Now everything at our new campsite is operational. The trailer is level and stable, all utilities are turned on and functioning, water is heating up and the fridge is cooling down. All the basics have been taken care of.
But we want more than functional -- we want comfort. There are some other things we can do to make our site a bit more homey.
Donna and I are pretty clean people. If there is a picnic table on a concrete slab -- which is a pretty standard setup -- we will sweep it off. Since we will eat and cook outside as much as possible, we want things to be tidy. We also put a plastic table cloth on the table and clamp it to secure it from the wind.
We have a 6' x 9' outdoor rug we place in front of the trailer door leading to our living/galley area. This adds so much. First, it makes for a comfortable floor outside so that we can go out in our bare feet. It also allows us to take our shoes off before entering the trailer, thereby avoiding tracking in dirt.
If we are going to stay for several days, I often break out our lantern and Coleman cook stove. We sometimes cook breakfast outside, especially if the weather is good; Donna does not care for the smell of bacon to hang around inside for days and days, so cooking outside helps.
If we think we will watch TV, then we program it (search for channels). We've not been anyplace yet where we couldn't pick up at least one channel using our antennae. And if cable is available, we always plug in.
Some people like to run lights along their awning. But I prefer to leave things natural as much as possible. We do have a string of lights, but I think we have only put them up once in the nearly 3 years we've had our trailer.
If there is no burn ban in effect and fires are allowed, I pull out some of the wood we usually have with us and get it ready. I have a folding shovel to help control the fire, as well as a hatchet to chop kindling when needed. I get all of these ready. If fires aren't allowed, then they stay in the big plastic tub I keep them stored in.
If we plan to do some grilling, I get that equipment ready. Our trailer came with a portable gas grill that attaches attaches to the outside of the trailer and connects to the internal gas system. We use it when burn bans are in effect. We also have a small portable charcoal grill we prefer to use if there are no local bans on open flames of any sort.
All of these items make your campsite just a bit more comfortable, not to mention more efficient.