It’s probably a foregone conclusion that camping has been gaining popularity since the pandemic. With trees as your neighbours and the wide, open spaces of the great outdoors to explore, it’s perfect for a socially distanced holiday. While lockdowns might be preventing many of us from travelling right now, camping will be the perfect option for a much-needed holiday when restrictions ease.
“It’s a ‘biological truism’ that outdoor environments are safer than those indoors,” says Dan Yates, founder and managing director of the camping-reservations site Pitchup. And the outdoors industry is going even further to meet requirements to keep people safe, he notes. For example, some campgrounds are adding precautions like contactless check-in and only allowing socially distanced sports, such as solo tennis. Many have also relaxed their cancellation policies to allow free changes.
With this in mind, we’ve rounded up tips from industry experts for first-time campers on which all-too-common mistakes they need to avoid, so the only thing you’ll have to worry about when you hit the campground is whether you have enough marshmallows to toast!