I went glamping in Singapore's hot, tropical weather and had a rough time of it. Here are 5 mistakes I made.

• I recently spent a night glamping in a park in Singapore.
• It was an uncomfortable experience, partially because of the city-state's tropical weather.
• My stay could have been better if I'd brought a cooler and used a mosquito coil. 

In mid-July, I went glamping for the first time. My destination was a campsite in eastern Singapore, and though I had high hopes, it turned out to be an uncomfortable experience: The weather was hot and humid, the tent was more basic than I'd imagined, and the campsite was in the middle of a busy park.

While some of this was out of my control, there are a couple things I could have done to make the experience better.

Here are five mistakes I made that first-time glampers in Singapore should avoid. 

1. Expecting glamping to be more like staying in a hotel than camping: I quickly realized that glamping is a whole lot like camping — except the tent was already set up for my use. I had anticipated more of a resort-like stay, so I didn't bring much with me by way of gear.

2. Not bringing a cooler: In Singapore's tropical weather, beverages get warm in just an hour or two. Bringing a cooler would have helped keep my meals and drinks fresh for longer.

3. Not setting up mosquito coil: I forgot to use a mosquito repellent until it was too late and I was covered in bites. I learned from my stay at a camper van in the Philippines that mosquito coils are useful when spending time outdoors in tropical countries.

4. Not bringing a flashlight: Since the tents didn't have en-suite toilets, I had to use the campsite's public bathroom at night. It was difficult to see where I was going as the camp site wasn't well-lit. The tent got really dark at night too, as it was only lit up by fairy lights.

5. Not using an eye mask: For all that the tent was too dark to navigate easily at night, I had the opposite problem in the morning. I woke up before 7 a.m. because sunlight was streaming through the tent, and I couldn't go back to sleep because it was so bright. An eye mask is now one of my must-bring items whenever I travel.