Me in the Sierra Nevadas taking a break from hiking
I was thinking about a camping trip now that summer has finally arrived. (For anyone living outside of the Pacific Northwest, you can’t imagine the miserably cold start to summer we had – record low temps in June meant the heat was still kicking in at our house.)
But alas, I’ve complained enough about this so I’ll move on…
Camping.
I got to thinking about camping and then remembered this totally fun guide I received from a publisher last year. It’s Let’s Get Primitive: The Urban Girl’s Guide to Camping by Heather Menicucci. I sat down and started reading through it yesterday and realized just how much fun this little companion guide is.
From suggestions on how to make your own backpack out of a pair of pants (really!) to recipes for some fabulously yummy camping food, this book has it all. It’s written in a completely fun and accessible style – which makes any city-dwelling woman feel like she can do it, too.
I cringed a bit at the advice to carry plastic bags to use for numerous things since Seattle is currently doing all but banning the use of plastic bags. However, I can forgive this one un-PC item for all the other great advice and tips that are offered.
A guide that would be a great companion to this OR as a gift for a young traveler in your life is The Girlo Travel Survival Kit from the folks at Girlosophy and written by Anthea Paul.
I’m a big fan of the Girlosophy books. I have a Little Sister (through Big Brothers Big Sisters) who is nearly 17 now (we’ve been “matched” since she was 9). I’ve picked up these books for her over the years and she LOVES them. She finds inspiration and a can-do spirit throughout these books and often says that she picks one up when she isn’t feeling so confident and needs a little boost.
I love travel. I love to inspire others to travel. And more than anything I love to inspire young people to travel since they are indeed the next generation of globetrotters who can change the world. (Hey – why didn’t I think of writing this book?) I didn’t and that’s OK. This book is awesome and indeed inspiring for young women.
There are tons of tips for responsible travel, how to pack, how to navigate the airport, working overseas and more. If you owe that new grad a gift, here it is. Or, if you simply want to inspire a young woman to fulfill her Wanderlust, this is a great book (oh, as is my SOLO book!).
Kick summer into high gear and pick up either one of these and…
Travel Well!
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We still carry plastic bags for some things when we travel – wet swimsuits, for example, but they’re hardly single use.
We went camping back in March and lucked out on a fabulous weekend at the coast with tejps in the 70s and sunshine sunshine sunshine, but then it turned back to the awfulness that you mention. Bleh. We’re stalling on camping until September, I think… but oh, how I love it. So much.
Totally understand the importance of plastic bags. It’s just that, well, even a mention of using them judiciously would have been helpful. Having said that, I have to go back to my own book and make sure I have all of my green ducks in a row! 🙂
I love the “Lets Get Primitive” book. Now i make bags out of pants everywhere i go. People think im a magician haha.
What do you like most in the book?
Thanks, Sarah.