24 Writing Prompts about Camping
Camping is pretty magical, right?
The rustling leaves, the cozy fire, and a sky full of stars – it’s like stepping into a whole other world.
But guess what?
There are tons of stories hiding out in those woods, just waiting to be told.
These writing prompts are your chance to grab your imagination, set up camp, and explore the wild frontiers of your creativity.
Whether you’re a pro camper or just dream of sleeping beneath the stars, there’s an adventure waiting for you.
Let’s unleash those stories!
Writing Prompts about Camping
The First Solo Expedition: Write about a character’s first time going on a solo camping expedition. Maybe they’ve been camping with friends or family before, but this is their first time venturing out alone. The emotions they experience, the challenges they face, and the memories they make can be explored in detail. Focus on their preparations, the unexpected occurrences, and how they manage to overcome loneliness or fear.
Survival Challenge: Explore a story where the protagonist is in a camping situation where things go awry, and they must rely on their survival skills. Maybe a sudden storm hits, or they lose their way and are forced to survive without any modern conveniences. Write about their efforts to find shelter, food, and water using only what nature provides. Focus on their inventiveness, determination, and transformation through this intense experience.
Family Bonding on a Camping Trip: Detail a family camping trip, emphasizing the relationships between family members. Whether it’s a healing journey for a broken family or a traditional family outing that becomes a yearly tradition, this prompt can dive into the dynamics between different family members. Highlight the bonding experiences that are unique to the shared tasks and joys of camping.
A Historical Camping Journey: Write about a group of explorers or pioneers who are on a camping expedition in a historical setting. Maybe it’s a quest for a new land or a scientific expedition. Focus on the hardships, camaraderie, and discoveries, all framed within the historical context, and emphasize the authentic camping techniques of that period.
Camping with a Purpose – Environmental Awareness: Create a story about a group of individuals who go camping to raise awareness about an environmental issue, like deforestation or pollution. The camping trip is not just for recreation but a part of a larger mission. Detail their efforts, the impact they make, and how the natural setting inspires and strengthens their cause.
Friendship Forged in Wilderness: This prompt revolves around a camping trip that brings together a group of strangers or distant acquaintances. Through the shared experience of camping, they discover common interests and build a deep, lasting friendship. Explore the growth of their relationships and how the isolation of the wilderness acts as a catalyst for these connections.
Mystical Experience While Camping: While on a solitary camping trip, the main character experiences something mystical or supernatural that changes their perspective on life. Maybe they meet a mysterious stranger, see a strange light, or have a spiritual revelation. Focus on the ethereal experience, how it integrates with the raw reality of nature, and its profound effect on the character’s life afterward.
Therapeutic Wilderness Retreat: Write about a character who embarks on a camping trip as a form of therapy, perhaps after a traumatic event or significant life change. As they spend time in the wild, far from civilization, they reflect, heal, and find new meaning in life. Emphasize the therapeutic aspects of nature, the character’s inner journey, and how the simplicity and challenges of camping act as a healing force.
Adventurous Camping Trip Turned Rescue Mission: Craft a story about a planned adventurous camping trip that turns into an unexpected rescue mission. The characters discover someone in distress in the wilderness and must use their combined skills to help. Focus on the decision-making, teamwork, and the emotional journey they go through, from excitement to a serious life-saving mission.
The Lost Artifact – A Camping Exploration: Write about a group of friends who set off on a camping trip with the goal of finding a lost artifact rumored to be hidden in the wild. Incorporate elements of history, mystery, and adventure, detailing how they use clues, maps, and their knowledge of the wilderness to uncover something long forgotten.
Teaching Wilderness Skills – A Youth Camping Trip: Create a story around an experienced camper leading a group of youth on an educational camping expedition. Detail the growth, struggles, and achievements of the young campers as they learn essential survival skills, self-reliance, and teamwork. Focus on the educational and transformative aspects of the journey.
Romantic Camping Getaway: Explore a story about a couple who embarks on a camping trip to reconnect and revive their relationship. Through the peaceful surroundings and the shared activities of camping, they rediscover what they love about each other. Concentrate on the dynamics of their relationship and how the simplicity of nature mirrors and mends their love.
The Last Camping Trip – Reflection and Goodbye: Write a moving story about a person who goes on what they know will be their last camping trip, perhaps due to age or illness. Focus on their reflections about past trips, the joy they find in nature, and their acceptance and celebration of a significant phase of life coming to an end.
Camping Through the Seasons – A Year in Nature: This prompt revolves around a character or group of characters who decide to spend an entire year camping through various landscapes and seasons. Detail the differences in experiences and challenges they face with each season, the constant adaptability required, and what they learn from this full immersion into nature.
A Camping Trip to Reclaim Independence: Craft a story around an individual who has recently faced a significant loss or life-altering event and turns to a camping trip as a way to reclaim their independence and sense of self. Write about their triumphs and failures, fears and courage, and how they rediscover their inner strength through solitude and connection with nature.
The Community Camping Festival – Unity and Celebration: Create a narrative that revolves around a community or town that holds an annual camping festival to celebrate unity, culture, and love for nature. Through various activities, storytelling around campfires, and shared meals, neighbors become friends and cultural traditions are passed on. Focus on the community building and cultural enrichment that unfolds in the natural setting of a camp.
The Unplugged Retreat – A Tech-Free Camping Experience: Write about a group of people who decide to go on a camping trip without any technology, including phones, tablets, or GPS. Detail their struggles, realizations, and the joys they discover through a genuine, unplugged connection with each other and nature. Focus on the contrasts between their tech-driven daily lives and the unfiltered camping experience.
Eco-Friendly Camping – Sustainability in the Wilderness: Craft a story about a character or group that embarks on an eco-friendly camping trip, committed to leaving no trace and using sustainable practices. Explore their efforts to minimize their impact, the creative solutions they find, and the lessons they learn. Highlight the theme of responsibility and connection to the environment.
The Unexpected Mentorship – Learning from a Stranger While Camping: Detail an unexpected mentorship that develops when a novice camper meets an experienced wilderness expert on a camping trip. Write about the wisdom shared, the skills learned, and the friendship that blossoms. Emphasize the chance encounter and the transformation of both characters through their shared experiences.
The Writer’s Retreat – Finding Inspiration in Nature: Write about an author or artist who escapes to the wilderness for a camping trip to overcome a creative block. Detail the inspiration they find in nature, the progress they make on their work, and the personal revelations they experience. Focus on the relationship between creativity and the natural world, and how one feeds the other.
Camping with Pets – An Animal Bonding Adventure: Explore a story about a person or a family that takes their pets on a camping trip. Write about the unique challenges and joys of sharing this experience with animals, from hiking to sleeping under the stars. Highlight the bond between humans and animals and how it deepens through this shared adventure.
The Retirement Journey – A Lifetime Dream Camping Trip: Create a heartfelt story about a newly retired individual or couple who embarks on a long-dreamed-of camping trip. Explore their adventures, reflections on life and work, and the new horizons they see in this phase of life. Emphasize the fulfillment of a lifelong dream and the sense of freedom and exploration it brings.
Camping as Healing – A Support Group in the Wilderness: Craft a narrative about a support group that organizes a camping trip as a means of therapy and healing for its members. Each person has a unique story and reason for needing the trip, whether it’s grief, addiction, or personal growth. Focus on the group dynamics, support, and individual healing that takes place in the wilderness setting.
The Wilderness Cook – A Culinary Camping Experience: Write about a character who’s passionate about cooking and decides to challenge themselves by preparing gourmet meals while on a camping trip. Detail the planning, creativity, and execution of cooking extraordinary meals in the wild with limited resources. Emphasize the culinary adventures and how food becomes a central theme of the camping experience.
