The return to nature is something we all crave at some point. You could take a hike, but maybe camping is the only thing that really hits the spot. Fresh air, blue skies and sleeping under the stars. Eating food cooked simply over a fire and roasting marshmallows while crickets, birds and other creatures keep you company.

Or you could be more of the glamping type who requires electricity, running hot water and a roof over your head. Gadgets galore and coffee makers. The fanciest of speakers for fireside karaoke and the finest of portable heaters to keep your feet toasty.

Whether you're camping by trailer or tent, or braving the wilderness with nothing more than a sleeping bag and the clothes on your back, AI tools can help you make the most of the great outdoors. 

Getting into camping character

Maybe it's just me, but when I think of glamping or camping, the first thing that comes to mind is fantasy role play. The experience of being out in the forest (a designated camping site funded by tax dollars), living off the land (groceries in a cooler) and surviving on your wits (playing Catan by torchlight) can be enhanced by the correct aesthetics.

If you're not a professional interior decorator or an experience LARPer, employing AI to set the tone for a weekend away in the wilderness with your favorite minotaurs can be harder than rolling a streak nat 20s.  

I turned to Google Gemini AI as my planning assistant. The chatbot generated an inspiration image for an all-girls, nerdy, fantasy-inspired camping trip with just a few caveats about the kind of adventure it would be. 

Gemini took the details about my nerdy glamping setup for an outdoorsy girls' getaway, focused on campers more into fantasy roleplaying than Lisa Frank and generated a sample image that hit the mark perfectly.

The tool also gave me a comprehensive breakdown of everything needed to achieve this fantasy-inspired glamping look. Gemini's suggestion of a tripod-mounted soup kettle for cooking over the fire was especially good, as well as the suggestion to hide away modern conveniences in fantasy-adjacent wooden boxes. 

Other nice touches I appreciated in its "scholar-adventurer" setup were canvas rucksacks, leather-bound journals, real mattresses (not sleeping bags), amber string lights and vintage-style lanterns, and a parchment-style map that created a focal point.

Picking a campground

It would be challenging to personally check out every campground in your area before you visit, but AI tools can gather all available reviews and provide a breakdown of what to expect, from amenities to campground maintenance and fees. 

I asked Gemini to build me a customized list of recommendations for campgrounds within a 2-hour drive of my Southern California city, with details on the average financial, time and inconvenience commitment required for each. 

The tool accounted for annoyances like drive time and the lack of on-demand utilities like water, so I could easily compare campgrounds at a glance without opening hella tabs in my browser or switching between dense government websites. Malibu Creek looked like it would fit my needs best as a close-to-home location with flushing toilets and showers. 

Or, in Gemini's words: "If you want the gardening/botanical inspiration without the stress of 'roughing it' too hard with your cat, Malibu Creek or Mesa Campground offer the best balance of nature and proximity to resources."

Outdoor activities

Your version of the perfect camping experience might include rock climbing and jumping off high things into cold water. Someone else's might look more like a mini-Burning Man capped off with hallucinogenic tripping. 

I asked Gemini to find me a campsite that could straddle the two and provide an action-filled landscape for daytime thrills, along with a nighttime palette of trippy possibilities. Joshua Tree was on the list because of its long history of mind-expanding walkabouts. Discovering that it's designated as an International Dark Sky Park led me down a rabbit hole about sites where lights are forbidden to maintain the best view of celestial bodies. 

Heading into the unknown with this knowledge can turn the camping trip into more of an adventure and less of a chore. Keep in mind, however, that camping conditions can sometimes change on a dime -- weather is always unpredictable, and especially when you're in the wilderness, potentially dangerous -- and that AI tools are not super adept at keeping their knowledge up to date.

Always double-check with the official resources before setting out on your own, and happy camp hunting!