Want to know a fun and inexpensive activity for all ages? Then try camping! Why not plan a camping trip today? Camping trips can be enjoyed by hikers, fishing partners, couples, large groups, small groups, and families. But whether the camping trip involves two or twenty people, planning is essential to make the camping event a truly memorable one.
Plan Ahead
First off, start planning your camping trip early. Things you need to decide on ahead of time are:
- What camping activities are important to you and your party? This will help determine where you want to go.
- Do you want to fish and swim while you are there?
- If swimming is important do you require a swimming pool or is fresh lake water fine?
- What about running water and showers?
- Do you need electricity?
- What about picnic grounds, or picnic shelters?
- What about parking areas?
- Also what about playgrounds or tennis courts or golf courses or other such facilities?
The Camp Site
The answers to the above questions will help in determining where you want to go. This leads us to another important consideration in planning your camping trip: the actual campsite itself. What distance from the campground itself are the various amenities, such as swimming pools, showers, lakes, playgrounds, picnic areas, and such? Determining the answer to this question, and how important each is, will greatly affect how much fun your camping trip is. On one hand, their closeness will greatly add to your convenience; but on the other hand, their closeness will also mean increased foot traffic from other campers as well as more noise in general. How much this matters will depend on you and the people going along with you on the camping trip. Also, how much this matters will depend on what you are wanting from your camping experience. Are you wanting to get away from it all, or are you wanting to be centrally located to all activities? Being near a playground would be a good thing if you're bringing children along, but if you're a retired person the noise might not be appreciated.
Bring Plenty of Clothes
Another consideration is the clothes that you pack for your camping trip. Consider what the weather will be like in the area where you are going camping. Also, you need to plan clothing for all times of the day - morning, noon, and night. Plus you will need to consider the activities you plan on doing during your camping trip, and make sure that you have the appropriate clothing for each activity. Keeping dry and staying warm will be important. Depending on the time of year, dress in several layers. You can begin with a tank top, then a t-shirt followed by flannel shirt, a jacket and finally if needed - a heavier jacket. Then as the day changes, you can shed layers to accommodate the changing weather.
The Quality of Your Sleeping Bag
Very important will be sleeping bag quality. One of the main ingredients to a successful camping trip is sleeping well at night. Therefore it is essential to have a good quality sleeping bag. Even summertime can bring cool temperatures at night depending on the area you will be camping in. Also, unexpected weather should be planned for as well. Getting caught out camping on a cold night without adequate protection could be the dangerous for you as well as the fun of your camping trip. Including a simple, thin foam mattress can make your sleep time much more comfortable. Bringing an air mattress would be even better. If you bring an air mattress, include inflating the air mattress into your camping preparations.
Flashlights
Adequate lighting is a must for camping trips. This would include flashlights or battery-powered lamps. And it is always a good idea to have extra batteries and extra flashlights on hand just in case you need them. A battery-powered radio can also be pleasant as well as very useful to have on hand. In addition to music, you can stay on top of the weather forecasts as well; and be prepared for any unexpected weather coming your way.
Food, Food, and Food
Now we come to one of the main and very important essentials for planning a successful camping trip, and that is - take plenty of food! Keep in mind what food preparation options you will or won't have. Then plan what kinds of food you want to take. Also, when planning the food for your camping trip, you will want to consider the food likes and dislikes of the various campers that will be going along. The camping trip wouldn't be much fun for anyone if one camper is left hungry. Take plenty of easy snacks and quick to fix meals. One-dish stews are always a camping hit, plus other favorites are: hotdogs, marshmallows, fresh fruits, vegetables, chips, cookies, crackers, nuts, beef jerky, high-energy food bars, dry cereal, and granola bars. Careful and thoughtful food planning will be key to the success of your camping trip.
Don't forget the Kids
If kids will be coming along you'll definitely want to plan ahead. Buy each of them some supplies so that they can create a camping journal. They may also create camping creatures by using small rocks and twigs to create small camping critters and let the kids keep them as camping souvenirs.
Explore the Outdoors
If you want to explore nature, then you will want to prepare for this too. Bring binoculars for bird or wildlife watching, and a camera to take pictures of any wildlife you might come across. Also consider bringing a wildlife and/or vegetation identification guide. This can add a very enjoyable experience to your camping trip. And this is an activity that would be good for all ages of campers too. If you take binoculars along, you will want to consider if you will need more than one pair or not. And if you take a camera along, make sure and include ample supplies for the camera such as: film, batteries, camera case, or memory cards.
So to ensure a highly successful and very enjoyable camping experience for all who go along, proper planning of your camping trip is essential. Your camping experience will go much smoother and be much more enjoyable if the proper planning is done ahead of time. So sit down beforehand and decide what you want to get out of your camping trip, then take the needed planning steps to make your camping experience a successful and memorable one.