Useful tips for camping in the wild

Camping is more popular than ever: the group of people calling themselves campers or "vanlifers" has been growing steadily, well before the pandemic. And camping is usually closely tied to nature. Especially if you want to camp wild rather than staying at official campgrounds, there are a few simple rules to follow. After all, we all want to enjoy our beautiful natural world for a while longer. Here are some tips for how to behave when camping in nature.

Camping in nature

1. Finding a spot

2. Day-to-day life in nature

3. Respectful behaviour

Pitches in nature: where you are allowed to stay

Everyone's dream is surely to park up in the most beautiful natural setting. Sometimes that's even possible, but mostly it isn't, at leastnot legally. In particular,national parks and nature reserves are especially protected and wild camping there is subject to heavy fines. But wild camping is also mostly prohibited at the idyllic bay in Italy, in the Swiss mountain panorama, or right on the beach in France, Spain or Portugal.

Image from Unsplash by Daan Weijers |

Anyone who wants to play it safe can either check our blog article on the topic ofwild camping in Europe to find out wherewild camping is permitted or tolerated, or search onVanSite for nature-friendly pitches on private land.

Living with nature: tips for everyday life

Once you've found your "wild spot"in nature, you should treat it with care during your stay, so you leave it exactly as you found it. Here are a fewtips for your camping routine in nature:

Toilet: Ideally you have your own toilet, for example a composting toilet, in your campervan or motorhome. Thedisposal of this should only be done at designated locations - you'll find tips on this in our article. If you don't have your own toilet, then hopefully a spade. Find a quiet spot a few metres away from all public spaces, paths, bodies of water etc. Dig a deep enough hole, do your business, and fill it back in. Important: don't throw toilet paper into nature!

Washing clothes: If your clothes run low while camping in nature and you need to do laundry, it's best to have a washing bowl and eco-friendly detergent with you. The water you use for washing should not be disposed of in nature, even with sustainable detergents; use a wastewater canister instead. Tips on other ways todo laundry while camping can be found in our article.

Showering: The same applies to showering: if you want to shower outdoors in nature, it matters what shampoo you use. Most shampoos and shower gels are not nature-friendly and should not seep into the soil - make sure you research this carefully. If in doubt, you can simply shower with water only.

Image from Unsplash by Seth Doyle |

Brushing teeth: Toothpaste should also not just be spat on the ground when camping in nature. If you don't have a washbasin available, for example because you are travelling by tent, toothpaste tablets are a good alternative.

Cooking and making a fire: Cooking together in the evening under a starry sky and ideally making a campfire - that's every camper's dream (you'll find ideas forcooking while camping in our article). When it comes tomaking a fire, you need to check whether the location is suitable. Are you near a forest? Has it been very dry in the past few weeks? Then it's better to skip the campfire. By the way: many of our hosts even have a fire pit on their property.

Taking rubbish with you: It should really go without saying, but unfortunately it often doesn't. Take your rubbish with you! Don't leave any of it in nature under any circumstances. That's not fair to Mother Earth, nor to your fellow human beings.

Respectful behaviour

Alongside the day-to-day practicalities,respectful behaviour when camping in nature isa given. Among other things, you should keep the following in mind:

• Avoid noise, because you disturb the wildlife.

• Leave the place as if you were never there: no rubbish, no damaged ground surfaces, no marks on the trees (e.g. from hammocks).

• If you choose to camp wild, keep a sufficientdistance from private property and national parks, nature reserves, etc..

Respect nature

If you follow these tips, nothing stands in the way of camping in nature. Have we missed anything? If you think of an important tip that should definitely be included, write to us.

Find a pitch.