I think camping might be the most exhausting thing ever!

[EagleRay]

To be fair, I'm recovering from a serious (life threatening) illness but I manage most things on a daily basis without many problems.

But then there was camping...

Took the kids away by myself overnight a couple of weeks ago and it finished me off for the rest of the week.

Just returned last night from two days away (cut short due to heavy rain) and today I've been absolutely floored by fatigue and crying

How do you build up resistance to such things? We're planning a bigger trip before the end of summer!

Anyone else returning feeling less than refreshed by it?

oh yes it's a chore and not relaxing in the slightest. My OH loves it and I bloody hate it. How's it relaxing to go from your home to a rubbish bed...sharing loos etc.

The toilet block was a long way away - the psychological torture of deciding if you need to go again at night was torture. Oh and we had running water under the tent and a very naughty toddler to deal with.

I think at one point I threatened to run away 😂

camping is the Devils idea of a holiday

you couldnt pay me

Camping is really awful. I do not understand how it is a holiday. I don’t camp.

I went for 3 nights with ds at the end of July with the view of doing a longer trip next summer if successful.

But yes exhausting! I think I'd actually need to do at least 10 nights to recover from the packing and tent erecting 😂😂
We were right opposite the toilet and washing up but oh! The effort required to walk the 20m!!!

I think if you do longer you tend to have an outdoor lounge type set up and it becomes more relaxing!

I'm looking forward to my week in Spain next week though where the most I'll have to do is drive to airport and pay for lunch if we want it (we are HB!)

@youarenotkiddingme I think you're right that you need time to get into it plus the set up is important too. It didn't help that it was mostly too wet to sit out and then had to cut things short.

We might make it to France later this month and I'm hoping that the slightly nicer weather plus a longer stay will give us the chance to settle into it. But urgh airbeds!!

Get a porta loo! £35 from go outdoors. Get a battery inflator for beds. Comfy chairs. And decent alcohol that tastes ok warm... although a decent cool box with frozen water bottles which also gives cold water to drink at some point is good. Sleep masks and ears things to block out noise ... I use one between 2 ears so can hear kids etc. Did I mention alcohol 😂

Double airbeds... on sale in Tesco are comfy

Get a portaloo, if you afford it an airtent and look at self inflating mats or camp beds rather than airbeds... all make camping easier.

Never go on your own. Find a group of families with children of similar ages and go together. Children are easily entertained by other children and there is a variety of adults to take turns watching them so everyone gets a break.

I totally agree OP and I don’t have an illness, I’m sorry you’ve been unwell.
We’ve just come back from a festival - camped on Friday night and drove home last night as it wasn’t far and it was so wet.

It was our first time and while I didn’t hate it, I didn’t sleep a wink and I was absolutely freezing despite having loads of clothes and bedding. The DC and DH were fine, slept well and were not cold. I was very glad to come home last night although I really enjoyed the festival.

I work full time in the city in a senior, stressful job and I am exhausted today and have to go back to work tomorrow. There is no way on God’s earth that I would actually do this as a holiday. I need to sleep on holiday and this while fun was not relaxing at all.

My friend spent loads of money on camping equipment and was really optimistic about her camping holiday. She hated every second, cried several times each day and booked a hotel for the next holiday as soon as they got home. I think I'd be the same. I love home comforts!

Mine and ds list from this trip is

•tall and very long windbreaks to put around our boundary!
•inflatable chairs or bean bags.
•take our beach tent for pitch.
•portaloo!
•bigger kitchen so we can have electric and gas at same time!

We don't have a huge tent but it's plenty for us both. And if we could have chilled outside on comfy stuff I'm sure it would have helped!

This is what we had but tent was put up and then taken down 69 hours later 😫🤣

Don't come to France! We're here in a tent and it's pissing it down. Hoping for sun tomorrow and for the rest of the week but if it doesn't materialise then it'll be a very expensive camping trip!

I don’t camp (traumatic experience 25 years ago when our tent - put up by an adult - came down in a thunderstorm). DH is a former Scout leader and won’t camp with DS1 (5) ‘until he’s bigger’. There was some talk of camping in the garden this summer.

Kudos to you for managing with small DC!

How do you avoid the cold at night? It was probably about 8 degrees on Friday night. I was wearing pyjamas, a fleece, socks and had a sleeping bag and a thick blanket on an air bed. I was so cold my feet cramped up. Should have brought a hat maybe.

When our children were smaller (now teens), we used to go on a mass camping weekend with other friends - about 25 of us.

It was only 2 or 3 nights but it used to wear me out and I would have to go on a proper holiday almost immediately afterwards.

We would have great fun, but a holiday? Er, no.

I’m glad others are saying it’s not a holiday and is exhausting cos DH thinks I’m being precious.
Having said that he’s now snoring on the sofa after all the faffing about with tent etc this weekend!

I do like camping in the right circumstances but they certainly don't include going as the only adult or when convalescing!

I recommend youth hostelling in a family room. Or cancelling. Cancelling is a great idea when you are unwell or the weather is bad.

Yes I’m realising that you have to be prepared to cancel or cut short.
We’re planning another festival next year but will decide last minute depending on weather.

Camp in the garden.

All the ‘fun’ of the camp with loos, kitchen and a short walk to proper beds if it goes tits up.

@annandale - we've done YHA before but in peak times they cost a fortune and are usually booked solid. I've just got membership and will try to book ahead for next year.

And yes it was bloody freezing on Friday night! I insisted we drive around to find a shop that sells hot water bottles as I was terrified of being cold (weather forecast looked grim) . I've been in so much pain and discomfort over the last year I don't really want any more!

We've always holidayed fairly simply and avoided hotels and luxury accommodation but I just can't stand the rain and cold!

Yes it's exhausting - all the planning and packing, all the lists of stuff, getting the tent up, communal showers, muddy tent entrances, praying for good weather, not sleeping well or being woken late by drunken fellow campers or early by other people's kids/dogs or wildlife (I hate crows especially at 5am), lugging your dishes around in a plastic tub, no decent hot drinks, feeling permanently grubby and icky, then repacking, get home and then it's mounds of washing, damp boots, tent and sleeping bags to be aired out... but DC loved it so we did it for a number of years.
Now graduated to guest houses as we all need wifi

@Halfahunnerstillastunner we had bloody horses stampeding through the campsite in the early hours - think a few guy ropes got snapped!

I use a sleeping bag and then a single duvet sideways across two of us and then the usual jumper socks etc. I find that extra duvet makes the difference.