Camping wasn’t at all what I thought it would be.
I live in the United States, and I’m writing from my perspective, so your experience may be a bit different.
My brother talked me into going with him and his best friend and his wife. His friend had located a privately owned spot near a national park and gotten permission from the owner to camp there. I live in the country, surrounded by a creek on one side, an acre of flat land on another, a hill on another, but with a noisy road and a neighbor (not to mention my brother) living nearby, so while my home is peaceful, it’s not very quiet. This camping spot, however, was pure bliss. It was next to a hill with a bubbling brook and an acre of flat land, but with no close neighbors and very little traffic. I hadn’t felt such a calmness and serenity in so long! Sign me up as a new camping enthusiast!
When my brother asked if I wanted to go in halves and purchase a camper we could share, I was all for it. Absolutely! Next, He suggested we go camping at one of the local parks. My area is surrounded by parks, and he selected one he said was the most scenic, and a bit closer to home than the last one. I trusted him fully, because I knew he’d been camping lots of times. Next, he told me there’s even an app where you go to select your campsite, choose the dates, and pay. I left that up to him as well. We invited our neighbors, who rented the campsite next to ours. The following weekend, we were on our way!
This experience was nothing like my first camping trip. I was expecting peace, quiet, the sounds of nature. Few humans. Not a chance! This was closer to a block party. There were about fifty campers lined up in a semicircle. Most were weekend visitors, but some lived there full time, and had outside lights strung up, and wind chimes. That surprised me. People sat outside in their groups, talked, and grilled out. The ice cream truck ran every afternoon, ringing its bell. At night, we made S’mores, which have got to be the most amazing marshmallow and chocolate treat known to man. The highlight was when a doe walked down the road and stopped at each campsite so people could pet her. That’s something I’ll probably never see again!
Did I enjoy my time camping? The first trip, absolutely! The second? No. Except for the doe and the S’mores, which were definitely special, I’d rather use the camper in my own backyard. I may take it with me and camp when I go on vacation this year, but it will be to save money on hotels, only.