Making the Best Use of your Smartphone During a Camping Trip

The idea of camping conjures images of peaceful, serene, and undisturbed nature—usually, time spent away with friends and family. However, even if you’re going on a camping trip to get away from it all, chances are that you don’t plan to leave your cell phone at home.

Ever-evolving technology and increasingly smart apps have given users a reason to keep their devices close. The nearly two-thirds of Americans who own a smartphone are not only taking their phones on vacation, but they are also discovering how their devices can make their trips more fun.

As it turns out, smartphones lend healthy doses of entertainment and convenience to a camping trip. Roughing it doesn’t mean foregoing the campfire selfie, the quick pic of a colorful plate, or the helpful use of maps and navigation during a hike. Being in the middle of the woods is no reason not to enjoy modern smartphones like the iPhone 5c.

Camping in Joshua Tree National Park.

Simple pleasures such as games, music, and movies are available when you’re connected to a reliable network like T-Mobile, along with millions of apps that offer survival tips, recipes, advice on building a camp fire, and instructions to pitch your tent. Whatever you’re looking for, a quick search in the Apple app store will help.

To make the best use of your smartphone during your trip, download the apps you think you will need before you go. Think about practical uses such as flashlights, trail maps, and apps to reserve camping ground space. If you’re ready to stargaze at night or try your eye at identifying wildlife tracks and animal sightings, there are apps for that, too.

The graphic below shows the wonderful array of tools that smartphones offer to enjoy your vacation even more, but don’t worry that your camping trip will be ruined by the outside world. If the phone rings, you don’t have to answer it.

Megan is an Australian Journalist who has been travelling and blogging since 2007, with the main aim of inspiring others to embark on their own worldwide adventure. Her husband Mike is an American travel photographer, and together they have made the world their home.

Committed to bringing you the best in adventure travel from all around the globe, there is no mountain too high, and no fete too extreme! They haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on their list.

Follow their journey on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram.

Photos by Mapping Megan and Christopher Michel.