Camping is adventure!

When I look at the pictures, I always start to daydream!

Camping (with a caravan for us) is always immersing myself in the new, the foreign, the unknown, and of course accompanied by curiosity.

I like seeing new things at the market, or food that is rather unknown to us. It's the exchange with the locals that is so much fun.

I fondly remember a fish seller in Selinunte, Sicily, who gave us cooking tips and was happy that he didn't have to endure my Italian, because his German was so good.

In Palermo, a shop owner quickly passed on a recipe for a very simple pasta sauce, which is still very popular with us today.

In France, you can quickly find the best culinary addresses when the campsite owner comes for a chat, or when the neighbors point out a culinary gem that they have just discovered themselves.

My favorite was a campsite on a goat farm in Norway, where they also sold goat products, including goat milk ice cream, which was really good. There, the owner lent us his own hiking map so that we were prepared for our hikes, because he thought our hiking app wasn't that great.

I am always surprised how friendly most people are at the small campsites, how willing they are to help when you ask for advice. The internet is good, but the contact here is simply better.

How often have we been recommended a great hiking trail via an app, only to hear from another camper that another path would be better and less muddy.

When I travel to another country, I really enjoy shopping, which I consider more of a chore at home. I like to let myself wander, inspect goods, observe the locals, and try to learn a little. That is an important part of camping for me, it's about new experiences.

I can equate camping with openness. I have no understanding for campers who just push their caravan or mobile home to the same place all the time and don't want to see anything new. I don't like this retreating, which is so common nowadays.

Of course, something can go wrong, there are always unpleasant surprises, like stolen shoes or other things, but in my experience, that is the exception.