Camping can be a blast, but unfortunately not everyone feels that way. To some people, it’s sleeping on the ground in a stuffy (or cold) climate away from all of the modern amenities they have grown accustomed to. Terrifying visions of being forced to defecate in the woods and wipe with a leaf (possibly a poisonous one) or fend for themselves when a giant bear comes to raid their camp is enough to get some people to say, “no thanks.”

But as any experienced camper knows, camping is a great activity that is usually free from such horrors when proper planning and preparation have occurred.

So suppose you want to go camping but are having a hard time convincing a friend or significant other to go with you. You know perfectly well that if you can just get them in the woods, they’ll have a great time. But how do you get them in the woods? Well, here are a few approaches that may yield success:

Compromise

As with all things in life, sometimes you have to give a little to get something you want in return. Offer some type of compromise whether it’s a willingness to try something they want to do that you don’t want to do, telling them you’ll pay for the trip so there is no financial burden on their end, or even just remind them about all of the great things you’ve done for them and how it would mean a lot to you if they tried it out.

Prepare for Success

Remember, when camping with someone, you’re also auditioning to get them to camp with you again. Make it a great experience for them! Camping can be a great time for everyone, so figure out different ways to tweak your camping experience to keep everyone happy. This way, next time you want to go camping you won’t have to twist arms as hard. A good tip is to pinpoint some of the reasons why your companion doesn’t want to go camping and then do what you can to remedy those excuses. For example, if they say they don’t like sleeping on the ground, bring an air mattress with a foam cover. You can usually always make camping fun for anyone.

Know the Fears

Here are the common reasons people don’t want to camp:

• Fear of bugs
• Fear of animal attack
• No showers
• Sleeping on the ground
• Food quality/availability
• Climate discomfort
• Fear of being disconnected from the modern world

By knowing the typical reasons why some people don’t want to go camping, you can adequately prepare your sales pitch to dispel these concerns. Most people who are reluctant to camp can be talked into it as long as they feel like they are in good hands. Just reassure them that you (or a fellow camping companion) do this all the time and that everything will go smoothly. Throw in a little begging and whining and you should be all set.

One of the reasons I enjoy camping is that it is about the only chance I get to feel any type of a struggle to survive.

Think about it: most people in our society never have to deal with the struggle to survive until they are very old. This is something very new to humanity. Virtually every generation of humans before us had a much more intimate understanding of what it means to surive. Survival is very easy now. Even on a parltry annual income of, say, $10,000, survival is still very very easy.

In this day and age, we are blessed enough that we do not need to feel the pangs that accompany the struggle to survive. We have it easy. Most Americans have far more calories available to them than they need; so many calories that, ironically, it expedites our journey to being in a more legitimate fight to stay alive. That is, of course, because of the health risks associated with excess caloric consumption.

While we have every reason to feel grateful for how easy it is to remain alive, in a way, there is something empty about it. There is a bond that almost every human to have existed shares which we are left out on. That is the bond of survival. We have no intimate awareness of what it is like to truly struggle to stay alive. Most of us don’t, anyway.

That’s why camping can be such a rewarding activity. Of course, camping can be designed to be nearly as safe and free of risk as staying at home for the night, but it can also be designed to replicate the struggle to survive that our ancestors went through. Best of all: it’s you, the camper, who gets to choose how primitive of an experience you want.

It goes without being said that you should always practice common sense. Watch the movie Into the Wild if you need a lesson on what can happen when you camp recklessly. But camping provides an amazing opportunity to put yourself in a situation where you are almost entirely void of the comforts we’ve grown accustom to in our glutanous society.

I challenge you to let your next camping experience be a little less cushy than you are used to. Leave the Tempurpedic pillow and gas-powered generator at home. Try camping in the way early humans had no choice: a nightly struggle for survival. I promise the white picket fence will be waiting on you when you leave the woods!

Who isn’t looking for a good deal these days? While camping and campground fees have always been a great deal, there’s a website I just found, freecampgrounds.com that currently has over 1,600 campsites listed that are either free or almost free, meaning $10 or less.

The website is really easy to use. Just click on the state you want to camp in and scroll through the list. Most camping areas have a scenery and noise level rating; the number of campsites; the maximum days allowed; nearest city; amenities; months open; and a description. Plus, many of the listings have comments from people who have camped there which is great information to have.

Here’s a couple FREE camping places I found:

MONTANA
Columbus. It’s a city owned campground on Yellowstone River. It’s free to camp there but donations are accepted. It’s open all year but the bathroom closes in the winter. It has a scenery rating of 5 out of 5, and a noise level of 1 out of 5.

FLORIDA
Apalachicola Boondocking. The description on freecampgrounds.com says, “I live in Apalachicola, and I know that a lot of RVs and travel trailers camp all over town. Just find a parking lot and pull in. If you go though the blinking caution light (from the east headed west), don’t turn following 98, go straight. Several places along this short road to pull up for the night, but follow to the end (about 1 mile) and you end up at the harbor with all the shrimp boats. Lots of parking there! This is a beautiful coastal village with great seafood restaurants and interesting shops and galleries. There is a lot of history here and is worth a few days stay. St. George Island is 12 miles away with its sugar white sand and beautiful beaches! This isn’t called the “Forgotten Coastline” without reason. It’s totally unspoiled!”

CALIFORNIA
Big Bar Campground near the Trinity River. The nearest town is Big Bar and the nearest city is Eureka. It’s open year round.

These are just a few examples. Check the website out for yourself and find a free or nearly free campground to stay at on your next camping trip!