To ask how to go camping and enjoy it..?

[Alittlenonsensenowandthen]

Just come back from camping and yet again feel like it's more a test of human endurance than a holiday. I see others on the campsite seemingly enjoying the torture. What am I doing wrong?!

I've come back with spots on my skin, extreme tiredness from not sleeping and a boot full of muddy things for processing.

Let's be honest I'm never going to enjoy it, but I am genuinely curious for those that do enjoy it, what am I missing?

Gin

I dunno. I love it.

I think the weather has to be good and the location beautiful.

Stay at home in future!

I love it too. Do you have a big enough tent and good sleeping bags? And where are you camping?

Don't go , horrible.

Good weather is kind of essential. Travel as light as you can. Use a laundry service rather than washing everything yourself.

Be a small child with no responsibility for...

putting the tent up, taking it down, packing, unpacking, cleaning everything, drying everything, making food with rudimentary facilities, and possessing too light a body to find being on an airbed uncomfortable.

Camping is great until suddenly the tricky stuff is your job.

Wine.

I hate camping.

Repeatedly doing something you know you dislike then expecting a different outcome is not sensible, to put it as politely as possible.
I dislike camping so I don’t go camping. Ditto skiing. Ditto day spas.

Why not do something else for your next holiday?

Unless you have your own field and a caravan not a tent it isn't fun.

These:

Good weather and alcohol. Lots of.

The only way to enjoy camping is to stay in a hotel.

Honestly, stop being a martyr!!

Camp somewhere with really good facilities. Cook as little as possible. Use the tent as your base, plan day trips in the area. Cancel and don't go if it will rain. Not worth it.

I hate even the idea of camping but however I may have to go the the young kennel club camp at some point as my youngest does junior handling. I have therefore decided the most reasonable option is to simply throw money at it and never, ever go again. I will hire a very nice caravan, I will get caravan hire company to take said caravan to the site and set it up for a fee. I will take lots of gin.

Main thing is decent beds, worth paying out on them. If you get a good sleep (with earplugs) it makes all the difference.

I love it (even though I recognise the downsides you mention!)

I like the slowing down, everything’s more of an effort and I quite like that!? We always laugh a lot during camping holidays , as stuff goes wrong all the time.

I like the familiarity of camping as I’ve done it since I was a child. It brings back memories.

Spending more time together, doing things we normally don’t do (walking with the dishes to the sink , etc)

If it’s up to 4 days, I don’t care about the weather. If we’d go longer, I only want to go abroad to have a better chance of a warm dry spell.

Did you grow up with camping trips?

Serious answer... a comfy sleeping area.

This is personal. Mine is a camp bed, covered by a blanket, then a really thick sleeping bag with another blanket. If I m hot the sleeping bag is unzipped with the blanket instead. Plus a pillow obviously.

I love it. I love the fresh air, the outdoors, the freedom. Not the rain though. 😂

It's Marmite. I'd go and help unpack, and then bugger off to the nearest hotel and let the masochists at it.

I agree with making sure your sleeping arrangement is comfortable. I use a 10cm SIM and a top quality sleeping bag. I always have a pillow too. I sleep like a log in the tent.

Stay in a hotel

Doing it as glamping with a pre set up tent or teepee you can stand up in and a proper bed is the only acceptable form of camping.

3 words. Electric Hook Up.