I went camping as a child and loved it, but have never done it as an adult. DH never went camping and is very against the idea - he struggles with things that are new and would rather veto the whole idea.
This wouldn't be such a problem if it wasn't for the fact that we don't have any money for holidays. Our house needs a fair bit doing to it and most spare money goes towards that. So I've now said that I don't see a way for us to have a holiday (particularly overseas) for several years, unless we try camping. Like, we'll probably need to invest in the tent, but pitches are so affordable (I assume....!). We've got three kids, and I hate the idea of having several years without showing them at least some of the world, even if it's France / Spain / Germany, etc.
Anyway, DH is finally coming around to it, so I need to get organised. Can anyone please help with 1) what kind of tent should we be trying, and 2) where should we go?
Other factors:
Ease of use - by his own admittance, DH is not practical. As in, he can't change a lightbulb and will ask me to do it. So I'm going to need to put up the tent all by myself (obviously the kids can learn to help too). I'm not really fazed by this, as I AM a very practical person, but I do want to make my life easier. Are inflatable tents really as good as they seem? Would that help me more than a traditional ones with poles?
Upgrading the experience - what can I do / get to make the experience as nice as possible for DH? A friend said they take a small fridge in their car with them (we have a big car, so could do this). Do people do that? Anything else?
Good weather - obviously this is never guaranteed, but if I've got any chance of DH enjoying this holiday (and like 'holidays' plural, for the next number of years), I need to make it as likely as possible. How reliable is the weather for camping in the south of France? And how do people find camp sites to go to?
I know that's long, sorry. Anything else I need to think about?