Getting Back to Normal in Denmark: Our First Camping Trip Post the Corona Virus

In the spring of 2020, the corona virus came to Denmark. Technically, it was the end of February, but during the month of March, Denmark shut down to slow the spread. Though many people were concerned for their health, I couldn´t help but also be considered for the upcoming camping season. What would that mean for our plans for a camping trip in southern Europe? Would we even be able to go camping locally in central Denmark? There were too many unknown factors to consider, and we were worried that the summer of 2020 would be the summer of staying put. We really hoped not.

When May came around, and things started to look up with regards to the corona virus in Denmark, we thought we would test our “camping legs” and find a great campground that would be a peaceful getaway from normal life. The Danish prime minister said that it was safe to leave our homes and venture out…within reason, and there were many other rules put into place to make sure people were staying safe and keeping their distance. We felt that it would be okay for us to try out camping…at least, we hoped it would be.

We wanted a beautiful location with lots for the kids to do, but we also wanted peace of mind that we weren’t putting ourselves in harm’s way since the corona virus was still hovering over the world and in Denmark.

I remember meeting a lady at the Ferie for Alle Camping and Travel Expo back in February who told me about her campground. It was not too far from where we lived and located just north of our neighboring town of Viborg. Not only was it close by, but the location was also quite nice being next to a fjord. It isn’t hard to find coastline when you live in Denmark, since you are never more than an 1 and a half hours from one, but being able to sit in the tent next to your camper and look out at the water sounded like such a relief to the boring days of quarantine.

With my hand hovering over the phone, I was frozen with the fear of “what if”. I hadn’t left my house much in the almost two months that we were asked to “stay home and stay safe”. We had taken a couple of drives to natural places where we weren’t around other people and where I felt safe that I wouldn’t be putting my family’s health in harm’s way. This was the first time that we would be doing something completely “normal”…something that we would have done had it been a normal, non-corona weekend. It felt very odd to be getting back to normal with the fear being still so close in mind.

I finally decided to make the call. I wanted to talk with Lone, the campground owner, to get her thoughts on the situation. I needed to know what they were doing to make things safe for the guests and to get an idea of how to be a responsible camper. It felt like I was doing something completely new, though we had been camping quite regularly for years.

I had never been sick with the virus, nor had anyone in my family. We were lucky, but I also wanted to make sure that we were being smart, too. My husband had worked from home the entire time, and the boys were doing their schooling at home until April 16^th. I had all of my classes online, and we really didn’t have much of a reason to leave the house. The warm weather and constant sunshine made it easy to spend time in the backyard, but this was different. This was leaving the safety of our home to live somewhere unknown for a weekend. I know I make it sound dramatic, but that was my mindset during this transitional phase. Caution was my middle name.

My call with Lone was a reassuring one. She told me all the measures they were taking to make the campground safe, like restricting certain areas to guests, limited the amount of people who could enter the store and cleaning bathrooms, surface areas and door handles much more often than normal. We were prepared to do all of our washing and cooking in our camper if we felt unsafe at any time, and we planned to camp next to the playground to monitor the distancing of kids and the amount of people on the playground. This paranoid mom was ready in mind and body!

It also helped that the prime minister had just revealed her plan to open more and more of Denmark in the next two weeks, which helped us feel that it was time to give it a try.

Due to the Danish holiday of Great Prayer Day or Store Bededag being on a Friday, we had a three-day weekend and were able to make our way to Hjarbæk Fjord Camping on Friday after breakfast. The drive was short, and the setup was easy. We found that our spot gave us the best view of the fjord and of the playground. We were able to relax and watch our kids at the same time. This was just what we needed.

You can read more about Hjarbæk Fjord Camping and see pictures HERE.

The boys were able to spend some time on the playground while I made lunch in our camper. This was one of the first times in a long time that they were able to play on a playground. Our neighborhood had one, but we limited what they could do those first few months and told them “no” when they wanted to go. It is hard telling your kids that they can’t play on a playground, but that was the motivation we needed to get them a trampoline for our yard. When all the statistics are being made about the corona times in Denmark, we will be a part of the one that shows how many parents bought trampolines to appease their wild and restless children. Perhaps the “wild” part might be just mine, but we are so glad we made that investment.

As we ate lunch, the playground started to fill up with children, parents and grandparents. Luckily, it was a very large playground, so there was still space to keep distance, but we weren’t so worried about corona at that time. The campground was in a rural setting and catered to many locals, and being that this area of the Limfjord region was in a low corona category, we felt a bit more trusting with the whole experience. However, we decided to take a walk to the beach when the playground was at its busiest and managed to feel that a “normal” camping weekend was doable again.

Trust is a big part of getting back to normal. It isn’t just the trust that I put in my own parenting decisions, but it is the trust I put in the other campers to do the right thing. It is the trust I put in the campground to offer a safe place for families to get away from the confines of quarantine. It is the trust I put in the country where I live to make the right decisions for when and how to open back up after such a scary time. Living in Denmark is a great exercise in trust, since the values established in such a culture is built all around trusting.

The rest of the weekend was spent with walks in the countryside, playing on the playground and spending time in the tent section of our camper. Even though we didn’t venture out to cities and other nearby places to sightsee, we felt that the weekend gave us more of what we needed: peace. When it was all said and done, we were well-rested and happy to have made the trip, and when we got home, we were ready to start another mundane week of online “everything”.

It is important to know that we didn’t rush this. We didn’t feel the need to travel and camp when it wasn’t safe to do so, and we weren’t rushing the transition of getting back to normal before we should have. We stayed home. We didn’t go out when we were told to stay home. We did our part for as long as we were told, because we wanted to be a part of the solution, not the problem.

I can understand how restless people get, especially when the weather starts to get nicer outside. My heart goes out to those who have a much scarier reality than I have had during this whole ordeal. We all deal with things differently, but if this weekend has taught me anything, it is that a new normal is coming. It may not be what we remember from before corona, but that might not be a bad thing. Good times can be had and will be had again, but it is always good to approach things with a bit of caution to make sure that we are doing our part to create safe situations for ourselves, our families and for others.

It has also taught me a lesson in trust. We are stronger together, and it is comforting to know that. If we all give more trust in people and things and be someone whom others can trust, perhaps we will all make better decisions in the future. I know that I am glad to live in Denmark during the times of corona, and I am also very glad to be here during the transition. We will all get through this.

Stay safe, everyone!! Don’t forget to wash your hands! 😉