After a week of sleeping in a tent in all types of weather conditions, I am here to tell you that camping is not for wimps, scaredy-cats or people who don’t like to get dirty.
Camping is for people who appreciate nature’s most stunning views, getting disconnected from electronics, feeling empowered and enjoy good old-fashion teamwork.
My previous camping experience was in the Bambi Airstream that we owned when my kids were younger. We had a shower, toilet, mattress, and a nice little kitchen. It was definitely a step-up in amenities from pitching a tent. I found tent camping as an entirely different experience…but in a good way!
The 10 things I learned
1. Sleeping in a tent is challenging but empowering. Imagine being exhausted from a day of driving, hiking and finally you are ready for a shower. Oh..wait..but you still need to set -up your tent before the looming clouds burst with rain or the mosquitos start biting at dusk. You muster up the energy, and do it. Climbing in that warm sleeping bag feels so worth it after the hard work!
2. Your views are so much better in a tent. You avoid the crowds & the noise at the traditional campground. You can face your window right towards the view!
Click the “read more” link to see the 8 other things I learned.
3. You feel RV envy as you are road tripping to your next destination.
4. Coffee tastes so much better when you prepare it on a Coleman stove in a Bialetti with super strong espresso beans. You sit down to savor it without turning on the news or opening your phone. You just enjoy the gorgeous views in front of you.
5. You will definitely hear all types of noises despite using ear plugs, and yes it might be a bear foraging for food. Keep calm and remember you have removed your cherry flavored chapstick and all of your beef jerky treats from your tent. He or she is probably just trying to find some berries in the open field and really isn’t interested in you.
6. Campground general stores are so fun and they often carry key chains with your name on it. For some reason they did not have “Judy” it must not be ranked as a top name these days.
7. You feel like you are at Summer Camp with your fellow campers all working towards the same simple goals. Making dinner, chopping wood & washing the dishes. You learn to work with all different types of personalities to complete those goals.
If you enjoyed this post, join me on a trip to iceland – no camping involved:)
8. You don’t look quite as fresh coming out of the tent in the a.m. as you did at Summer Camp, and it is a heck of lot harder to get out of the tent!
If you enjoyed this post, check out my post about glamping in Maui
9. It is a lot less expensive to sleep in a tent than a hotel!
10. You feel like a kid again!
Me in Yellowstone National Park in 1973!
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