Going camping can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your summer vacation. But it’s not something you can just pick up and do without some planning in mind. You’re going to be mostly surrounded by wilderness without the comforts of home, so it’s best if you plan out the details of your trip. To keep you on the right path, here are five expert tips you should use to ensure that your camping trip is a success.
1. Choosing the Perfect Camping Spot
Location is everything. There are a plethora of different camping sites all over the country, so choosing the right one is all a matter of preference. How far do you want to travel to get there? What kind of camping grounds are you interested in? Do you want to be completely self-sufficient or do you want a few amenities like running water and toilets? The location you pick is dependent on your needs and those of the other people traveling with you.
2. Being Prepared and Planning Accordingly
Speaking of amenities, it’s not likely that you’ll want to subsist off the land during your entire vacation, so that means bringing along some food with you. But sandwiches can get pretty boring if you’re having them every day for every meal. Consider other options to add to your camping gear, such as the best camp stove, should you want to cook some meals from scratch. Or you can bring foods you can cook right over an open flame, such as potatoes and roasting vegetables, for example.
3. Create a Checklist
Taking into account everything that you’re going to need may be more than your brain can handle. Instead of leaving everything up to chance, create a checklist of all the gear you’re going to need. This can include your tent, sleeping bags, clothing, towels, bug spray, a medical kit, soap, garbage bags, coolers, food, and some means of producing a flame. This is just a small list of considerations, but it’s a start to helping you make your own list of gear that you’ll need.
4. Tell Someone Where You’re Going
Although camping should be about getting away from society, it’s important that someone knows where you are going and when you’re expecting to be back. This is important in the event that something bad happens, then someone will know to come looking for you or contact the authorities. People have been disappearing in national parks all the time, yet very few people are actually batting an eye. Instead of becoming a statistic, err on the side of caution and inform as many people as you know where you’re going on your camping trip.
5. Don’t Forget Entertainment!
Being surrounded by nature can be fun, but without something to do every day, you’re going to get bored very quickly. Bring along some board games to do or activities you can share with the other people you’re camping with. This way, you can keep the mood light and build memories together.
It may seem like a lot of work to plan out a camping trip, but having everything that you need is a lot better than going without. It does require practice at planning before you’ll be perfect at it, but the more camping trips you go on, the more rewarding the experience will be.
