Camping is one of those primeval experiences which takes us back to the earliest days of mankind, where people would sleep under the stars, hunt and gather by day, and cross immense distances by foot.

Today, we camp as a luxury activity — a way of unwinding from our stressful daily circumstances — but there are certain things we can do to really get the most out of a camping trip.

Here’s a short list of those things.

Leave the electronics at home

“Glamping” has become a popular pastime in recent years, and the concept is quite simple; camp in style and luxury. Or, in other words, do your best to bring all the accessories and amenities of your house with you into nature.

This can include everything from a bed and a TV to watch Netflix on at night, to a laptop or tablet for Facebooking on during the day.

But what does really do other than turn camping from a truly different experience, into a normal Saturday at home with a different garden?

To get the most out of your camping trip, you want to experience something truly different. Connection with nature, and removal from your usual daily routine.

For that reason, take a tech break while you’re out. Keep your phone with you, and any devices you need for your own safety, but keep them packed away in your rucksack. Be a Luddite for a while.

Get in harmony with the day-night cycle

One of the most incredible feelings that can come from a camping trip is having your body rapidly readjust itself to the normal day-night cycle, and falling back into step with the rhythms and tides of nature.

This will almost certainly happen by itself unless you interrupt the process by staying up at night with artificial light, and committing to sleeping in late the next morning.

If you keep things more low-key, however, you’ll find that the dark of evening and night puts you to sleep like a rock, and the morning’s heat and first light rouses you from slumber naturally and easily.

Allowing this process to unfold not only helps to fix a broken sleeping pattern, but will also give you a tremendous sense of connection to nature, not to mention plenty of daylight hours to spend being active.

Go for long hikes

Sitting around a campfire can be a great, relaxing experience, but if you allow yourself to spend your whole camping trip lounging around, you’ll be missing out on a whole lot. You’ll probably find yourself being extremely bored, extremely quickly, too.

Nature beckons and going for long hikes will not only give you a change of scenery and some good exercise, it’ll also boost your mood and allow you to truly experience the texture of the local landscape.

Bring some campfire recipes and ingredients with you

Many campers make the mistake of packing unhealthy, pre-made snacks as their only food source for their trip. Not only does doing things this way mean that you’ll be fuelling your body poorly for all the physical activity you’ll be getting up to, it also puts a damper on your enjoyment of the entire trip.

Bring some whole ingredients and a campfire cookbook with you, and you’re bound to have a much better time. You may not be eating food equivalent to the best restaurants in Dubai or Paris, but it’ll be a huge improvement on the alternative.