This is the first question you should ask yourself. Air mattresses have essentially two kinds of pumps: manual pumps and electric pumps. Manual pumps can be advantageous if you are camping or going somewhere that does not have available electricity. These will generally involve either hand pumps or footpads. However, these pumps will be extremely slow in filling up the air bed. If time is a factor, you should probably select an electric pump for the mattress. Many electric pumps can fill up an air bed in as little as a minute.
Does my air mattress come with a pump?
If you haven't already purchased an air bed, research it to determine whether or not a pump is included. Many will include cheap, manual pumps and it might be worth it to upgrade so that you can use it in a hurry. Others don't come with a pump at all, so you need to make sure that you have bought one before you head out. Traveling without an air pump will mean that your air mattress is useless.
Is the air pump useful for anything else?
Many air pumps are not simply used for air mattresses - if you're going camping, you might be using other inflatable things besides an air bed. There are many recreational items that require an air pump: some kayaks, rafts, pool toys, etc. will need one. If you already have an air pump, you should test it out on the air mattress before you leave. If you don't, make sure that you buy an air pump that is compatible with the other items you'll be using.
