Whether you choose to go camping by yourself or take the whole family, few destinations make for such amazing fun and adventure! Learn how to make the most of your time with nature in the great outdoors, by reading the following tips that will guide you to the best camping trip ever.
Those big, colorful plastic storage bins make excellent places to store and organize all of your camping gear. While at home, keep it in a closet or the garage and right before you leave for your camping trip, pop it in the trunk. It should keep everything air-tight, dry and easily accessible.
Always take more water than you think you will use when you go on a camping trip. Many times, people forget how much water is needed. It is used for drinking, washing dishes and hands, cooking and even brushing your teeth. Water is not something you want to be without.
While you have this vision of a fun-filled camping trip, many times scrapes and cuts just seem to come with all that fun. Be sure you take a first-aid kit with you into nature because accidents just happen, and it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Hopefully, it will stay packed safely away, but you will have the peace of mind that you are prepared if something does happen.
Do plenty of research on your camping site and ensure that it offers everything that your group will need. Consider the individual needs of each camper to ensure that everyone is taken care of. This alleviates the need to make supply runs, or worst case, have to end the trip too soon.
Set up a “jungle breakfast” when you are camping with your kids. Pack breakfasts of cereal, juice and fruit in bags and hide them somewhere on the campsite. Once the children are awake, tell them they need to forage for their meal. This activity adds a bit more fun to camping.
Even camping purists may find that having a small luxury item is a good thing. It can be something as simple as your favorite pillow or coffee creamer. Having these luxuries available can help lift your mood.
Make sure you have a suitable water source. Even if you bring water with you, plan to need more water and know where you will be able to get more. It is a good idea to know where your water source will be before you go camping at all, but surely right after you arrive.
Even if you’re not going a long distance away on your camping trip, or even if you’re going into familiar territory, always stay in touch with friends, family or neighbors. Tell someone where your trip will be, and how long you’ll be gone. And if you can, check in regularly using a mobile phone.
When traveling to your camping destination, plan on stopping and having a meal when you’re near the campground, but before you actually arrive. Being well fed before arriving will ease frustrations if the campground is full, or if it takes longer to get your gear set up. Use this break to discuss your plans and to remind everyone of how to remain safe!
Cross contamination is not an issue that only affects people that cook at home. When you are cooking outdoors, you still have to worry about not using the same cutting board to cut meat that you do to cut any other foods. If you only have one board, use both sides.
When you are going camping, do your best to get as early of a start as possible. It will be your job to pitch your tent so you have somewhere to rest comfortably, and that will be much harder for you to do once it starts to get dark outside.
If you are on a camping trip and forgot the bowls for stew, make your own from large plastic soda bottles that have been emptied. Just rinse the bottle and cut down the plastic to the depth you need. Lightly sand the edges to smooth out any rough spots and prepare to scoop up dinner!
Charge all of your electronic equipment such as your cell phones and gaming equipment for the children to the max before you go to a camping trip. You want to get the most out of their charge when you do decide to use them, so make sure they are charged.
Part of the fun of camping is cooking over an open fire or on a camp stove. To make sure you don’t forget to pack any key ingredients, make a list of the meals you plan on preparing. Don’t forget to take a small cutting board along with you so you have a clean surface for food preparation. Also remember to pack a couple of potholder or oven mitts to handle hot utensils, such as marshmallow forks.
It is perfectly normal to set a budget for your overall camping trip. Sit down and make a plan of what you must spend on your entire trip. Make sure you factor in the campground costs, gasoline prices as well as food and any other materials you will need to purchase. This will ensure that you don’t spend more than you have on your trip.
When you’re finished camping and ready to go home, you should pick up after yourself. Keeping nature clean and preserved can allow future campers to enjoy it too. Before you leave, clean up any messes, you’ve made at your site and try your best to leave nature as you originally found it.
A great tip for anyone that is going camping is to take plenty of water. In this case, there is absolutely no such thing as too much water. Plan out how much water you will need and then try and at least double the amount just to be on the safe side.
Learning and living with nature is one of the best ways to spend your hard earned vacation time. Pack and prepare with everything you need to make your camping adventure a success, and be sure to keep all the tips from this article in mind to make it go more smoothly.
