Camping can be tons of fun or full of misery.
With these camping tips, you are guaranteed to end your adventure with fond memories of the outdoors.
If you are planning a camping trip, the first thing that you want to consider is the location.
Do you want to be within a few hours of your home or go for an extended trip at a farther distance?Wherever you choose to camp, visit the site or send for brochures of the location before your departure.
Many camp sites offer rustic camping in tents but may also provide water and electricity at each lot.
There may also be lots available for campers within the same campground.
Many campgrounds also offer campers and/or cabins for rent at daily or weekly rates.
Those need advance reservations and are usually not available if you drop in for the night.
Plan your meals in advance and bring everything you need with you.
Local grocery stores near the campgrounds will charge you an arm and a leg for regularly low priced items.
Don't worry about perishables, if you pack them in a good quality thermal chest cooler with plenty of ice, you will be fine.
Most campgrounds sell ice at a reasonable price at their front gate or office.
If grills are not provided at the campground, bring your own or a grate to place over an open pit fire.
Propane stoves are small, portable and convenient to cook with outdoors.
A bucket and dish soap will make clean-up a breeze.
If you are in a pinch, most campgrounds are near an area that would deliver a pizza or purchase carryout at a reasonable price.
Some campgrounds are large enough to provide golfing, a lake for swimming, boating and fishing as well as entertainment.
Some have weekly scheduled events such as carnivals, flea markets, concerts, and much more.
If they do and you own a boat, fishing gear or golf clubs, bring them along for your enjoyment and save money on rental fees.
These larger campgrounds usually provide rental golf carts.
You might want to invest in one if you are planning an extended stay.
You can come and go from the campgrounds in the golf cart without paying an additional entry fee.
If you are camping with several people, two-way radios are a great tool to keep in touch.
If a part of your group is going golfing, some are swimming and others are staying at the camp site, you will always be in contact with each other.
While camping, keep safety in mind.
Bring along plenty of insect repellent, flashlights or lanterns for every group, plenty of batteries or kerosene, a good quality first aid kit and keep to the rules of the campground.
If you are planning on camping in a tent, prepare ahead to get a good nights sleep.
Lock up all food to prevent wild animals from coming to your site.
Raccoons will not let anyone sleep.
Dispose of trash in a closed trash facility every night.
Trash bags are not a good deterrent.
Place a tarp on the ground, under the bottom of the tent and run a box fan inside the tent to prevent moisture from settling on the tent's contents.
Bring along an extension cord.
Use an inflatable air mattress or hammock for comfort.
Battery powered air pumps make air mattresses as firm as you desire to bring comfort like home.
Bring along a good quality sleeping bag or blankets.
Even in the hottest months of summer, outdoor sleeping is always cool.
Nobody likes to walk across the cool, dark, and damp campground in the middle of the night to go to the shower house to use the bathroom.
A small inexpensive portable toilet in the corner of your tent will make your stay more enjoyable.
If you are staying in a very rustic area, shower houses may not be available.
In that case, take along a portable shower.
They can be purchased with a portable water heater.
That can help with cooking clean up as well.
If you research the area that you wish to visit and plan ahead, you can have the comforts of home with the enjoyment of the great outdoors.