Never spent an outdoor weekend? Then do not hesitate to plan such an event for the near future. It will allow you to spend a few days in nature, breathe fresh air and forget about various everyday affairs. For your first outdoor weekend to be perfect, you must carefully prepare for it. When doing this work, you should go through 6 basic stages, which will be the same for all cases. Each of them will be discussed in this article.

Selecting a location

Start preparing by choosing a location for your first outdoor weekend. Ideally, it should meet three criteria. First, the chosen location should be easy to get to. The best option is to have good roads or public transport stops, no closed areas to drive around for a long time, and access to various infrastructure (gas stations, places for short breaks, etc.).

Second, the chosen location should be open to visitors. This means that you should ignore places where ordinary people are prohibited from being (for example, a protected natural area with limited access for outsiders). Third, the first outdoor weekend’s location should be near populated areas, tourist centers, and popular roads. This is necessary so that it is easier for beginners to get help in any unforeseen circumstances.

Additional criteria for choosing a location for an outdoor weekend include the terrain, local climate, presence/absence of water bodies, and anything else needed when planning specific activities (for example, beginners who want to go hiking should choose a flat area with simple routes).

Learning about the weather forecast

It is unlikely that anything can spoil the impression of the first outdoor weekend more than the weather. Long precipitation, strong wind, fog, and very low or high air temperatures create discomfort that beginners will not like. Suppose some more serious problem arises (for example, an earthquake or a volcanic eruption). In that case, the chances that you will want to spend another weekend outdoors will be minimal.

To avoid unpleasant surprises, you must study the weather forecast in detail. You should pay attention to everything, even air humidity and atmospheric pressure. This approach will allow you to decide whether to hold or postpone the event until next weekend. It is recommended that the weather forecast be studied on several trusted sites. By comparing the data provided, you can minimize forecasters’ errors and determine the likelihood of certain weather phenomena.

Gathering the necessary equipment

Gathering equipment is one of the key stages of preparation for the first outdoor weekend. After all, forgetting an essential item at home can ruin the event before it even starts. To avoid this outcome, you need to make a list of essential items in advance, considering the location of the weekend, expected weather, environmental conditions, and planned activities. It should be moderately long, since an excessive number of things can create additional problems.

Among the essential items, devices, and accessories that will be needed for any outdoor weekend, there is a backpack, tent, sleeping bag, flashlight, first aid kit, communication and navigation equipment, as well as items that are always included in the classic tourist kit (knife, matches, rope, waterproof bags, food supplies, drinking water, etc.). Also seek to shop night binoculars and other similar optics before the event starts. You can choose devices to help you perform various actions in the dark.

Ensuring safety

You can always make many mistakes when doing something for the first time. Therefore, for many beginners, the primary goal of an outdoor weekend is to stay safe and avoid various troubles. To achieve this result, following the basic safety rules is enough. This will reduce the risk of problems and allow you to get rid of anxiety or even fear.

Before going into nature, you must tell someone (for example, friends or relatives) about your outdoor weekend. The main things you need to tell are the event’s location, the intended route of travel, and the time of return home. In this case, you will always know where to look for your rescuers even if trouble occurs. Next, you must note the most likely dangers and protect yourself. For example, if you spend time in places where dangerous animals live, take with you means of protection from their possible attack.

To ensure safety, you also need to exclude any rash actions. Eating unfamiliar mushrooms and berries, catching poisonous snakes, touching strange-looking plants and animals, jumping from a great height, and walking a few centimeters from the abyss are just some of the actions that must be avoided. It is also recommended that you always have the first aid kit mentioned in the article and the medications prescribed by your doctor.

Ensuring a high level of comfort

The first outdoor weekend should always be as comfortable as possible. To create such conditions, many important aspects must be considered. The main ones are comfortable clothes that match the weather conditions. If you choose them correctly, the impressions from the event will be only positive. The same applies to shoes. They should match the season and be comfortable walking on a specific surface (stones, sand, grass, soil, etc.).

It will not be possible to ensure a high comfort level if you forget about insect repellent at home. However, if you have one, you can eliminate annoying buzzing and thousands of bites, which can harm your health. In addition, everyone who will spend their first outdoor weekend in an open area should take sunscreen. It will eliminate discomfort during prolonged exposure to the sun. To complement the comfortable environment, you can use folding tables and chairs. They will make it possible to recreate the atmosphere of a picnic in the backyard and significantly improve the impressions of the first outdoor weekend.

Learning about ways to protect the environment

During an outdoor weekend, it is necessary to follow environmental protection rules. This will help preserve the area for other outdoor adventure fans and protect the city’s ecology, or even the entire region. Therefore, all beginners should definitely include in their preparation the study of ways to carefully treat the environment.

Lighting a fire is the most critical moment. If you make a mistake, you can start a massive fire and lose a wonderful place to relax for decades. Therefore, you should constantly monitor the fire during the weekend and not leave even smoldering coals unattended. Also, beginners should study the rules of waste disposal and handling of substances harmful to the environment (for example, plastic).

The first outdoor weekend is an essential event on which your further attitude to such events depends. Preparation for it should be comprehensive and include several critical stages. At each of them, you should pay attention to details and listen to the recommendations of experienced fans of outdoor adventures. This approach will make the outdoor weekend ideal. In this case, you can enjoy the time spent and want to repeat something similar many more times.

The post How to Prepare for the First Outdoor Weekend of Your Life appeared first on Daily Emerald.