybe even jumping off a big rock into the lake, check! Watching Beluga whales surfacing and playing in the St.
Lawrence river, yes, that too!
When I was young, I had simple tastes and not too much demanding my attention. But now
it’s all adrenaline and dopamine attention demand from a non-stop digital world, so you’d
better be able to offer the youth much more to get their attention and satisfy their needs.
The first time I was invited to visit Baskatong Chez Rainville, I was amazed how much had
changed in the camping experience since I was young!
I saw a paradise for young people
and every age alike, where there would not be a dull moment until the kids would pass out
from such fun-filled days, and the parents could relax a bit by the fire, or go for a walk along
the internal paths of the campground to unwind and have some personal time to relax.
Camping Union, it seems, never stops improving with new activities and amenities to cater
to the young active types, to ensure that when it’s time to embark to one of the 9 amazing
destinations they offer across Quebec, the kids are first to jump in the car and honk the
horn, ready to GO!
I’ll never forget the nostalgia of my youth and camping. But I have a feeling that the most
fun times are still ahead of me in my forties, when I have the privilege of staying at every
one of Camping Union’s nine locations in their Top Ten Quebec network!
I can’t wait to make more memories under the stars, and bring my adult daughter and
parents for the fun too, to give back the camping experiences they gave me as a child.