I just came back from a group camping trip composed of people to whom I am not related (read: don’t rely upon me for financial support or otherwise legally don't have to put up with me), and once again, I’m amazed at how we all managed not to kill each other.
You know what I’m talking about here. Every trip, there’s always somebody who gets up super early and beats his (or, um, maybe her) chest, coughing and clearing their throats – and often yelling something like, “Yep, yep, it’s great to be alive!” – so loudly that everyone else has to get up, too.
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| No one ever really looks like this when camping. (istock) |
There’s always that person who somehow manages not to be around when the disgusting greasy cooking thing needs to be cleaned, and there’s always someone who is so over the top when it comes to cheerfully (frantically! maniacally!) getting everything done, you’d just like to smother them with a sleeping bag and hide the body in a dumping station.
But they’re your friends, or your family, and you have to make this work. Sometimes, heaven help you, for extended periods of time, like longer than 15 minutes. In which case, there’s not enough beer on the planet, and so you’re going to need some helpful hints. So here’s what we all chatted about around the fire one night, things we all thought had helped us over the years, not to mention through this trip (plenty of beer was also at the top of the list).
1. Designate a trip leader: While no one likes to have to report to yet another boss, agreeing on one person (or a couple) to serve as a central clearinghouse for information will at least cut down on the inevitable back-and-forth that will occur as the trip gets closer and more details need to be solidified. The trip leader’s duties can be as simple as serving as the vehicle that stays in front when the driving gets underway or as elaborate as tracking trip expenses and sending out repeat reminders as the trip approaches. Be sure to remind everyone to hit “reply all” on emails so that everyone is clued in on pertinent info.
2. Divide and conquer: If you can come up with a way to divide up responsibilities ahead, you’ll be able to enjoy the trip so much more. Things such as meal planning and execution, dish-washing, setting up the tents, who pays for what – all of that can be nearly squared away before anyone even pulls out of a driveway, and if it’s written down in an email or on paper, so much the better. It cuts down on squabbling later, because you can always point to a printout and say, “Hey, we agreed you were going to be in charge of toilet paper.” And isn’t that moment when you realize you’re 50 miles from the nearest facilities with no paper products what great trip stories are made of?
3. Plan ahead: Chat with everyone about what you would like to see happen on the trip and ask for input. If you envision three days of hiking and a mushroom-hunting foray in the forest, while most of the rest of the group thought this was going to be a rest-fest with lots of alcohol consumption and chatting around the fire, there may be some friction.
4. Be flexible: That said, also be prepared to change things at the last minutes and have back-up ideas in mind. We all know it can rain unexpectedly, equipment breaks, things happen. And if it turns out that the majority wants to do something different from what you want to do, it helps to be gracious and go along willingly. The hiking boot may be on the other foot another day, and you will have purchased valuable goodwill.
5. Bring games: Even silly, stupid ones. So many trips have been saved when the rain wouldn’t let up or things just went flat when someone pulled out “Pictionary” or some other ridiculous kids’ game that turned out to be hilarious (especially after a few margaritas).
6. Bring snacks: Even if it’s an all-adult trip, having something to munch on makes everyone less cranky. When you come back to the camp after a hard day of hiking-biking-rafting-whatever, even the fastest camp meal is going to take some time to prepare, so chips and salsa, veggies and dip or some other items that you can just set out and let people scarf up while the meal is being prepared will go a long way toward keeping everyone mellow.
7. Give everyone some space: Recognize that everyone has a breaking point in terms of how long they can take being with others. Even extroverts need some down time. If you see someone edging away from the group, let them go off on their own for a while. This seems to be one of the hardest things in the group setting – for people to realize when they need to get some quiet time and to give themselves permission to, and for others to let them. A little “me time” can help everyone be more patient and tolerant during group time.
The roadtripster is the handle of a longtime Coloradan who travels the country by any means possible, sometimes in an RV, sometimes car camping or in the backcountry, with kids and without.
