Wild Camping Tips and Tricks

People have turned their attention to holidaying outdoors in a caravan or motorhome to disconnect themselves from the day-to-day worries and unwanted people around for a couple of days or weeks.

Why would you prefer a crowded camping site where – with a slight exaggeration – the population density equals to that in an average city plaza? And why would you abandon the idea of pitching your tent on a deserted beach, by the riverside, or on a cliff far from everything and everybody?

The answers to these questions are manifold. First of all, you need to get informed whether wild camping is allowed where you want to go. Because nothing is more attractive than bedding down in a place surrounded by extraordinary natural beauties, while nothing is more disappointing than having the authorities knocking on the window of your motorhome in the middle of the night to inform you that what you are doing is technically illegal.

Tolerance of wild camping varies from state to state

Wild camping is normally regulated on a country-level, and it’s strongly advised to get properly informed prior to the start of the journey. You can spend the night outdoors wherever you want in the Scandinavian countries, for example Norway and Sweden, and you won’t be heavily fined for illegal wild camping in Scotland, Turkey, or the United States either. In some other countries, like Slovakia, you can practically camp anywhere in nature – except in specific protected areas – for a maximum of 24 hours. There are, however, several countries where the possibility of wild camping is completely eliminated. This latter group includes Australia, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Portugal, and Slovenia.

No worries: Well-equipped camping sites are awaiting for you

This doesn’t mean, however, that these countries don’t welcome tourists with caravans or motorhomes. In these regions, people preferring this type of recreation are invited to stay in camping sites or other places specially developed for similar purposes, with an eye to conserving natural resources and, at the same time, ensuring the safety of the holidaymakers. It’ basically a fact that you’ll find the most beautiful and well-equipped camping sites where wild camping is strictly forbidden. Keen fans of wild camping shouldn’t exclude camping sites completely. Although these places have a higher population density than any picturesque forest side, the holidaymakers preferring these facilities make sure that all unwritten rules are obeyed so that nobody gets on the nerves of the other campers around. Nobody listens to loud music, and you don’t have to line up in endless queues for the lavatories or kitchen sinks.

Why is iGO navigation recommended?

The rich POI database of iGO gives you valuable assistance in finding the most attractive camping sites and the app guides you straight to the selected one. To be on the safe side, it is advised to update the maps before setting out on your journey, so that you can avoid extra charges for data roaming. Actually, this latter doesn’t apply to the EU members states, but you can run up a very large phone bill with a couple of careless minutes of data roaming or phone calls in, for example, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, or Switzerland.