This article is part of a series that will help you get the most from your camping experience.
Camping
Have you tried camping yet? I could ask who hasn't gone camping? This increasingly popular leisure activity appeals to children, teenagers, adults, families and friends. You can go camping alone with your backpack and tent to re-discover your own personal freedom in spectacular natural surroundings. Or else you can gather into groups for a communal camping expedition to go out in the open to relax and have fun away from the crowded and noisy urban areas most of us live in these days.
It was only during the 20th century that camping started being seen as a major recreational activity, and the favorite destinations include national parks, public properties in the wild as well as purpose built camping grounds with a full range of facilities for civilised living in an open air environment. Camping is great for weekends or longer breaks from our modern hectic lifestyles. It has become the norm for attending major open air events such as sports meetings and music festivals.
There are a wide range of activities that go hand in hand with camping.
You can go camping with a back pack and small tent as part of a walking, hiking, canoeing and other open air activity holiday. If you want more comfort and plan to stay for several days in a particular spot, you can camp with a purpose built recreational vehicle or use a trailer tent or a spacious frame tent. You can choose to rent a plot in one of the many permanent vacation camping sites which have a comprehensive range of facilities available like toilets, hot showers, satellite TV, power and water points on each plot, plus restaurants, bars and activities for all the family. It is however advisable that you check all the conditions and book in advance to endure a plot will be available suitable for your needs before going to such a spot. The best tip here is to joint a camping club that circulates details of all the different camping sites available, with their facilities, terms and conditions. These organisations inspect their recommended camp sites regularly to make sure the standards are being maintained. This will help you to make a search of all the available sites and allow you to prepare all the details of your planned holiday well before going on the trip.
Recreational camping is particularly popular in the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. It is less traditional in the Middle East or Far East countries for instance. A particular type of camping that is becoming increasingly popular is going on safari. This involves an organised camping expedition with an experinced guide and supporting staff in one of the many wild animal and game reserves now established around the world, particularly in parts of Africa.
Depending on the degree of comfort you are looking for, for many people camping is a cheap and affordable vacation option. Since this kind of tourism has expanded over the last few decades, many camping sites have improved the range of services they provide campers. Thus, you will find fire rings, barbecue grills and even laundry in most of the modern camping facilities. Water and electricity points provided for each plot, with convenient toilet and shower block scattered around the site, are other things to expect from modern camping sites. You will be able to enjoy eating your meals in the open air (or alfresco) comfortably seated in a camping chair and with some form of illumination in the evenings.
Camping vehicles or recreational vehicles occupy a special place in the vacation choices people from all over the world make nowadays. For some, it is a lot easier to rent a camper van and go to visit wild natural places rather than having a pre-established vacation plan to carry them to a fixed location. Whether you prefer camping with a motor home, or you would rather use a tent and folding furniture, you can enjoy great cheap vacations on a very reasonable budget. The costs of a camping trip are considered to be less than half the expenses for a complete stay in a resort.
I hope this article provided you with the information and understanding you were looking for.
Brian Waybridge, the author of this article, had many enjoyable years camping with his family.