The most common beginner’s mistakes when camping – As a camping beginner, it’s inevitable that you won’t know a few things yet and will make the odd beginner’s mistake on your camping vacation.
Whether with a roof tent, tent trailer or motorhome – mistakes happen and that’s completely normal.
However, to help you avoid the biggest pitfalls and avoid some mistakes, here are the most common beginner’s mistakes when camping.
Camping Ratgeber:
Driving off unprepared – error 1
One of the biggest mistakes you can probably make is to set off unprepared.
Even though camping is usually a very spontaneous and flexible vacation option, you should still plan your trip well enough in advance and pack important accessories so that you don’t forget anything.
Read all about camping beginners and camping tips here and take a look at this detailed packing list to make sure you are prepared for everything.
How to prepare before your camping vacation:
- Find out about camping in advance
- Plan your trip in detail
- Prepare a packing list
A certain amount of planning and organization is essential when camping – even if you are very flexible on the road! 
Driving too long in one go – mistake 2
Even if the distance between certain destinations is often very long and underestimated, you should always be careful not to ride for too long at a time.
This can be very tiring and lead to fatigue, putting you and your loved ones at risk.
It can also be sweaty, especially with children, as they are likely to get cranky over time.
So be sure to plan your route well in advance, take regular breaks and, ideally, change drivers from time to time. This is how you can avoid this error:
- Plan your route well in advance
- Divide the route into small stages
- Take regular breaks
- Think about changing drivers from time to time
Make sure you take regular breaks along the way and don’t ride for too long at a time! 
Blindly trusting the navigation system – error 3
Another mistake that is often made is to blindly trust your sat nav.
Even though electronic devices, and especially the navigation function, have become indispensable, you should not rely exclusively on them on a camping vacation.
Sure, sat navs make route planning much easier, but you are probably in the middle of the great outdoors, don’t know your way around very well and wouldn’t even notice if you took a completely wrong route.
It can actually happen that sat navs lead unsuspecting vacationers onto roads that suddenly end or along shortcuts.
To avoid ending up in the middle of nowhere, it’s best to check a map alongside the sat nav, pay attention to signs and trust your instincts.
Instead of blindly trusting your sat nav, you should also:
- A real map with tracking
- Observe road signs
- Trust your instinct
Follow your route on the map as well as the sat nav! 
Always park in the sun – mistake 4
Even if it sounds tempting at first, especially on summer vacation, you shouldn’t always park your car in the blazing sun.
Too much sun not only damages the skin, but also leads to an annoying build-up of heat in the car in the long term.
So it’s best to choose a place in the shade so that you don’t have to sleep in a sauna in your roof tent, tent trailer or camper at night.
Tip!
If you can’t find a shady spot, keep everything as dark as possible during the day and ventilate well in the evening.
This way you avoid annoying heat in the car:
- Choose a place in the shade
- Lower the blinds during the day
- Give it a good airing in the evening
Park your car in the shade to avoid unbearable heat at night! 
Taking too much luggage – mistake 5
Avoid excess luggage at all costs!
This mistake is often made by camping beginners, as they want to pack a few things as a precaution.
However, less is actually more when camping.
Firstly, in the end you won’t need everything you’ve taken with you anyway, as you usually opt for comfortable clothing when you’re out and about.
In addition, you won’t have much space in the car and the constant stowing and repacking is annoying in the long run, which is why your bag should be as small as possible.
In addition, of course, there are the rising fuel costs due to the high weight.
You should bear this in mind when packing:
- Only take really necessary, practical functional clothing with you
- Opt for a small bag instead of a suitcase
- The more weight, the higher the fuel costs
Only take what you need for camping and opt for practical items! 
Helpful tips for camping with a roof tent
Rooftop tent camping is a great way to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and experience nature up close.
With a rooftop tent on your car, you are completely flexible, can camp almost anywhere you want spontaneously and can look forward to an optimal mix of relaxation and adventure.
However, there are a few things to bear in mind.
Here you can find out everything you need to know and 15 helpful tips for traveling in a roof tent:
You should follow these tips:
- Choose the right roof tent
- Invest in good roof racks
- Pay attention to weight and roof load
- Route: planning is the be-all and end-all
- Checklist: Pack efficiently
- Bring basic equipment with you
- Set up the roof tent correctly
- Choose suitable campsites
- Keep your roof tent clean
- Observe the local regulations
- Think about your own safety
- Take care of your health
- Always be prepared on the go
- Enjoy the idyllic nature
- The most important thing: have fun!
The 10 most common mistakes when camping with a motorhome
Traveling with a motorhome also requires some basic knowledge and, above all, experience.
That’s why your first motorhome vacation in particular will certainly not go completely smoothly.
For example, do you know why you shouldn’t drive around with a full water tank?
Sounds sensible at first, as you won’t have to refill it in the middle of your vacation.
But with 95 – 170 liters of water, the motorhome has to carry quite a lot of extra load, which has a negative effect on driving style and fuel consumption.
So here are the 10 most common mistakes that you can easily avoid:
- Drive off with a full fresh water tank
- Motorhome incorrectly loaded
- Walking around in the motorhome while driving
- Do not secure the load in the motorhome
- Underestimating heat and cold on the road
- Delaying the disposal of wastewater
- Pack too many accessories
- Choose a motorhome that is too large
- Drive off directly without a test run
- Simply wild camping on the roadside
