With quarantine measures slowly lifting in a lot of countries, the first thing many of us want to be able to do again is travel! It has been a long few months of confinement and going to explore new places and help local economies sounds like a lovely way to get out of the quarantine funk we’ve been in. The travel industry has been one of the hardest-hit sectors this year. With most people staying inside and cancelling any travel they may have had planned through the rest of the year, it’s not hard to see why. Yet an international whirl-wind trip does not seem like a possibility in the coming months, or even in the next year. Even if quarantine restrictions are loosening, a lot of people will be reluctant to fly internationally. So, what should we do if the travel-bug just won’t go away?
Let’s try setting our sights on something more local!
Since we could all use some time to get back to nature, the perfect getaway would be camping locally and taking a trip to your nearest national park, outdoor reserve, or favourite forest. A family holiday trip or a friend’s weekend away might be just what you need to charm those corona blues away. Even if you have never been camping, pitching a tent isn’t as hard as it looks and getting out into the great outdoors sounds like a wonderful thing to plan and look forward to this summer. Here we have some camping essentials that we cannot do without. Together with ideas, we try to keep in mind when we go gallivanting in the woods for a few days.
Tents
The most obvious item is a tent. If you do not have a place to sleep, you risk getting eaten by bears. Just kidding, sometimes just sleeping under the stars can be calming. Plus honestly, how much will a tent protect you from certain wildlife?. But if you’re like us and not one who likes to wake up covered in dew and mosquito bites, we recommend checking out the tent selection on Addnature. They have some great options that are easy to set up and relatively light especially if camping locally.
Hiking
If you plan on doing a hiking trek, the less you pack, the better. Having a sturdy pair of hiking shoes and a light-weight rucksack will get you started on your way. But sometimes, you just can’t carry everything. Therefore if you are planning to camp more than a couple of days with multiple people, sometimes driving your car all the way to your campsite makes for an easier trip. If you take the latter option, you will have more room to bring items. Such things include extra blankets, camp chairs, hammocks, a camp grill, food and cooking materials.
Camp Food
For some people, camp food sounds like an endless lunch and dinner buffet of only burgers, hotdogs, and canned beans. However, for others (the master camping chefs), camp food can still be delicious. You just have some a bit of creativity. We recommend using the infinite access to online food blogs at your fingertips to your advantage. There are so many quick and easy solutions. Preparing salads and slaws in glass jars and bringing pre-marinated frozen steaks or chicken will up your camp food game. Just don’t forget to bring materials for camping desserts like s’mores or campfire pies. Those are essential!
Other Essentials
Some other smaller items essential for camping include torches or battery-operated lanterns, bug spray, sunscreen, a good book to relax with, a comfy sleeping mat, and fire starters. The list could honestly go on forever. Just be smart and think twice about every article: do you really need five different novels? Not really, that many would just be taking up space. Prioritise space and try to bring the least number of things as possible. No point in weighing down your car with items you won’t use anyway!
Enjoy Places on Your Doorstep
One of the great things about going camping locally is that you can visit sites you many have never gotten to see even though they are so close. Take a hike down a new path, go swimming at a lake you’ve never been to, or take a drive through the mountains to find the perfect spot to watch the sunset. And don’t forget to contribute to local business if possible. Buying firewood from the campsite, groceries from a shop nearby, or renting gear to use for a day such as a kayak or a paddleboard are great ways to invest in the local tourism industry. Now that we have a bit more freedom to enjoy what’s nearby in nature, maybe we will take time to do this more often.
- Collaborative Post
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