14 Awesome Things You Should Try On Your Next Camping Adventure
Camping is a blank slate. Once you arrive, you’re free to do pretty much whatever you want. You have so much scope to just let your hair down and enjoy yourself.
Most people know the camping basics. You go hiking, play games, and eat delicious food. But there are so many other things that you can get stuck into that make the experience more memorable.
Here’s what you should be doing on your next adventure:
Go Bird Watching
If you’ve never done bird watching before, camping is a great opportunity to get stuck into it. Plus, it hardly requires any effort on your behalf. All you need is a guidebook and that’s it.
Most birdwatching is done inside sheds with binoculars. However, if there are no sheds nearby, you can always just lay on the grass as still as possible and let the birds come to you.
Set Up A Competition
Once you arrive at a campsite, it’s a great opportunity to set up a bit of friendly competition. One of the things you could try is hosting your own Olympic games. Everyone can take part. You just set up your team and that’s it. Great games include speed tent pitching, swimming, boat racing, bocce ball, or any other sport that’s available.
Watch The Sunrise
Surprisingly few people wake up early enough to watch the sunrise, and that’s a tragedy. People are living years of their lives without seeing this fantastic spectacle.
If you struggle to motivate yourself to get up early, take your camera with you. Go out and photograph parts of the campsite early in the morning and celebrate the natural beauty of the area.
Make S’mores
Even if you’re not American, you should still take time to make some s’mores. They’re actually pretty easy. First, start by getting a fire going. You want the flames to have died down and for there to be plenty of embers. Next, grab the ingredients: Graham’s crackers, chocolate, and marshmallow.
Roast the marshmallow and then melt some chocolate over it before sandwiching it between the two crackers. Then blow on it a bit before popping it in your mouth. It’s delicious and a great idea for anyone traveling with kids.
Play The Harmonica
If you’re a bit of a fan of kum-ba-yah around the campfire, then get the singalong going by busting out the tunes on your harmonica. Everyone will want to join in, especially if you’re all sitting around the campfire.
Create A Record Of Your Adventures
You can also get a fun little camping journal with a sketchbook to keep a record of your adventures. Here, you can write down what you saw, add pictures, and generally reflect on your experiences. Remember, camping opportunities don’t come along very often, so writing down what you did and how you felt is a great way to preserve memories and keep things fresh in your mind.
Play Cards
If you’re stuck in the tent, don’t forget to bring your playing cards with you. Rummy, poker, old maid – you can enjoy just about any game that you want. Remember, when you’re camping, there are no devices to distract you (or at least, there shouldn’t be). You should just be out in nature enjoying yourself and having a good time.
Spend Some Time Alone
Because so many people now live in megacities, genuine time alone is a rarity. It hardly ever happens these days.
Camping, though, is a great opportunity to get away from it all and just spend some time in nature. It gives you a chance to be alone with the trees and out in the wilderness, miles from civilization. Your only friends are the birds and the bees. Nobody is pressuring you to get a project done on time or to go out and get hammered. It’s just a natural, healthy, and pristine experience.
Play A Game Of Manhunt
A manhunt is a great game to play while camping because you have so much space, particularly if you are in a forest. Games can go on for miles and you can really get into it in a way that’s just not possible at the regular park.
Make Your Own Map
If you have kids with you, you might also want to make your own map. You could draw various landmarks such as mountains, rivers, and the camping ground and turn them into an activity you can do all day. Once you’ve drawn your own map, it helps you to become accustomed to the local area.
Explore The Smells
You might not be able to smell much on the campsite, but your dog will certainly be able to. Researchers believe that their sense of smell is some 10,000 times more sensitive than that of humans. Therefore, they essentially see the whole environment in terms of odors.
Take your dog for a small tour through the local woods. Let them get used to all the different smells in nature, and then enjoy them yourself if you can.
Go Snorkeling On The Local Lake
If you’re close to a lake, you might also want to take the opportunity to go snorkeling. It’s a great way to get familiar with what’s under the water. Generally, it works best on lakes that aren’t too murky. You don’t want to go snorkeling in an area where you can see to the bottom and explore the wildlife.
Spend A Day Fishing
Many people combine camping with fishing and you can see why. Fishing is a fun sport, and you can catch something to eat for dinner. It’s an excellent way to unwind after a long journey, just spending time on the serenity of the water can be a lot of fun.
Watch The Clouds
Lastly, you might want to spend an afternoon watching the clouds with your partner or someone else. Ask yourself what they look like. So there you have it: some of the awesome things you might want to try on your next camping adventure. Which ones appeal to you the most?
