8 reasons why camping alone can be great

If you go camping alone, you can do anything. You don't have to compromise and don't have to wait. Here are 8 reasons why solo camping is worth it.

from Martin Gebhardt | Camping | reading time 6 Min
Updated on 19 September 2023 5.487 views 100% found this guide helpful
8 reasons why camping alone can be great

Martin Gebhardt

From Martin Gebhardt. Check out my “About me” page.


👉 The key facts from this guide

  • Solo camping strengthens your self-confidence and shows you what you are capable of
  • Lighter luggage allows for more mobility and flexibility
  • Observe wildlife undisturbed and discover fascinating animal species
  • Enjoy the freedom of cooking and eating just for yourself
  • Be inspired by nature and focus on creative projects
  • Find yourself and escape the stress of everyday life

Many people have never had the opportunity to experience solo camping and often do not understand the benefits it can offer.

Because camping is an underestimated activity that offers you the opportunity to reconnect with nature and time, to think and reflect.

It is also a cost-effective way to practice wilderness skills, have fun, and connect with others.

This article lists 8 reasons why solo camping can be great - including reconnecting with nature, finding oneself, exercise, and having fun.

Have fun reading, and maybe you will actually start your own solo camping adventure soon.

1. Solo camping helps you build self-confidence

One of the reasons why you have never tried solo camping may be your peculiarity that you simply do not trust yourself at the moment.

How can you, possibly as a city dweller, survive in the wilderness - completely on your own, without a supermarket or other luxuries of modern civilization?

Believe me, once you give it a try, you will be amazed at what you are capable of!

Many people don't know how much fun they can have on their own. Solo camping is a great experience for those who want to escape everyday life and be one with nature for the night.
Many people don't know how much fun they can have on their own. Solo camping is a great experience for those who want to escape everyday life and be one with nature for the night.

Sure, the first steps will be bumpy, you will feel overwhelmed, maybe a little unsure and therefore lonely, but that's absolutely okay.

Nobody expects you to demonstrate the best survival skills and brave any weather on your first solo trip.

After a while, you will see which abilities are dormant within you and realize that all your insecurities were unfounded.

Step by step, you will learn and develop a sense of what to do in each situation. You will recognize how good it feels to take full responsibility for yourself and your situation.

Short and sweet: A solo camping adventure will have an extremely positive impact on your character development.

Also read

19 Survival Skills You Need to Know (Top Survival Skills) - Knowing and practicing these 19 survival skills will increase your chances of surviving an extreme situation. Feel safer and stronger.

2. Lightweight luggage allows you more mobility

If you are traveling alone and do not have all your friends or your entire family in tow, you logically only need to bring as much luggage as you yourself need.

This in turn allows you a lot of freedom of movement and mobility. If you are keen to explore new areas, there is nothing and no one standing in your way.

No matter if you want to climb a mountain, traverse dense forests, or discover the most beautiful sandy beach - if you are traveling alone, neither a heavily loaded group nor anything else will stop you.

Do you want to make packing for your next camping trip easier? Then download the free printable checklist for your camping equipment!

3. Observe the pure wilderness undetected

What do you think will not happen when you stroll through the forest with a few friends, laughing, drinking, and celebrating?

Exactly, most likely not many animals of the forest will show themselves and allow you to observe them in the wild.

The gathering of people and the corresponding noise tends to scare away the animals.

dachs schaut aus gebuesch heraus

So here's another reason for you to embark on your solo camping adventure.

If you are traveling without a large group, you can move through the wilderness as quietly and unnoticed as possible, thereby increasing your chances of spotting wild animals and ultimately being able to observe them for longer periods of time.

Believe me, observing wild animals in the moments when they feel unobserved is simply fascinating.

In this way, you can learn a lot and do some research on your own if you'd like to.

P. S. In my database on animal tracks, you can find clues about which animal you might have encountered.

4. You only have to cook for yourself

You can believe me when I say: Cooking on a camping trip for multiple people can be fun - sometimes…

was kann man zum campen an essen mitnehmen

Please keep in mind that it takes more preparation and post-processing when food needs to be prepared constantly for a larger group. Accordingly, it can also become elaborate, especially in the wilderness.

If you are traveling alone, all these efforts disappear. You simply prepare the meal you need for yourself at that moment.

You require fewer resources, less time, and less effort, yet you are still satisfied.

Eat whatever you want, whenever you want, without compromising with your friends or family.

Read also

45 ideas and 7 recipes for camping meals without cooking for your next outdoor adventure - Whether annoyed, not in the mood, or no time while camping: Get 45 recipe ideas and 7 detailed recipes where you don't have to cook while camping.

5. Get inspired

You've probably heard of one or another artist who has ventured out into the wilderness for inspiration, haven't you?

Nobody expects you to create a painting in the style of Leonardo da Vinci, don't worry - but you can still get inspired.

If, for example, you have an important task to complete, to write a book, or to focus on another activity, then a solo short trip into nature is just right for you.

Without the distractions of civilization, solely surrounded by untouched wilderness, working, learning, and tinkering is much better, believe me.

Camping and work go wonderfully well together for me
Camping and work go wonderfully well together for me

6. Find yourself

"My goodness, now it's getting spiritual," you might be thinking.

And the "find yourself" is not even so far-fetched.

To realize this, you just have to take a look at our modern society. Day by day, new technological masterpieces and developments emerge, our everyday life becomes increasingly fast-paced and more dependent on technology.

There is often little time left for ourselves, isn't there?

We hardly have the opportunity to thoroughly and intimately engage with ourselves, to leave behind the stress of everyday life and take a deep breath.

Let me tell you that with a solo camping adventure, you can escape the daily bombardment of stimulation and everyday stress.

Solo camping can reconnect you closely with nature
Solo camping can reconnect you closely with nature

Solo camping can help you discover new perspectives and viewpoints, perhaps perceiving your life differently than before.

In the best-case scenario, you, as cliché as it may sound to you, come back as a better person who now sees things more clearly than before their adventure.

Read also

Nature connection is not only important - but enormously important! The power of nature connection. - Nature connection is the feeling of intense connection with nature. When we are in nature, we can immediately experience this feeling.

7. You meet new friends everywhere

Moment, meeting new friends? Isn't the whole point of a solo camping adventure to be completely alone?

Enjoying time for yourself and not necessarily interacting with other people?

Allow me to explain to you in more detail what I actually mean by that and why I included this point in my list.

If you're traveling with a group, you usually stick together. You know each other, probably have the same sense of humor and intentions. You remember those cliques from school, right? It's similar with larger camping groups.

Just because you are traveling without friends or family doesn't mean you can't meet other campers who may have had the same idea as you.

Without this great group dynamic, refreshing new conversations with strangers who also wanted to take some time for themselves often do not arise.

What may sound paradoxical is nevertheless a fact: If you are alone, it will be easier for you to make new acquaintances.

What speaks against a campfire with other solo campers?
What speaks against a campfire with other solo campers?

8. You stay flexible

Where we are already talking about group dynamics: When you are out with your friends or family, something like a "daily routine" typically sets in.

At this time, there is breakfast, then we go fishing, next we barbecue, sit by the campfire for a while, and then it's off to the sleeping bag - the same thing every day.

Don't get me wrong, camping in a group (here are my tips) or with family can be a lot of fun, but there will always be a certain routine that is followed thanks to group dynamics.

Simple and straightforward: You can't always do exactly what you want. If you're alone, you're the one calling the shots.

You decide alone what you want to do at any given time or where you would like to be.

When solo camping, you decide what goes on the table
When solo camping, you decide what goes on the table

You don't have a daily routine or specific schedule that you have to adhere to, but rather you determine your daily routines yourself and can change your plans as often as you like, without anyone being able to complain about it.

Get up whenever you want and go back to sleep whenever you want. Eat and drink at the times that suit you and only focus on what truly concerns you at this moment.

Conclusion: Camping alone offers you numerous possibilities that camping in a large group cannot offer

Here the conclusion should not serve to condemn camping with friends. On the contrary, experiencing a camping adventure with loved ones can be the most beautiful thing you may ever experience.

Anyway, it has its justification, but that should not be the focus of this article.

Maybe you can now understand that a solo camping adventure offers you entirely different possibilities and perspectives than a tour with friends ever could.

During your solo adventure, everything revolves around one thing - you.

You are in focus: your perception, your character development, your thoughts, your peace of mind, and your experiences.

This is what solo camping is all about.

So here is my recommendation: If you are searching for yourself, for new experiences that enrich you or if you desire a change in perspective, then you should definitely give it a try.

You have absolutely nothing to lose, but a lot to gain. Dare to do it, you won't regret it.

Take care, Martin
Martin Gebhardt

Author of the guide


Martin Gebhardt

Hey, I'm Martin. On my blog, you will learn the basics and numerous details about living in the wild. I think survival, bushcraft and the good life in nature are the keys to happiness. Find me here on Instagram or on YouTube. You can find more about my mission on the About Me page.

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