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If you’re itching for a family break, but are short on funds, time or have commitments at home, why not take a holiday in your backyard?


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No, not a staycation where you explore the area you live in, but your actual backyard.

It’s cheap, convenient and an awesome way for you and the kids to get creative together as you design and enjoy your perfect garden-framed getaway.

Get that backyard in shape

Whether your backyard is big or small, you’ll want to make sure it’s looking its best. It’ll be pretty hard to relax if all you can see is a lawn that needs mowing or shrubs that could do with a trim.

So get those chores done – cut the grass, blow away the leaves and tidy up the garden beds. If your backyard looks a little drab, plant some cheap colourful spring flowers.

The kids might even help out if there’s going to be some holiday fun at the end.

Don’t forget to remove any garden dangers. Make sure the bindies have been treated, pressure-wash away all those spiders webs and ensure any spiky plants have been cut back. Your local hardware and garden shops should be able to provide you with all the tools you need and any advice for tidying up the yard and removing any nasty dangers.

Create a beach resort outside your backdoor

Nothing says holiday like lazing on a lounger by the pool whilst the kids play happily (hopefully) alongside. If you don’t have a pool, a paddling pool will do. Set up a sand pit alongside, put on some summer tunes, pour a cocktail and you have your own private beach resort.

So you can relax, ensure the kids have enough to entertain themselves.

Put the sprinkler under the trampoline; set up the slip and slide and bring out the cricket set or tennis rackets for some backyard competitions.

And, so you’re not constantly interrupted, make sure towels and fresh clothes are at the ready. Set up a drinks and snack station: ice cream and lemonade allowed.

Keep the fun coming and get ready for the evening

Roll the fun into the late afternoon and evening. Keep the music playing and bring out simple decorations to give that holiday feel – think fairy lights, lanterns and colourful cushions and accessorise.

No need to buy anything new, just use whatever you have already.

Hang out with friends and get into the holiday spirit

Fire up the BBQ, grab some pre-prepared salads and invite some friends or neighbours over for ready-made fun and entertainment.

The kids get to hang out and you can get out the wines and beers.

You could even theme the food, drink and fun by perfect family holiday destination, Morocco, Fiji or Europe.

Enjoy a movie under the stars

Wind-down the evening with your own backyard movie screening.

Borrow a projector, string up a crisp white sheet and play your favourite family film. Failing that, simply bring the TV or laptop out on the deck. Then snuggle down with some popcorn and snacks.

Set up camp so you don’t have to go home (unless you want to!)

To inject some real adventure into your backyard escape, pitch a tent and end the day sleeping under the stars (plan ahead so this is done before dark or things could get interesting!).

If you’d rather a comfy bed, wait until the kids are asleep then head inside – but don’t forget to return before they wake up.

Repeat the day as desired. None of the hassles of travelling, no worrying where the kids have got to, no big spending – the backyard could just be the perfect family holiday destination.

Are there any other things you could suggest to add to the list? Please share in the comments below.

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  • My kids did this and slept in the cubby house one night.

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  • I love this. I am all for comfort

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  • Yep, we’ve done this and had a ball! What’s great about it is if you forget something, you don’t gave far to go to grab it :)

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  • How cool is this! Thanks for sharing.

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  • We love doing these dry runs in our ackyard, that way if things fail or go wrong we are only a few steps from the house. The ideas for camping in the backyard are endless.. im glad its a tradition with our kids.

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  • I’ll have to do this when my kids are older, my sisters and i used to sleep on the trampoline with a heap of blankets and stare at the stars great fun growing up!


    • Some brands of trampolines you can now get the accessories to turn them into a tent. Apparently you can put a roof on it – not sure about sides. Friends got one but I haven’t seen the tent part on it.
      When the kids are bigger they can have sleep-overs in it.
      Good idea to try it at home first. You find out the quickest, safest way to assemble it and take it down again. You will also find out if there is anything missing, or extra ties, pegs or things you want to use. You might want to use different tools or different sizes that meet your needs better.
      Camping at home you can also work out which lightweight items are best to use and how to pack them to transport them too. You can work out exactly what to pack what you need in what cartons, clear tubs or whatever you choose to use. One lady I know uses strong clear tubs so she can see exactly what is in each one. If you are going to go camping with a trailer and own one, you can work out exactly how you are going to pack it too – to spread your weight evenly- which items to put over the axles etc., find out tyre pressures needed etc. Bear in mind the more weight you carry or tow, the more fuel your vehicle is going to use. If are using a trailer and don’t load it correctly you could have either end loweror higher to the road that you should…or it could sway as you increase speed. I have seen a trailer flip over after somebody passed and cut in very close. The driver towing the trailer had to brake hard to avoid the idiot who nearly ran him off the road and caused another accident in the process. Even items that appeared to be very tightly secured came out of it. There was an accident ahead and a Police Bike was passing as it flipped – I don’t know how he missed it but he did. As the Policeman on the bike knew there was already patrols near the scene, he got off his bike and help the driver re-load and re-secure his load. One heavy thing had been packed to one side a few cm. That was all it took to tip instead of staying up-right.
      Have fun camping if you travel after experimenting.

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  • What a cute idea. When the kids are a bit bigger we might give something like this a try.

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  • oh the good old days fun. Why not , all food and service is practically next door !

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  • this is a fab idea! you can make this such a fun event and even make it a special school holiday thing! The kids would love this!

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  • we do this – kids love it

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  • This is totally brilliant!

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  • That is an easy family holiday.

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  • What a fun and fantastic idea. I love this. Would need to be a warm night for me though, I’m not a fan of camping but could do it in the back yard, definitely.

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  • We did it a lot as kids, sleeping in the open air in our backyard….sweet memories !

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  • My kids and I used to do this when their dad was away for the weekend – we all had a great time. Thanks for bringing back the memories.

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  • Love this idea! Will be doing this over the summer holidays for sure. :)

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  • A great way to create some lasting, wonderful family memories.

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  • wow some cool ideas here – we have a tiny back yard and no grass – the joys of renting! thanks for encouraging us to make the most of what we have!

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  • Don’t forget to turn off the automatic reticulation if you have a sleepover outside. (Yup, I learned the hard way…..2 drowned rats at 5am…..not happy Jan!!)

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  • We’ve done this many times. Sometimes only for a few hours, sometimes for days. Lots of fun. These holidays, we are including a camping holiday on my parents property, so the kids can enjoy seeing their grandparents too, still cheap, still enjoying the great outdoors.

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