House boating as a family vacation is something that we love to do. We find it incredibly relaxing. Your family will have no where to be, but with each other. And if you get lucky your kids will have no cell service out on the lake! Here are some tips to make it a great family trip:
8 Tips for Houseboating with Kids
1. You are on the water the entire time, even when you are beached; so make sure there is adequate railing all around the boat. The front deck, the back deck and up top. Make sure that the top has railing all the way around, including gates that will keep the children from being able to go up and down the stairs. I cannot emphasize this enough.
2. Take your own life jackets.
3. Budget accordingly. Houseboats do not get good gas mileage. You will spend a lot of money on gas depending on how much you drive it around.
4. Do not forget some essentials for the kids. Floaties, board games, kites, bubbles, water trampoline, ski boat or jet ski (if you have one), and fishing rods.
5. Only rent a houseboat that has a hot tub. This one element adds so much to the trip.
6. Take your own camping chairs. Some that are easily moved around, so that you can sit around a fire each night.
7. Bring all the fixings you will need to make s’mores. Including the roasting sticks and bundles of wood. I would take at least 3 bundles for a 7 night trip.
8. Look at the area you will be house boating all ahead of time. Make sure you have everything you will need if you decide to go hiking. For example a backpack to carry your two year old in.
So far our favorite place we have found for houseboating in Lake Shuswap in British Columbia. Here are some articles I wrote specifically for houseboating on Lake Shuswap.
House Boating Packing List
This is a somewhat random list, but every time we go house boating the list gets a little longer. You will want to check to see what all the houseboat has on board. Typically ours has had dishes and cookware, but not much else.
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Here is a condensed list you can print. 
House Boating on Lake Shuswap, B.C.
House Boating in Canada
Have you been house boating? Where is your favorite location?
House boating sounds like so much fun! I’ll have to put it on my list of vacations to do. Thanks for sharing your trip.