Hiking holidays with the little ones can be a fantastic experience, in fact one of the most memorable and intense family holidays with keywords such as presence and togetherness. However, hiking with children is rarely without challenges. The result is not always what the adults expected before the trip.
A hiking holiday where both adults and children have fun requires a little planning in advance. The time spent preparing before the trip can come back tenfold in the form of fun, presence and exciting experiences for everyone along the way.
Here is some input and advice on what you can focus on to have some great hiking trips with your children.
Align your expectations
As with all other holidays you spend with your children, you should first align your expectations. A five-year-old often does not have quite the same expectations of what a good hiking holiday should include as a 12-year-old or a 40-year-old. Talk to the whole family. Both about what it means to be on a hiking holiday, where you are going and what you are going to do on the trip. Maybe cooking over a campfire?, spending the night in a tent? It is also important to talk about the challenges you may encounter on the hike. Also listen to the children’s wishes and input so that they feel ownership of the trip.
Denmark is a great country for hiking — but it’s a bit different from the typical “big mountains and rugged trails” kind of hiking you might find in places like Norway or Switzerland. Denmark is mostly flat or gently rolling, so the hiking is more about coastal trails, forests, cliffs, and wide open landscapes. It’s very peaceful, with beautiful seaside views, forests, and lots of well-marked trails.
On the many Danish hiking routes, there is often the opportunity for breaks at “child height” along the way. It can be the animals in the field or an exciting, fallen “balancing tree trunk” in the forest. As adults, we tend to focus on reaching the next goal, where children tend to lose focus along the way – and would rather go right than straight ahead or “just have to see that anthill over there”. As focused (tired) adults, children’s sidestepping can easily be perceived as sabotaging skipping actions. You should therefore store up mental energy and extra air in advance when planning a hiking holiday with children.
Start with shorter hikes
If this is your first time going, it can be an advantage to start with half-day trips. Get a fixed base in the form of a summer house, bed & breakfast, campsite or similar. With a fixed base and shorter trips, you can combine great nature and hiking experiences without lugging around too much luggage at the same time. It also has the advantage that children often feel safer when they return to something familiar every day.
Did you know? Denmark is one of the safest countries in the world for travellers.
Success and positivity.
As I mentioned at the beginning, a hiking holiday can be a fantastic experience for the whole family. But there are some prerequisites that can help the good mood on the way.
Hiking holidays are often the adults’ suggestion and they are therefore also the ones who should show the way to a good holiday. Show enthusiasm! It is contagious. Start the first day with a short and easy hike, where the mood is high. If the children have a successful experience on the first day, there is a greater chance of success for the rest of the holiday.
An simple hike is to walk along the beach. It’s easy to find your way and sometimes the sea wash up interesting things.
Denmark’s public access laws (the “Allemandsret” spirit) make it easy to explore nature, and you’ll find a lot of “shelters” (simple open cabins or tent areas) where you can camp for free or very cheaply.
