Do you recognize these 6 camping blunders?

8 July, 2019

Camping. There was a first time for everyone. But even if you have a little more experience, you can always still trip up and make a blunder, big or small – from forgetting the inner tent to hitching up the caravan incorrectly. We conducted a survey of campers and asked them: “What’s the biggest blunder you’ve ever made while camping?”

Let’s start with the most common answers. They often have to do with forgetting something – pegs, poles, the complete inner tent – all not especially helpful things to leave at home. And sometimes things don’t always go as planned with the caravan. For example, hitching the caravan to the car can sometimes be more difficult than expected and backwards positioning (with the door in the wrong direction) is a common mistake. And where do you put your camping gear? Preferably not on a lower part of the campsite, because when it rains, everything goes down. That’s happened to a lot of campers, too. Let’s look at six familiar stories.

1. Forgotten chairs

It happens to the best of us. You think you’ve packed it all up and left for the campsite. Once you arrive, you put up your tent enthusiastically and it’s time for a well-deserved drink. You go to sit down at the table, but wait, where did the chairs go? Well, I guess we’ll be sitting on the ground. It’s far less comfortable, but a good lesson to learn. By making a checklist, you can prevent it from happening again. Check out at this helpful packing list that my colleague Bram created. You can read the full article on the Suncamp blog here.

2. Not something for the bucket list

Going to the lavatory in the evening or at night isn’t that much of a problem at home. You find the light switch by touch and before you know it, you’re back in bed. But things can be a bit different on the campsite. For example, if you’re sleeping in a tent and don’t feel like going to the toilets with a flashlight. That’s why a bucket just outside the tent can help. But when you lose your balance and roll out of your tent, urine and all, it’s pretty embarrassing. Not to mention your neighbours just happening to pass by at that moment.

3. So many people, so many languages

It’s always a bit exciting to be at a campsite abroad, especially if you don’t know the local language. But even if you do speak the language, you may still face some surprising situations. Because speaking to the receptionist in French in France seems logical, but when the receptionist then calls out to a colleague in Dutch ‘come in here, I don’t understand this Frenchman’, it’s pretty surprising.

4. What a dirty campsite

The pictures looked great, the reviews were fine – plenty of reason to assume that a great camping holiday awaits you. But once you get to the campsite, everything turns out to be worse than expected. How long ago were the toilet facilities cleaned? Should all those leaves be in the pool? And why are the bins overflowing? Poor hygiene is a big disappointment for many holidaymakers. Next time, choose a campsite that’s inspected annually on more than 200 amenities and facilities. On Eurocampings.nl you can choose from more than 9,000 campsites throughout Europe.

5. Which one was it again?

This doesn’t really happen at small campsites. But if you’ve ever camped at a mega campsite, it’s a familiar feeling: you can’t find your pitch. Especially if you’re staying at a campsite with hundreds of pitches, it can be quite a challenge to pick out the right one in the dark. Try picking up a map at reception and circling your spot. And make 100% sure you’ve actually found your own tent before you start unzipping the door!

6. Mistral

Wind is not necessarily a camper’s best friend. Many a tent has been damaged or even blown away by a sudden storm blowing in. But even in a trailer tent, you’re not always safe, especially in France, where the famous Mistral in the area between the Alps and the Pyrenees – active more than 100 days a year – speaks for itself. This wind can range from wind force 7 to 11 and can cause quite a blow to your trailer tent. The only thing that helps is to break everything down and set up the tent again so that it catches as little wind as possible. Chances are you’ll be looking out on a hedge marking out your pitch instead of that beautiful river or lake, but it’s a lot safer.

Share your story!

Do you have any good stories of your own that you want to share with other campers? We’d love to hear them!