I'm going on my very first solo camping trip in just two days! It's at a nearby campsite right in the middle of the city I live in, but it still makes my heart flutter.
It’s been 10 years since we got our first tent. For a long time, I didn't realize how much I missed camping, but when my husband brought it up, the memories slowly came back. I used to have this fantasy of sleeping in a tent almost anywhere, not just in the wild. I think the tent itself was the core of my fantasy.
When I was little, we had a school camp night. We spent a whole day and night at school, divided into groups. We set up tents, brought supplies, cooked meals, and hung around a big campfire when night fell. We barely had proper sleeping bags—just blankets and pillows. I remember one student brought a real air mattress, and that was the most popular spot! It was so much fun.
But there was an even more vivid image in my mind. When I was a child, my uncle died in a sudden, tragic car crash. I was very fond of him, even though we didn't have many memories together since we lived far apart and only met once or twice a year. I still remember the day we went hiking and almost got lost in the mountains. We didn't even realize we were in danger because my uncle never showed any signs of worry or panic. We just had a great time. He was my mother’s older brother, and they had a big age gap. My mother told us stories about him very often. He loved to travel alone with very little stuff, including money. You know the Korean word '무전여행' ? It means traveling with no money. Maybe it wasn't that rare back then. Our society was a bit poorer, but people were warmer, making it feel safe to travel alone without any kind of safety net.
My mother told us so many episodes about his adventures. Since he had no money, he usually carried a backpack with his tent and camping gear. I was so fascinated that I dreamed of having my own '무전여행' when I grew up. But once I grew up, I realized I didn't have the guts for that. It felt too scary. So, I made a compromise. Right before I got married, I went on a trip with my friend with a very small amount of money. We called it '소전여행' —we didn't dare to go with absolutely no money, but we wanted to try something similar. It was just as good as I had dreamed. I felt content that I had finally fulfilled my fantasy, and I gained incredible experiences I had never imagined before. I thanked my friend for sharing those precious moments with me.
Time flies. Now I have two children who are already teenagers. When my firstborn was four years old, my husband first suggested going camping. My first reaction was, "Huh?!" I was so surprised by how completely I had forgotten about my old passion. Now, the four of us go camping from time to time, and luckily, we all enjoy it. Many people say that kids stop hanging out with their family as they get older, but our daughters still love spending time with us—not just traveling, but also eating out, taking walks, and going shopping. I am so grateful for them. But as they grew older, and as I aged too, I started to form a new dream of taking a trip entirely by myself. And in just two nights, I will make my dream come true once again.
