From this unofficial DayZ Wiki:
Tents are items that offer a source of storage players. They do not
save from server to server but on the originating server they were
deployed on. Deployed tents cannot be stolen, however the items inside
can be.
So, tents stay on the server they were pitched on and do not follow you to other servers.
It also says the Save command "properly saves a tent although there still is a chance that a server will eat your tent no matter what."
More info here.
Spawning Location
When you first spawn you'll notice some text show up on the right side of the screen. This will contain your general location, so make sure you remember this. Unless you spawn near a landmark, it's the only way you'll have any idea where you spawned.
Map & Compass
There is an in-game map, but it's an item like any other. Until you find one and store it in your inventory it won't be displayed when you press M. However, there is an online version of the map, which also contains the English names of locations. Towns will have a sign containing their name somewhere near their borders, but it will be written in Cyrillic.
There is also an in-game compass, usable with K, but like the map is only usable if you have a compass in your inventory.
The map and the compass are the most important tools at your disposable for figuring out where you are, and what direction you need to walk in order to get where you want to go.
Night time
I haven't tried this method myself, but apparently there is a way to locate the North star at night. If you find yourself wandering around alone at night this should prove useful in helping you get around.
Finding Action
Towns are the best place to find zombies and players. Zombies have a much higher spawn rate in towns (in fact they currently don't spawn in the woods at all, only near buildings). Towns are also a required stop for most players since contain the most loot. Your best bet for finding a town after you spawn is to just follow the coast in either direction. It may take some time, but you'll eventually find a town.
Something else to pay attention to is the in-game chat (by default you talk with "/", and change channels with "."). Watching this is one of the best ways to find out where players and zombies are. Players will often send messages looking for people to meet-up with, or give out warnings if their are a lot of bandits or Zombies in an area.
Best Answer
According to the DayZ Wiki:
Additionally, I found this forum post which relates to the proximity detection of zombies according to the difficulty level:
As far as I can tell, the proximity detection is the only difference between Recruit and Regular, while the lack of third-person and cross-hair support is the main difference in Veteran.
It is worth noting, however, that your mileage may vary depending on the server, as any of these options (third-person/crosshairs, etc.) can be disabled at any time by the server admins, allegedly.