The joys of camping

Posted byMarkusPosted inBlog, Entertainment, Experiences, leisure, Life, RecommendationsTags:, , , , , , ,

One thing this pandemic made me realize is how much I miss camping. Ever since I was a child, camping has been synonymous with a vacation to me, and since growing up I have also come to appreciate the sense of adventure and freedom that it provides. So, I thought I’d write about it. Here are the joys of camping, from my perspective.

Independence.

Nothing beats just setting up camp wherever you please. With a tent, nature is your hotel. Just make sure to avoid damp spots, they can make for a rude awakening. I once found myself in a puddle while camping in the UK – do not recommend.

Calm.

Camping and calm are almost synonymous with each other. There are few other ways to be as close to nature and as far away from everything else at the same time. Sure, cicadas can be loud, but do they really count as noise?

Safety.

It may sound strange, considering there is only ever a thin layer of cloth or nylon between you and the great outdoors. But lying in your tent, wrapped up in your sleeping bag, while rain pounds against your shell is one of the snuggest sensations out there.

Space.

Everything feels spacious while camping. There is no rush for anything, there are no obligations, appointments, or tons of other people to worry about, and all that space can just sit there. Unfilled and endless. And then you just have a coffee.

Adventure.

There is always that iota of uncertainty when camping. Once, a friend and I were stuck in the middle of Yosemite National Park with no food left. Luckily, we found other campers to trade with. But the main hazard is water. It helps to be quick at digging trenches.

Connectedness.

Such an unwieldy word. But when the internet goes down, it gets replaced by that feeling of truly being in the world. It is hard for me to find this when I’m surrounded by gadgets and other distractions. But while camping it comes naturally.  

That covers it pretty well, I think. Do you agree? More importantly, do you have recommendations for great camping spots? I can’t wait to introduce Micah to the joys of camping once this pandemic is finally over.

56 thoughts on “The joys of camping”

  1. I really liked your post. But, in addition to that, camping become a way to get out of the virtual reality to live in a real world where birds are singing for real, the trees, water, and plants everything is real. What a wonderful feeling just to feel real life.

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  2. To be honest, I’ve never really likes camping – mainly because I don’t like insects and the few experiences I’ve had weren’t so great, but growing up I feel more and more attracted to it, and I would love to try it again one day in a “wilder” setting than the ones I’ve been used to! Your post at least really makes me want to experience all of this! Thanks for sharing and happy holidays 😊

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      1. My family visited the redwoods roughly once a year. My parents always spent a LOT of time shopping for a burlwood table. In 20+yrs of camping, they never bought one.

        Further up north, in the area of Eureka, it’s almost always foggy and smells fantastic. I loved going up there!

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          1. I’m not sure. I wonder if that’s part of the root of my compulsive buying. They also spent years dreaming of a backyard remodel, got it done, and then sold the house (we didn’t move very far). I’m sure there was a bigger gap between the remodel and sale than I remember but it always felt like “why would you do that?”

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    1. Haha, maybe it’s also noticing all the management required to make these things work, and all the responsibilities that come with getting older. Makes sense to want none of that when there is finally time to relax.

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  6. Thanks for a nice post reminding me how much I love being “out there” in our Micro Lite travel trailer. Our travel trailer provides the comforts of home, but it allows us to experience new places and enjoy nature. There are so many wonderful benefits to traveling this way. Sometimes, I will tell Dan, “We’re having an adventure.” Hope you’ll have some great adventures in the coming year!

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  9. I grew up with camping and certainly in one of the best places in the world to do it – The Pilbara. So, its it was with family, it was always in a tent. However, if it was with my scout troop, then it would be pretty much out in the open, or under shelters if we built them. So, we could be gone for up to a week, making our way through the gorges, in places that no one ever goes – watching the wallabies and kangaroos, birds of all descriptions, fish sucking at your feet in the water, rock pools and creeks where you can see all the way to the bottom and waterfalls of course – just beautiful. I also slept outside a lot through summer.

    Linda doesn’t like camping, doesn’t even want to try glamping 🤣 Anyway, that’s okay, because we are very happy staying in other accommodation. Strangely enough, she was looking at tents yesterday 🧐

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    1. Haha, it is never too late to give camping a try! Especially with all the glamping options available nowadays. Bungalows can also be a great middle-ground. But your camping adventures sound amazing. I’d love to give camping in Australia a try, although I am a bit wary about the wildlife – but perhaps that’s just my ignorance speaking, as I’ve sadly never been.

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      1. Well, you do have to have a certain level of awareness when it comes to the wildlife here. There are general principles to follow e.g. if a sign says no camping as there are crocodiles in the area, then don’t camp there, and yet people do. Same with sharks. We even have people swim out to touch whales – which isn’t allowed.

        One of the great things to experience being out in the Outback is sitting by a pool of water in the morning having a quiet cup of coffee or tea and the kangaroos coming down for a drink and both of you pretending you cannot see the other. I remember one time, hearing an almighty splash and there is a number of cattle and kangaroos having a drink while the dingoes were in the water and then exited in a timely manner(in other words the kangaroos had sorted them out).

        On another occasion we were by a billabong for about four days and it was over 50C each day. Now, you are not supposed to stay in the water when it is like that because of dehydration. However, it was that hot, we just made sure we kept an eye on each other as we drifted around in the water all day. Then to cap it all off, we had pink and grey galahs and other birds come in and join us. It was too hot for them to fly. They were totally trusting and just sat on us or our make shift rafts as we drifted around on the water. These days we would have plenty of photos to share of such things.

        I guess we are used to snakes too (Linda pretends they don’t exist). I have some good stories for another time.

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        1. People touching things underwater is giving me flashbacks to my diving days. We’d accompany tourists and some of them would need to be physically dragged away from coral and even giant groupers.

          Haha, kangaroos are certainly near the top of the food chain aren’t they? Reading your tales from the Outback it sounds like an amazing place to be, especially to camp in. Micah and I really appreciate your thoughtful comments and stories!

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  10. I’ve also always loved camping and this was definitely the year to do it! Hadn’t been in ages so we packed up the truck and off we went to the Canadian Rockies. It was great. The calm and connectedness were high on my list! Have a wonderful holiday season.

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  11. I 100% agree with you, but I also have to point out the things that are aweful about camping. No toilet, bugs, snakes, mosquitoes, no Internet 😂 I enjoyed it when I was young but as an adult the ‘luxuries’ are a must

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    1. Haha, it is definitely a tradeoff. I would argue that bugs, snakes, and mosquitoes all have remedies. And concerning toilets… Either you’re on a campsite that has toilets you can go to – or nature is the toilet!

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                  1. Yes, do it! It would be super interesting, both because of your personal perspective and experience, but also from a historical perspective. I could imagine it could help to demystify and humanize that part of the world during that time a little bit.

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                    3. Eastern Europe looked much cleaner back then and there was no homelessness or unemployment (at least in Czechoslovakia). I went back to a few Eastern European countries that I had been to decades ago and I had the feeling that things got worse

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                    5. Back in the 80s Czechoslovakia used to be some sort of Scandinavia of the East. Everyone had house and work. Evidently an abrubt transition to the free market caught many people, who were used to a government taking care of everything, ill prepared

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    1. It’s never too late to give it a try! France is a good place to start. There are campsites everywhere, and you’ll always find at least one Dutch guy around happy to help you out if you have any kind of trouble hehe

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    1. The time will come again! And I get what you mean, although to me it always felt like a tradeoff between different types of luxury. They definitely both have their place – I just happen to prefer the luxury of camping!

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