When I think about family adventures, my mind naturally goes to camping.

Packing the TentBox. Loading the car. Finding a campsite. Driving somewhere new. Waking up somewhere completely different.

And I absolutely love doing those things with my children.

But I've realised that family adventures don't always mean packing up loads of gear and going camping for the night.

Sometimes an adventure can be as simple as building a den in the living room.

Sometimes it's going for a walk somewhere you've never been before.

Sometimes it's swimming at the local pool.

Sometimes it's having a picnic in the garden.

And sometimes it's a full day out somewhere new.

For me, a family adventure is really anything that gives us time together, gets us doing something rather than sitting at home, and creates a memory we'll talk about afterwards.

It doesn't have to cost a lot of money. It doesn't have to involve travelling for hours. It doesn't even have to involve leaving home.

So I've split some of my favourite family adventure ideas into three sections: from home, near home and further afield.

Part 1: Adventures from home and the garden

You don't need to go anywhere to have an adventure.

Some of the best family activities can happen right in your own home or garden, and they don't need to cost much either.

  • Build a den inside using blankets, cushions, chairs and whatever else you can find
  • Build a den outside in the garden
  • Create a sand or mud kitchen
  • Make giant chalk drawings on the garden path or patio
  • Create a car wash zone for bikes, scooters or toys
  • Have a picnic in the garden
  • Put up a small tent in the garden just for fun
  • Camp out in the garden for the night
  • Light the fire pit and toast marshmallows
  • Have an outdoor movie night
  • Set up a treasure hunt around the house or garden
  • Make a nature collection using leaves, sticks, stones and other safe finds
  • Plant flowers, vegetables or herbs together
  • Have a water-play afternoon with buckets, tubs and sponges
  • Build an obstacle course in the garden

Part 2: Adventures near home

You don't necessarily need to drive for hours to find somewhere worth exploring.

Sometimes there are adventures hiding just around the corner.

  • Go swimming at your local swimming pool
  • Visit your local playpark
  • Find your nearest shore, river or loch
  • Go stone skimming
  • Go paddling somewhere safe and suitable
  • Take mini fishing nets and explore shallow water
  • Explore rock pools safely
  • Walk a new trail or path
  • Take a picnic on your walk
  • Go for an ice cream
  • Have a nature scavenger hunt
  • Visit a local woodland or nature reserve
  • Find a viewpoint you've never visited
  • Try a new cycling route
  • Take a different route home and see what you discover
  • Explore somewhere you've always driven past but never stopped at

Part 3: Adventures further from home

Then there are the days when you want something a little bigger.

These are the adventures where you pack a bag, get in the car and spend the day somewhere different.

  • Visit a zoo
  • Explore an animal park
  • Spend the day at an aquarium
  • Go on safari
  • Have a beach day
  • Visit a different town or city
  • Explore a castle
  • Visit a museum
  • Take a boat trip
  • Visit a farm or petting zoo
  • Go wildlife spotting
  • Take a train somewhere new
  • Visit a new beach or coastline
  • Go to a theme park
  • Visit a science centre
  • Explore a forest or nature reserve
  • Go on a wildlife or seal-spotting trip
  • Visit a historical site
  • Take a scenic road trip and stop wherever looks interesting
  • Have a day exploring somewhere you've never been before

Adventure doesn't have to be complicated

I think it's easy to get caught up in the idea that an adventure has to be something big.

It needs to involve travelling somewhere.

It needs to cost money.

It needs to involve lots of equipment.

It needs to be Instagram-worthy.

But it doesn't.

Some of my favourite family adventures are the simple ones.

Swimming with my children.

Going to the beach.

Stopping for an ice cream.

Exploring somewhere we've never walked before.

And yes, sometimes it's climbing into the TentBox and waking up somewhere completely new.

I've also learned that family adventures can look very different depending on your family.

What works for one family might not work for another, and that's completely okay.

For some families, adventure might mean climbing a mountain. For others, it might mean visiting the local playpark, building a den in the living room or spending an afternoon at the swimming pool.

There doesn't need to be a right or wrong way to do it.

For me, the most important part is spending time together and creating memories.

So whether your adventure is a two-week road trip across Europe or ten minutes in the garden building a den from an old blanket, it still counts.

Family adventures don't have to take you far from home. They just have to bring you together.