6 Things I Forgot to Take with Me on a Desert Camping Trip

Those who know me well, or if I'm being honest, those who have just introduced themselves to me, know that I have a bad memory. Bad memory + planning for a camping trip = forgetting stuff. Learn from my mistakes and remember to bring these six items!

1. Mosquito repellent

I thought to myself, we're not camping in a forest or a lake so I should be fine. (Also I can count on one hand how many times I've gone camping, so... Yeah.) Needless to say I wasn't fine. My white skin was bitten. My friend's brown skin was bitten. MOSQUITOES DO NOT DISCRIMINATE NOR DO I KNOW WHERE THEY COME FROM.

2. An instrument

I did the whole piano lessons and school band thing as a kid, but you can't exactly haul a piano to the desert nor bring your flute (how desperately uncool would that be anyways?). My friends sang or played the tablah and all I did was clap along. Also uncool.

3. A pillow

I brought a blanket and a mattress pad (and a tent! I'm not that forgetful!), but no pillow. Sleeping on folded, dirty clothes just wasn't the same.

4. Lactaid pills

For those like me who need help digesting dairy products (think anything with milk or its byproducts), as I'm like 99.9% sure I'm lactose intolerant. I couldn't fully enjoy the breakfast of labneh, olives, cucumbers, and pita bread.

5. Wipes

Yeah I brought hand sanitizer, but that doesn't get rid of food stains on your hands. Did I mention that I'm clumsy too?

6. A fully charged phone

I figured that since there wasn't any reception, I wouldn't need it. But hey, we all know it's way easier to share photos that you've taken with your phone.

So maybe you're not like me and have a fully functioning brain, but if you don't, then please read this list before you plan a camping trip, whether it's in the desert or not. I still had fun and have great stories to tell, but that still would have been true if I wasn't scratching my legs like a maniac for three days after.