Camping Lessons for Living in a Pandemic

Hi everyone! It’s been awhile.

We hope that each one of you is staying healthy in body and spirit during these uncertain times, as we continue to wait for this long pandemic to come to an end.

With all we’ve been through this past year and a half, sometimes locked down, other times easing back towards “normal,” we’ve been reflecting lately on how we can apply the spirit of camping to our everyday lives – no matter what our actual circumstances are! Here are some of our thoughts…

1. IT’S IMPORTANT TO GO OUTSIDE

One of the best things about camping is the chance it provides to spend lots of time outside. We feel so much better when we have the opportunity to breathe in the fresh air, take in the beauty of trees and hills and wildlife, listen to birds singing, and get some Vitamin D.

Even though many of us are in the city and the rains have started, we’re still getting many hours of beautiful weather. And while you may not have access to the kind of space that camping provides, it’s a good idea to take advantage of your garden or balcony or veranda if you have one. And if you don’t, taking a walk through your neighborhood can be a nice option. Even just opening up all the windows in your home to bring some of that outside air in could make all the difference to your day.

Notice the gorgeous bougainvillea growing next to the sidewalk. Take the time to listen to the bird calls. Get some fresh air, stare up at the clouds, feel the sun on your face. We always feel better after we do.

2. SPEND TIME AWAY FROM TECHNOLOGY

You know that feeling when you arrive at a campsite and realize you don’t have phone service? There’s often an initial sense of panic—you wonder how you’ll possibly survive without it. But, inevitably, after a few hours (or maybe just minutes) a weight you didn’t realize you were carrying has been lifted. Suddenly, you don’t really care about checking your phone anymore. You’re able to be fully present and actually rest.

This, of course, is much easier to do when it’s forced upon you. These days, we’re up close and personal with our laptops, TVs, and phones all day (not to mention constantly wondering what the latest news headlines are saying). But even if it takes more work, discipline, and planning—it’s so worth it! Our brains need to take a rest from staring at screens. Whether it’s an evening cutoff time, taking one day a week off, or setting timers on social media, it can seem hard (even impossible) at first, but actually will be a weight lifted off our shoulders.

3. HAVE A LEARNING MINDSET

One of the things we love about camping is how there’s always an opportunity to learn new things. Maybe it’s getting progressively more efficient when it comes to packing your car. Or learning how to make a fire, perfecting a meal, recognizing a bird call. Camping provides the opportunity to learn new and interesting things.

What are some things that we can learn during this time? It may be how to cook something new or learn an instrument or complete a knitting project. It may also be less tangible than that. Maybe there are things to learn about your family members or about yourself. A new way of thinking about work and health. A learning mindset can help to be open to new possibilities. It means that we don’t have to be stuck in the old ways of doing things. We can adapt and grow and get better.

4. SUCCESSFULLY PERSEVERE THROUGH DISCOMFORT

On camping trips we are bound to experience things that make us a little bit uncomfortable. Unwanted rain, siafu attacking our tents in the middle of the night (true story), burned food, stomach flu, cuts and bruises, longer-than-expected hikes, cars breaking down, or getting stuck in mud… the list goes on! The more experience we have dealing with the unexpected, the more practice we have at persevering—and even laughing—through it. There are so many times where I’ve thought, “I’m really uncomfortable right now, but this is going to make a great story at some point.”

While we are definitely not suggesting that the seriousness of the current situation can be equated with a meal gone wrong or a stubbed toe, the same principle applies. What great stories can we take out of this experience? For many us, this is a much greater obstacle than anything we’ve gone through before. But if we continue on, try to make the best of it, and find the beauty behind each challenge, we’ll have some incredible, meaningful stories to tell at the end of it.

5. BE CREATIVE AND RESOURCEFUL

Camping often puts us in situations where we have to figure out what to do with limited resources. Have you ever forgotten a key item on your packing list? Like a vital ingredient for a recipe or the rain fly for your tent? I think we’ve all been there. And we figure out what to do, one way or another. Repurposing resources, creatively combining leftover foods so nothing gets wasted, making a makeshift corkscrew with of nail and hammer (also a true story—it was messy, but we successfully got the wine). It’s pretty amazing what creative solutions we can come up with when operating within constraints.

What opportunities lie behind our current limitations? How can we make the most of the supplies that we have? What creative solutions can we provide to new and old challenges? Capitalizing on our creativity and resourcefulness will be the difference between just getting by and thriving in spite of serious challenges.

Follow us on Instagram @campinginkenya to see plenty of camping inspiration!