Pure enjoyment and a wet bed
Garry R Hurskainen-Green
Helping you attract international talent and retain expat employees ? Your expat ecosystem live in 90 days ? Wish to know more and make an impact? ? See my featured section.
Some time ago, I awoke in the early hours. It wasn’t a very pleasant experience since my bed was soaking wet. I was not in a habit of wetting the bed in my sleep, so confusion turned to concern. But I knew it wasn’t me, so I nudged my best friend David who laid close and fast asleep.
After he convinced me it wasn’t him and I could do likewise, we became total wrecks, giggling uncontrollably. So what had happened? We felt around then discovered the enormity of it and, as we slowly came to our senses, we discovered that it was not only very dark but very stormy.
The pegs of the tent we were sharing had loosened in the wind with the downpour creating rivulets of rainwater running down the slope we had pitched on. One flowed between and over our airbeds.
An experience of a lifetime
It was a long, long time ago and a little longer still. We were eight years of age and had both felt incredibly grown up until that moment.
That is my first memory of an outdoor lifestyle. We were at a stunning north Cornish coastal village in the west of England, the name of which escapes me. Other images of that same trip remain too: The scents of breakfasts being prepared in the open and huge swathes of sandy beaches in close proximity.
Since those days, I have had various exciting moments in tents, caravans, awnings, motorhomes and a simple sleeping bag on a French beach or a Finnish island. Sometimes roughing it, at other times in true style.
The freedom of independence
Whether a caravan, motorhome or recreation vehicle, the global industry has come a long way since my earliest exploits.
The range of products, qualities and budgets is extraordinary. And there is no better place to obtain a comprehensive overview of manufacturers as well as gather a large dose of inspiration than in my old home town of Düsseldorf in Germany.
The biggest ever, anywhere
For over a week at the end of August the Caravan Salon becomes a place of pilgrimage for fans of the outdoors as well as those who toy with the idea of becoming new enthusiasts.
The hiking and trekking fair TourNatur runs parallel on the last weekend; Germany's only consumer exhibition of its kind.
View more details on Amazing Dusseldorf: https://www.amazingcapitals.com/dusseldorf/things-to-do/events/caravan.