Camping is a great way to spend time with your family and friends, and can be a memorable experience. Planning on, however, can be a bit overwhelming.
Many people get frustrated with the details and end up not going. It’s important to plan ahead, so you don’t lose sight of why we camp in the first place: because it is an enjoyable experience. Here are the four essential steps that will help make planning your next camping trip a success story, brought to you by the team at Planet Camping:
1. Know what you need
Many people who plan for a camping trip get overwhelmed quickly because they try to do it all at once, instead of doing some research and planning ahead. Begin by figuring out which activities are important to your family or group: fishing, hiking/walking trails, kayaking?
Once you have this information, then figure out what else will be needed. You may need a boat to go fishing or kayaking, but renting one is often easier than taking your own from home and having someone drive it for you (especially if there are many in your group).
2. Pick a good location
Good campsites are often hard to find, so it’s important you plan ahead and be sure the campground is located in a great area for your family or group.
You may want to go camping near several lakes or rivers – if this is something that interests everyone, take some time to do some research and see if there are many lakes or rivers nearby. If you’re going fishing, this is especially important because good places will have lots of fish.
3. Consider the “snowball effect” when planning a trip with other families/groups
By this I mean – think about how much stuff you will need to bring and make sure that it is all within your budget. If there are ten people in the group, for example, who knows how many things they buy before going on a trip?
You may have initially planned to take only one cooler full of food along with you, but now there are ten people and how much food will they need? It is important to consider the “snowball effect” because when one person in your group buys something for their trip it may mean a decision about whether or not that item can be bought must also be made by others.
4. Be prepared for the unexpected
This is a very important step, since many people end up being unprepared when they go camping – especially if it’s their first time going away from home with nothing but only what is needed in terms of food and supplies.
There may be things that you think you’ll need, but don’t necessarily. If there is something that could be a problem in terms of being prepared for unexpected weather or situations (i.e., bad storms), make sure to have some kind of back-up plan (check out weather.gov in case you’re in the UK).
This step may also relate to the snowball effect. If there is something that you think will be helpful, it’s a good idea to see if everyone needs one of those things. It may seem like an unnecessary purchase at first but in the end buying multiple items can save money and headaches overall.
To sum up, planning a trip can be overwhelming at first but it’s important to focus on the fun and enjoy yourself. Take your time when making plans so you don’t get frustrated or give up with what could have been a great experience.
When you are planning your next trip, remember the four steps of preparation mentioned above and have a great time!
