By Regina Due, Luxury Lifestyle Editor-at-Large
If you’ve been camping before, you know how incredibly relaxing and refreshing it can be. Camping solo is that feeling on overdrive. While it’s definitely not as luxurious as glamping or a 5-star resort, you do get one-on-one time with your thoughts and nature, and you get to hone your camping skills even further. However, camping solo isn’t without its pitfalls, so check out these five expert tips so that your next trip goes off without a hitch.
1. Practice Your Skills
When you’re camping with others, you can usually bet that at least one person will know how to do anything that you can’t. When you’re solo camping, you only have yourself to rely on, which can be pretty intimidating. Before you head off on your solo quest, make sure you have all the skills you’ll need down pat, including being able to start a fire, navigate to your destination and set up your tent or camper trailer on your own — luckily, with Cub Campers Ezy-Wind system, you only need one person to set it up!
2. Pack Light
Heading out on your own trip can be a freeing and incredibly relaxing experience but not if you pack a ton of gear. While it’s fine to pack extra if you have others to help with the load, it can be frustrating and tiring to have to unpack and pack up items all by yourself. Keep your packing list to a minimum to ensure your trip is the refreshing, re-energizing vacation you need!
3. Share Your Plans
While it might feel silly, making sure people are aware of your camping plans is important. Anything could happen, from injuring yourself to getting lost on a hiking trail, so taking this precautionary step makes a lot of sense. Make sure they know the campground you’re going to, the dates of your trip and when they should be concerned if they don’t hear from you. Keeping an emergency cell phone on hand just in case is a smart move, too.
4. Bring Entertainment
While you’re probably craving the restful silence of nature and the chance to unplug, after a few days you might start to get antsy. This is when it’s handy to have a book, a podcast, knitting material or playing cards — for a trusty game of Solitaire — to keep you entertained. Usually, you can count on chatter from your group, but when it’s just you, you might start to go a little stir crazy. Unplugging and enjoying nature definitely sounds good in theory, but after a few days, you might get sick of it and having something handy will help.
5. Stay Close
You might be tempted to head out on a long-haul trip somewhere far away for your first solo camping trip, but you’re better off staying close to home. You won’t have a driving partner to trade off with, so a very long drive might not be wise. Staying somewhere you know will help you feel more comfortable, less isolated and more prepared.