A friend is going camping for the first time and feels nervous. What advice would you give them?

A natural way to answer

I'd reassure them that it's normal to feel nervous. My main advice would be to keep it simple: bring warm layers, plenty of food, and a good torch. I'd also say to ease into it rather than planning anything too ambitious for the first trip. The first night feels strange, but it gets comfortable fast.

Key phrases to use

• ease into it — to start something slowly and gently rather than rushing or doing too much at once“Don't run ten kilometres on day one; ease into it.”
• melt away — to gradually disappear, especially worries or unpleasant feelings“As soon as I'm by the sea, my stress just melts away.”