If you are a camper and you enjoy a challenge, a camping trip to Mexico could be just the challenge you are looking for. It is a country of mystery and intrigue, but is you have never camped before, leave visiting Mexico until you have a little experience. Finding yourself off the main highway and in the dessert is easily done and you have to be prepared for any eventuality.

Planning is essential, and the trip to successful camping is to take everything you need, but not too much!  Because regardless of how careful your planning you have to be  adventurous, because and incident free trip is rare.

The most fantastic camping opportunities are likely to appear out of nowhere, and this is the beauty of camping. Memories are made of this, but be aware that you have to have a lot of nerve to pull it off, Mexico is not for shrinking violets, so if you are made of sterner stuff, you will be just fine.

You have to be prepared to camp and dress for any conditions, and one night you could be in  the searing dessert and the next in snowy, pine forested mountains. One good thing is that  dessert night conditions are cold, so you will have clothing for both these eventualities.  You may even experience tropical storms!

To really enjoy a Mexican camping experience you have to be very flexible and be able to go with the flow. Because of the extremes, even the best lad plans go astray and you have to be able to adapt to this.

Use camping checklists, you will find these online, they will help you ensure you have everything  you need in its most compact form. Shop for your luxuries in the US, while shopping in  unfamiliar stores in unfamiliar Mexican towns is fun, if you are a woman and you want a  Hershey bar now, you will be in for a long wait. Nachos can never replace your favorite  chocolate bar.

Never drink tap water, unless you have boiled it or purified it, bottled water is always the safest. Make sure you have enough water with you, your nearest Chevron, may be a long way away. Take toilet paper, sunscreen and biodegradable toiletries.

Make sure you have an emergency medical kit, you need it to be compact, yet comprehensive,  find a checklist for this online too. My mother suggests, anti-diarrhea and nausea  medication, elastoplasts of various sizes, asprin and brandy (her cure all).

My camping list seems to last forever! Who doesn’t love to go camping? Lying under the stars listening to the sound of nature all around you, building a fire out of nothing but sticks to keep you warm. Getting in touch with nature is the best satisfaction of going camping, but the camping list of things to pack seems endless.

Some campers have gotten the packing down to a science on what they can leave behind and what they can’t do without. How long will you be gone is the most important question you need to ask yourself before going on a camping trip. This will allow you to know how much food to take as well as staple supplies.

Length of stay is a major factor when going camping. After you decide how long you will be away from home you can then decide how many meals you are planning on cooking and how elaborate you plan on making them. Most families that go camping just have sandwiches that make everything seem easy. A cooler, ice, sandwich meat, condiments such as mustard or mayonnaise, paper plates and drinks is about all you need for this feat.

Many avid campers go and camp just as if they were at home. They will pack pans to wash dishes in, dish soap, cutting boards and pots and pans just as if they were home. When we go camping we usually fix sandwiches for lunch and regular meals for breakfast and dinner. Preparing these items will make your list grow but really is no different than preparing them at home.

A few more items that you will need to pack is a grill, tarp, tent, blankets, pillows, snack items, toiletry items and possibly bug spray if you have trouble with bugs and mosquitoes.  If you want more luxury, throw in a camping cot for a good night’s sleep.

Camping is an experience that the whole family can do any age and any sex. You can pack everything except the kitchen sink but after you camp a few times you will find yourself weeding things out and realizing that you don’t need everything after all.