The thought of camping alone can be very intimidating, especially if youre a woman. Ideally, it is not something recommended to women new to camping. In this day and age women must be armed with both commonsense and experience when camping but in most places campers are a friendly neighbourly bunch of people who are out to become one with nature, just like you.

There are, however, some basic steps that you can follow to ensure your camping trip alone is a safe and happy time.

Many campgrounds have hosts who reside in campgrounds. If you camp near a host you will have access to a person with radio contact with park personnel.

If you camp in a location where there are no camp hosts then camp near a large family.

Let the ranger know that you are alone but dont broadcast it to everyone else around you.

Visit camping forums and see if there are other women in your area that love camping who may want to camp nearby to you.

If you experience any problem remember that the National Park Service and State Park campgrounds are usually very well-patrolled and in most cases will take action if called upon.

Instead of going up to other campers and saying, Hi, Im Kerry and Im here by myself ask questions like How can I contact you if I experience a problem or is this campground regularly patrolled?

Dont advertise you are by yourself by finding campsites away from walking trails.

Make sure you have your cell phone with you at all times and it is fully charged.

As soon as you get to the campground ask for the phone number of whoever is on call after hours. Save that number immediately into your cell phone so that all you need to do is push a button rather than search for a piece of paper.

If youve got a dog bring it camping with you as a little extra security.

Avoid camping in isolated areas.

Avoid walking alone at night.

Make sure your vehicle is not parked in by another vehicle in case of an emergency.

There are also a number of security measures that you can put in place before leaving for your camping trip alone. This involves telling your friends and family important information. Here are some ideas below:

Tell others of your specific plans.

Tell others the places exactly where you are going.

Tell others what day and what time you expect to return.

Tell others the directions you plan to follow and possible alternative routes.

Tell others your mobile phone number.

Tell others of your vehicle description.

Tell others of your licence plate numbers.

Tell others the local authority phone numbers (Sheriff Department, Police, Game & Fish Commission) for the country or area that you will be in.

Arrange to contact members of your family at a certain timeframe on a certain day to keep them posted of your whereabouts and your safety during your camping trip if you are enjoying an extended time away.

Always use a good, reliable map.

Ask local people and travellers for directions and weather and road conditions.

If you become lost stay with your vehicle and wait for another to pass by.

If you are heading off on a remote track make sure someone knows where you are going and what time you should be there or travel with another vehicle.

Calculate how long you should reasonably take to get to your destination each day.

For some added peace of mind, http://www.nav4all.com has created a fantastic navigation system that you download to your cellphone which is free of charge. It is very user friendly and extremely handy for all outdoor activities, particularly camping alone. I'd highly recommend you download this free navigitional tool.

By just following a few of these simple suggestions youll be able to overcome your fear of camping alone and feel a real sense of achievement too, all the while enjoying all the beauty that nature and camping has to offer.

Copyright 2006 Karin Manning