5 Tips to Make the Most of any Camping Trip

[Emily Parsons]

anurag kaushik/pixabay

Whether you’re a newbie to camping or a seasoned in the great outdoors, you should always have a fantastic time in the wilderness soaking up nature. Once in a while we all need a break from work and the city, and packing up the car with friends and/or family to head out camping is by far the best way to take that break. Australia has so many incredible camping spots regardless of where you live, so all you need to do is a quick online search, choose one, and take a look at our steps below - they'll help make sure your next camping trip is incredible!

 

Plan Ahead and Invite Friends

 

There’s no better way to spice up a camping trip than to head out with your best friends! We suggest planning ahead, getting the trip on the calendar, and making sure that everyone can come with you. 

To get the most out of planning, sit down with everyone coming on the trip and hear their input about the location and what activities you have planned. You might be surprised to know that a friend or family member knows about a "secret" camping spot close by waterfalls, lakes or anything else that could spice up the trip.
 

If you’re feeling particularly inviting, you might want to set up a Facebook or Instagram event or poll and ask your friends and followers if they’d like to come. Camping experience diversity is always fun and your poll might have reached an old friend who you haven’t seen in a while!

 

Pack Fun Meals and Desserts

 

As we can all agree, camp food isn’t always the greatest. Warmed-over baked beans over the campfire or a dry slice of toast with stew for dinner isn’t the most fun meal you could have, so why not pack some extra fun ones! A few fantastic camping meals that are fun and also simple to make at camp include: 

• U.S.-style hot dogs
  
  
• Home-style pizza
  
  
• Bacon and eggs in paper bags
  
  
• Grilled nachos
• Saucepan cake
  
  
• Dutch-oven peach cobbler

 

And more! As you can see, there’s plenty of excellent camping foods that don’t involve reheated beans, spaghetti or toast.

 

Keep the Campsite Powered

 

Wherever you’re camping, you have the option to power the site with an inverter generator like the ones from Outbax Camping. It’s such a good idea to bring along a generator because you’ll be able to rest assured you have plenty of power for everything you want to do. Whether it’s running a satellite internet connection, power smartphones, and tablets or even a projector for a movie night, a generator has you covered. It also comes in handy to make sure everyone can keep their tents cool at night with fans, or power cooking equipment like electric camping stoves.

 

Choose a Tent to Best Suit Your Group

 

There’s nothing worse than cramming four people into a two-person tent, as we hope you never have to discover. One of our biggest tips for sleeping is to head to your local camping store and look for a tent that’s large enough for everyone, and also has a covered outdoor area. You’ll want somewhere to sit that’s shaded from the sun and also protected from the rain if the weather turns sour.
 

Our second tip as far as tents go is to choose comfortable mattresses rather than sticking with sleeping bags. You’ll sleep so much better and be refreshed and ready to tackle day two of camping with no worry at all.

 

Be Sure to Pack Fun Activities

 

Far too many campers arrive at camp, set up their tents, and have nothing left to do. That’s the perfect recipe for a boring disaster of a trip! So before you leave, get your hands on plenty of camping games, purchase a few hammocks, and even consider bringing along everyone’s iPhone and iPad. In the great outdoors there’s plenty of space to play a few augmented reality games with family and friends, and they’ll be sure to keep everyone entertained for hours on end. If you're bringing kids, you can also make the experience a little more fun for them by bringing slack line, glow sticks, and football.