There are a lot of tips to go camping for the first time, but I venture to summarize them, because, if you are an amateur in this activity, you are not for many sermons. In my case, it took me several years to take the step. I thought that camping was synonymous with a tiring vacation, where work outweighed the amount and ability to relax. How wrong I was! Camping is synonymous with health (you breathe fresh air and in the daytime, you expose yourself to the sun, a wonderful source of vitamin D), entertainment, and peace. There is nothing like enjoying nature in full action! If you do venture out, consider these 7 first-time camping tips.
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The place
I once read that when camping for the first time, one should not select a place too far away, because in case one did not like the experience, one could return home soon. I live in Miami, and I selected Ginnie Springs, a park with beautiful springs about five hours from Miami. The park offers many activities that all members of the family can do, such as going on the floats to navigate the river, rowing boats, kayaks, fishing areas, snorkeling, and even diving. In addition to volleyball courts, soccer … Anyway! Since we arrived we had plenty of things to do.
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The team
When camping, the ideal is not to pack so much, to the point that loading and unloading the car becomes torture, but you should not go through necessities either. Generally, parks in the United States have grills for cooking. So why load a steakhouse? If there is a supply store in the park that you stay, why take firewood from home? In my case, the two best things I packed were a sleeping tent and an eating tent. Both were very easy to put together and comfortable. Although we were only going to sleep six in my tent, I took one for ten people and it was a good decision because I discovered that in the box of the tents they put the capacity of people who will sleep, but “close together.” The tent that I chose also had a small porch at the entrance, which gave us even more space.
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The preparation
Research everything you can. Although we did, we were missing some details. For example 1) we did not set up the tent at home, to practice how it was done; and 2) we did not spray a waterproof liquid on it because we were sure it would not rain. It turned out that, just as we were putting it together, it rained! And we lost valuable time because we had no practice. The friends who were with us, put up their tent in less time because they had already rehearsed how it was done before the trip.
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The company
Choose pampering rather than pampering friends, in short friendly and considerate. That was one of the best hits of my camp! My friend Ziomara Belete, who was my tent neighbor, was the best company: we lent each other pans, we shared food. And since she is a much better cook than I am, I ended up winning.
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The food
As it is already known that on holidays there will always be trinkets, we decided to counteract the temptations by including healthy and easy-to-prepare foods. We prepare a “healthy” menu beforehand: churrasco for the first day, turkey burgers for the second, sandwiches afterward… and lots of salad! A good, family-size freezer with ice that we renewed thanks to the park’s grocery store allowed us to eat vegetables daily.
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The attitude
One of the main obstacles I had to overcome before embarking on the camping adventure was my attitude. I thought it was uncomfortable, and — most of all — I wondered where would we find a bathroom if we are in an open field? It turned out that we camped near a bathroom and the park kept it perfectly clean.
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Prepare to be amazed
The prints that nature gives us when we have it up close are priceless (as the credit card advertising says). I still have in my mind the glare of the eyes of my mother, my husband, and my nephew in front of the bonfire, or how perfectly illuminated the sky looked in the middle of nature. One night, while we were chatting after dinner, I saw the current of the river in front of us begin to glow. It was like dragging a stream of stars. “They are electric fish!” Someone exclaimed. It looked like a scene from a Disney movie. From experiences like this, I tell you: If you go camping, prepare to be amazed.
You may also love to read this article, Summer camps special: tips for choosing well
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