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You are here: Backpacker Resources > Travel Tips > Camping

Camping

The summer’s gone, you’ve spent your cash and it’s gotten a little chilly. The calendar doesn’t lie and your wallet won’t replenish itself, but that’s no excuse to head home so check into some alternative accommodation, snuggle up to Mother Nature and carry on with your carrying on because we’ve come up with a way to be good to your pocket, and the environment ‐ at the same time! It’s time to wrap up, pack up and pitch up because this month, Ethical Travel is going camping!

Camp It Up

Think about your average stay in a hotel or hostel. There’s water for laundry and showers, plus gas and electricity for heating and cooking. Yeah, you’re only one person and you may take three minute showers, but multiply that by a few hundred other people and you get the idea. It’s not the daintiest of carbon footprints is it?

Add to that the pesky credit crunch still nibbling away at us and the occasional camping trip becomes cool again! So whether you’re a trendy glamper (that’s a glamorous camper) with a yurt and silk sheets, more of a classic sleeping bag type or a novice who doesn’t know their pegs from their posts, here are some things to consider before you head out into the great outdoors.

Camping With a Conscience

Obeying the rules of the site, leaving the place as you found it and taking your rubbish with you are no‐brainers. However is you feel the call of your inner caveman and want to light a fire then check before you do because some sites have spaces for this and if they don’t ‐ look out for previously cleared ones, to reuse. If you decide to light up (a task best left to the camping boffins in many cases) then choose a clear spot with no overhanging branches or dry grass nearby. Also make sure that you only ever use already fallen wood. Keep your fire small, never leave it unattended and extinguish it by dowsing the whole thing (and the surrounding area) with water – twice! The U.S. Forest Service also advises that embers buried deep within a pile can re‐ignite later on, so keep an eye out!

So what do you do if there are no sanitary facilities? Well to be blunt ‐ don’t do a dump and run, but make like your cat ‐ dig a hole and bury it! Short of showers at your campsite? Well it’s baby wipes for you then. But why not use that pond or lake I hear you cry? Well this is an iffy one so unless you know the body of water well, think again. Also if you do decide to taker a dip ‐ don’t take your soap in with you because even biodegradable bubbles can pollute the water.

Know Before You Go

Camping can cure those post summer blues but it does require forethought. Plan your trip before you go. When it comes to supplies don’t buy what you can beg and borrow, especially larger items such as tents and sleeping bags. Some first timers may find campsites daunting, but you don’t have to be the outdoorsy type to enjoy the outdoors. If you remember nothing else, just remember this ‐ be clean, be green and have a good time.

So now you’re a camping convert commit all this to memory and read through campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk for a whole host of tips to make your time in a tent, time well spent.

‐ Jackie Reddy