So, someone has suggested you go camping and your heart has sunk into your barely used hiking boots. You’ve always dismissed it as more of a punishment than a holiday and yet, you’ve agreed to anything from a couple of nights to a week or more under canvas. So let’s weigh up the pros and cons with a few good reasons why you should give it a go.
- You really don’t like the idea of camping.
- You’ve agreed to try it against your better judgement.
- So what are the pros and cons?
It’s too late now, you’ve agreed to do it, and yet as an enjoyable break, it couldn’t be further from what you usually have in mind.
So what is it that you don’t like the idea of?
Agreed, you can’t control the British weather and rain can literally put a bit of a dampener on things, but on the other hand you might find yourself basking in beautiful sunshine and spending evenings round a crackling campfire watching glorious sunsets. And when was the last time you just sat there and looked at stars in the night sky?
After all, if it does rain, you can take wellies and waterproofs. And actually, the repetitive sound of gentle rain on the canvas can be really soothing and lull you peacefully off to sleep.
Ok. You have to pack, and it’s not gear that you’d usually pack for a trip or a holiday but pick your site well and there’ll be a shop or a pub nearby for you to get supplies and eat out. And it’s not that difficult to gather some cutlery, crockery, pans and a bit of washing up liquid. With a bit of forethought you really don’t have to rough it unless you want to.
You’ve probably got most of it between you anyway; sleeping bags are fairly ubiquitous, a yoga mat will do for a mini mattress, and any kit you do end up buying doesn’t have to be expensive. You can probably even sell it on if it really isn’t for you and compared with the cost of a hotel either in the UK or abroad, camping is a downright bargain.
No, you won’t have your en-suite but when you pick your site read the reviews and simply make sure it’s highly rated for cleanliness and hygiene.
To be fair, there is a little effort involved in pitching and unpitching the tent, but if you’re by your car you’ve somewhere to store everything, you’ll feel a certain sense of achievement if it’s your first attempt that takes you 40 minutes or your fifth attempt that takes you 5 minutes.
And you’ll all be doing it together so don’t underestimate how much you’ll laugh.
Then you can relax – once it’s up, it’s up. Maybe the trickier bit is packing things away when it’s time to leave but just think of the workout for your problem-solving skills…
Camping on a lovely, well-reviewed site is a really low-stakes adventure. It’s easy, fun, inexpensive, a great reason to switch off from devices and relax, and it gets us outdoors and into the fresh air. Just think how much you’ll appreciate the relative luxury of home or a hotel.
If you give it a go, you might be surprised and actually love it.