A less expensive holiday with fresh air and exercise
To come to the crunch straight away, camping is something you love or hate ! But if you haven't tried it before and you're looking for an inexpensive outdoor based holiday, it's got to be worth a shot.
Gone are the days of the old Boy Scout tents where you can't touch the sides of the tent without causing a leak and when washing was a wooden shed with a few noisy toilets.
There are various camping styles and all have camp sites to match; Family 'fun by the sea', 'trekking', 'adventure outdoor pursuits', or just the getaway from civilisation type.
Somewhere there's a camp site to suit your needs. Some have the holiday camp feel with a central shopping mall and entertainment (usually ties in the caravans), others appeal more to the non-children situation and have 'no noise after 11pm' type rules.
Because of my holiday needs I go to the latter where it's easier to chill out after a day up in the mountains or long walks along the beach etc.
Like eating your own vegetables, you have a kind of satisfaction that you're eating stuff you've cooked on a camping gas burner and somehow kept the milk from going off all day !
The only worry I ever have about camp sites is that you're never quite sure who you're going to be camping next to. It may all seem tranquil when you arrive and set up camp, then the neighbours arrive and decide they're going to be up half the night talking or phoning their mates up.
However, there are a few little tips here;
* Try and set up your tent next to the smallest tents you see. These are usually couples or people camping alone and tend to be there for the same reasons as you.
* Like terraced houses, set yourself up at an end position. At least any noise is only on one side of you then !
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Camping: The art of getting closer to nature while getting farther away from the nearest cold beverage, hot shower and flush toilet.
I never pre-book camp sites. I turn up, have a good look round, then decide if it's the right one.
I also tend to find sites where you can't park your car next to the tent. This has the advantage that when neighbours arrive back after dark, their headlights don't fill your tent up like a football ground.
Camping again (I camped a lot when younger) has become the only real way I can holiday in a 'frugal style' and I find myself planning a couple of years ahead now. It's something which gives me immense enjoyment. You tend to sleep better, get up earlier and start your day quicker and believe it or not, I rather enjoy
the odd occasion of sitting in the tent to the sound of raining pattering down on top !