Camping and caravan trips are a quintessential part of the British summer experience, but if you’ve never slept in a tent or leisure vehicle before, it can be difficult to drift off.
From the unfamiliarity of the setting to worrying about venturing out to the toilet block, there are a number of factors that might keep you awake.
Luckily, sleep experts at WinstonsBeds.com and the writers at CaravanTimes have some top tips to help you get as much rest as possible on your next camping or touring trip.
Rebecca Swain, mattress expert at the company, said: “If you’re new to camping you may be wondering how good of a sleep you’ll get.
“Sleeping somewhere new can be tricky so it’s important to make the experience as comfortable as possible.
“Checking the weather before you go and packing sleeping masks and ear plugs are some of the things you can do to prepare for a good sleep.”
Think about the position of your camp
There are a number of factors to bear in mind when deciding where to pitch your tent or park your caravan or motorhome.
Both types of shelter will be more comfortable if you can position them on flat and even ground. If this isn’t possible for your leisure vehicle, levelling blocks can help.
For tents, it’s worth laying down inside on top of your mattress before pegging the canvas into the ground to ensure you’re not on a slope or bump.
Protect yourself from the elements
Wind, rain and sunshine can all have an impact on the quality of your sleep when you’re staying outside, so think about the protection available.
A pitch that’s shaded by a tree in the morning can help prevent being woken up early by a hot tent or caravan, while the wind direction can be important to stop rain being blown into the tent door and seams.
Even in the summer months, it can get cold at night, so bring a warm enough sleeping bag and extra blankets in case you need them.
Block out noise and light
Many of us are used to sleeping with blackout curtains at home and noises that we’ve become accustomed to, like roads or the sounds of our neighbours.
Light nights, early sunrises and the sounds of the countryside can make sleeping in a tent or caravan much more difficult.
Think about this in advance and prepare a plan, whether it’s an eye mask and set of earplugs, or caravan blackout blinds and a bluetooth speaker to play white noise.
Photo credit: Unsplash/Clay Banks
