The first daylight is slowly illuminating the untouched nature, crickets are chirping, the smell of summer is in the air – oh, that’s how you imagine the perfect camping holiday. Cozy relaxation far away from any civilisation, together with your loved one. Get away from the stressful everyday life. Focus on what really matters.
And then the internet goes on strike. Do you want to take a proper shower again? Or go to the toilet.
I admit: This idyllic romance, which has always been said about camping, also reaches me. But only the perfected dream idea, never the real camping. You may call me the princess and the pea, but I prefer my box spring bed to a sleeping pad. The idea of sharing the shared shower and toilet with other campers makes me sweat. And yes, I need seamless internet. When I imagine sitting in the desert and being able to give off smoke signals at most, not to mention streaming, my nerves start to tremble.
When I was a kid and a teenager, I spent vacations in tent camps and it was hell. When others sat around the campfire singing with the guitar and happily climbed out of their tents, I was plagued by back pain after the second night, which I have not otherwise felt to this day, and the urgent desire to escape from this forced community. I was also the object of the lust of numerous mosquitoes – which caused my bites to glow like the oh-so-awesome fireflies you could see at night.
Today it would probably look a little different, but after about half an hour in the wilderness I would ask myself: what now? As an outspoken non-spa and non-nature connoisseur, I quickly couldn’t think of anything else to do. Exploring flora (preferably not fauna) or meditating are not my thing. singing kumbaya? No thank you. I prefer to wander through museums, churches or historical sites. The head needs nourishment and such.
Yes, a camping holiday in the middle of nature is a beautiful dream. But nothing more.
star editor Leonie Zimmermann has a different opinion. She says: Each of us could use a break in nature. You can read her plea for camping here.
