Top Tips for New Hipcamp Hosts From One of the Very First

More and more, people young and old are becoming wary of their wanton desire to break free of desks and exchange paved streets for unbeaten paths to starry night skies. This summer, an entire new batch of Hipcampers will log on, looking for new places to explore, and your property could be just what they need.

Listing your land on Hipcamp is powerful, and does just as much for campers as it does for your pocket. With the right preparations and communication in place, you can have an easy camping season hosting wonderful guests in a snap.

Before you go burning your marshmallows, know you have the Hipcamp team at your service, and give yourself plenty of time to prepare. From my own experience hosting on Hipcamp, here’s a schedule over the next two months to prepare for your first campers for spring and summer.

1. Plan ahead: Think like a camper

If you have one campsite space or multiple, making things convenient helps you win big. Make sure the site is prepared and that your featured amenities like picnic tables and accessible drinking water are available before your guests arrive.

2. Check your listing

• As we head into the spring, your campground will change. Opt for a Hipcamp Photographer in your Dashboard to get great photos of your camp and verification for your listing.
• If you have had happy campers in the past, make the most of their referral.
• If you’ve added or improved amenities, make sure your listing reflects this. Occasionally checking the way my property looks online has allowed me the opportunity to constantly improve. Remember, your guests may not have been to your property, so if you have trouble portraying the best parts of your campsite, let Hipcamp know you could use some help.

3. Don’t hesitate—communicate!

When you have questions, points of clarification, or need help managing your campsite in any way, communication is key. Conveying your land’s accessible beauty is the best way to keep campers aware of what to expect before and after their visit. During their stay, making time to greet and check in with your guests can be critical to their experience and yields positive benefits to your reviews. Clear communication with Hipcamp is also key to your long-term success as a Host.

PSST! Do you have friends with places perfectly suited for camping? Here are 5 reasons to list your private lands on Hipcamp:

1. Community: You’re helping grow a network of environmentally minded nature lovers by helping them get outside and away from computers…maybe even put them to work clearing that brush pile! 

2. Money: Hipcamp Hosts earn additional income directly to their bank accounts. As a landowner, this opportunity has allowed me to hire additional staff to help maintain my property.

3. Experience: Hipcamp increased my campground’s visibility to an entire new audience I am happy to share my land with. I have also learned a lot utilizing Hipcamp’s convenient online platform and accessing their responsive development team.

4. Connection: Had a friend not connected me to Hipcamp, I would not have learned many valuable lessons in the last year as a landowner. If you have a favorite spot for skinny-dipping, sharing your knowledge of land in your area helps build the sharing economy and puts land owners on the map.

5. Information & resources: Personally, this is the most valuable aspect of listing my land on Hipcamp. You are able to tap into the wealth of knowledge about camping, outdoor recreation, and land conservation that Hipcamp offers.

Help your landowning friends by setting them up to list their property. Plus, you get $100 in addition to numerous other Hipcamp perks!