As we said in our previous post  about camping… It depends on the camper’s preferences, the equipment available, from the legal framework and other personal facts… But the most important thing is that any choice is not a one-way path!

We are camping enthusiasts, so as you can understand love both kinds of camping! What we will try is to do in this post is present to you the pros and cons of each way, so you can place yourselves on the basis of your answers and see what suits you most!

Organized camping – Pros

• Cheap way of vacation (in relation to hotels).
• There are reviews on the Internet about cleanliness, facilities etc.
• You know what to expect.
• You don’t need any special equipment.
• High sense of security.
• You don’t have to worry about food, breakfast, electricity, bathroom, facilities, etc.
• Socializing with other camps.
• It’s legal!
• They are usually located at very beautiful beaches!
• Greece is filled with wonderful campsites and glamping campsites recently, so all you have to do is discover them all!

Organized camping – Cons

• There are rules (this can be also on the positive side…).
• You coexist, sometimes, closely enough with others (several times we had to move our tent at 3 am due to snoring from adjacent scenes!).
• If you do not choose suitable campsites, you may have unpleasant surprises (eg. very family friendly or very student, etc.).
• There is no sense of absolute freedom and you are always watched by someone, the worst is the wristbands that you are forced to wear as a resident of the campsite (for safety of course so we are ok with this one!)!

Free Camping – Pros

• Freedom!!!
• Independence!
• Closeness to nature (respectfully of course!
• There’s no schedule, program etc.
• Zero cost (excluding the equipment that is a one time investment and the eatables you choose to take with you).
• You can discover real nature gems and enjoy them alone, feels like paradise!
• Generally when you are free camper, you feel that you have been away for weeks from ordinary life, forget about time, day, obligations and enjoy only the present!

Free Camping – Cons

• Limitations of legislation.
• Negative attitude of local communities.
• More equipment preparation needed.
• It is not suitable for many days (unless you have suitable equipment).
• Security (it has to do with the feeling of security…we never had a bad experience)
• The recklessness of some free campers about taking care of the camp when leaving a place.

This was our pros and cons of organized and free camping, the conclusions are up to you!

*Photo credit travelstyle.gr

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But we will try though to give you some of our experience and maybe some of you are going to camp for your summer vacations or … the winter ones why not!

We will start from the very basics!

• What is camping? It is a vacation ideal for two days gateaway but also for a long trip!
• Is it directed only to “free” spirits; No! We overcome our taboos and we choose camping because we like it!
• Do we choose to camp due to financial crisis; No! Trust us yu can either love camping or not! On the one hand, you can stay somewhere for free with just one sleeping bag to quite expensively when t comes to very well organized camps with expensive equipment and on the other hand because camping is a conscious choice that stems from us, from the need to return to nature and simplicity and is not imposed due to four inancials! Not to mention the issue of comparison between quality and price, for example, with roms to let which are ridiculously highly charged!
• Is it suitable only for young people? No, the campers have no age!
• Does camping appeals to a particular social background; No … stay tuned for a post about glamping for nature and luxury lovers!
• Free or Organized; Hmm … depends on one’s preferences, the equipment he has, the legal framework and much more … we will analyze this next time!

Make your first experience easy and short – two days, one night – and slowly build your love for camping. If you think you may like backpacking, try daily hikes first. If you want to spend time in the water, rent a canoe for an afternoon. Combine your stay with other activities so you do not fall straight into the deep!

In our next posts we will analyze:

The equipment you will need when camping and from where we buy it, prices etc!

• How do we find and choose camps!
• Do we choose free camping?
• What other activities do we combine with our camping stay!
• What do we do all day at camping?
• Why do we choose camping?
• What equipmentdo we get with us?
• What do we wear?
• What do we eat?
• What do we do when it rains?
• How do we prepare and maintain our equipment?

Oh, and remember to leave camping and any other places you visit clear like when you found them. Respect nature guys!!! If we do it all, camping will be more enjoyable for all of us!

The post CAMPING TIPS FOR BEGINNERS appeared first on Nonstoptravellers.

Firstly do not worry! For years, we had the same concerns, which we overcame with some very simple tips… How??? By making lighter our luggage and choose light traveling!

What is light travel or minimalist packing then ??? Light travel is not so widespread in Greece and it is the way to travel lightly!

How light traveling can help you?

• You can walk around more easily – Flexibility!
• You do not have to wait for suitcases!
• You do not lose any luggage!
• Reduce the cost of travel whether you travel with a low-cost company or not!
• Minimalist packing is more eco friendly solution when travelling
• You keep travel simple

But how can you make your suitcases lighter ??? Read below 5 simple steps and tips to help you travel light!

Step 1: Travel plan

What clothes you get depends on the needs of the trip you plan to do. So drawing up a plan for what to go is the first step. Basic questions may be, what are the sights you plan to visit? Will you go to beaches? Will you ascend to the mountains? Will you participate in an experience – event? This design will be a guide for you to choose the right wardrobe and take with you only the necessary clothes.

Step 2: List with clothes

This list will help you reduce the excess clothes that you often get without having to. For the selection of clothes, you should follow the following tips:

• What if scenario … stop doing that!
• Check weather to get proper clothes. In the event of cold weather, it would be good to have clothes that you can do layering.
• Selecting clothes that are in neutral shades and can be combined with each other for all possible outfits you will use.
• You do not have to get clothes for all the days, let’s not forget that the clothes are washed. Especially in areas where cleaning services are degradingly cheap, we do not even discuss it (see Southeast Asia).
• Two pairs of shoes at most (one you wear), which will be suitable for many occasions.

Step 3: Avoid unnecessary weight

Limit care items or obtain travel size packages. For items like shampoos, soaps and so on, most hotels provide enough of them free of charge. The wallet on a diet, you do not have to carry the card from the gym. Put in your “smart” mobile tickets, books (use pocket size instead) and anything else you can to avoid extra weight. Good to buy souvenirs but in moderation, we should not forget that the memories and the experience of travel itself are the best!

Step 4: Choose a suitable bag

Choose a suitcase according to your needs. It is advisable to use a low weight suitcase which is as small as possible. And why taking a small suitcase since our issue is the weight? Because this will force you to take fewer things with you. Do not forget that the bigger the suitcase is, more is the useless stuff you will take with you. The issue of the dimensions of the suitcase will be discussed in another article. Here you can read our review for the Pakt Travel Backpack which is a good choice to start travelling light and more simple.

Step 5: Minimalist packing

Congrats! You are now in the last stage of packing light, but do not rush because we have the last tip to look out for: Avoid packing at the last minute (sounds typical? we do it too)! This causes stress and leads you to get things you do not need. Try separating your clothes into categories (beach, sports, etc.) and then folding them in roll, we usually do it and it is worth it. Do not take many handbags and bags.

You are ready for traveling light. You will be amazed how much stuff you can leave behind and you wont need it … And that’s because ??? .. Because we fill our suitcases with things only coz we think we need them. We do not need them for real… as Pareto would say from the clothes we will pack we will only use an 80%!

So…Did you learn how to lighten your luggage … ??? it’s time to try it !!

Good luck and good trips !!!

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