1. You know your power hookup number, but not the road to reception.
“We’re at box 37, third row behind the wash block” – sounds like a military code, but that’s your new address. Directions? Only in electrical sockets, please.
2. You can smell the wind.
As soon as a gust picks up, you dash to grab the washing off the line, secure the awning, and warn your neighbours: “Something’s coming!” – Clearly, you’re more weather-sensitive than any weather app.
3. Toilet trips are little adventures.
Shower bag in one hand, cassette loo in the other – off you stride across the site, in your dressing gown.
4. You’ve got more tent pegs packed than an angler has hooks.
And yet you’re always missing that one long, sturdy peg – the one you bent last year in a gale up in the north.
5. You can set up a folding table half asleep.
One grab, one snap – done. Campers are true origami masters when it comes to camping furniture. But heaven help you if you lose that one vital connecting piece…
6. “Moin” is always the greeting – even in the afternoon.
Because campers are friendly. And because you never really know what time it is. Time? Who cares. Coffee? Always.
7. You have your own mat culture.
Doormat outside, shoe mat inside, anti-slip mat in the awning – and woe betide anyone who brings shoes into the campervan! That’s not dirt, that’s sacrilege.
8. The neighbours are like family – for a few days.
You share power, charcoal and tips – and by the first storm or parking dispute, you all know each other. After that, it’s time to toast together.
9. It takes you 30 minutes to grill the perfect sausage roll.
Because the camping stove, the wind, and the classic “wait, let me turn it again” are just part of the process. Meals take longer – but taste all the more adventurous.
10. You always have a plan B – and a plan C.
Rain, power cut, forgotten toothbrush: Campers can improvise like pros. You’ve packed in more experiences without luxury than most do with five-star hotels.
Camping is more than a holiday. It’s passion, lightness, and a hefty dose of improvisation. Anyone who’s ever shuffled across the morning grass in flip-flops to the shower knows: You only understand this if you’ve lived it yourself.
So: Roll out the awning, put the kettle on – and celebrate your life as a camper. You’re not alone.