High Heels + Camping = Glamping!

Mention “camping” at a cocktail party and people bump into each other scurrying away with the sudden need to refresh their drink. Mention “glamping” and suddenly you’ve got an audience.

If the eco-friendly idea of falling asleep under the stars and roasting marshmallows around a campfire appeals to you, but the reality of pitching a tent and sleeping on bumpy ground does not, glamping, the new term being used for upscale — or glamorous — camping, could be your ideal green vacation.



Kelly Moore's Glamping Tent Design

I want to correct the misconception that camping is still about fighting bugs in a leaky tent with two sticks for fire and a tin of Spam. Glamping usually means a tent large enough to walk through replaces the pup tent, cozy bedding takes the place of the sleeping bag, a nice rug covers the cold plastic floor or even a hardwood floor, and campers use real barware instead of Dixie cups. In short, it’s more comfortable, civilized camping. Face it, we’re all getting older. Our fuse for tolerating the heat and bugs and lack of comfy slippers is short.



From the Glamping Girl Blog

Despite the fact that glamping is dismissed by hard-core leave-no-trace campers (who don’t so much as move a rock for fear of affecting the area), glamping can be an environmentally sound outdoor experience. It allows people who wouldn’t normally go camping to experience the beauty and joy of nature. I believe that once you have slept under the starry sky, you become more appreciative and protective of nature, instead of being distant and alienated from it. Glamping allows the chance to enjoy an eco-conscious back-to-nature vacation with the comforts of a classy hotel.



One of the Tents at the Clayoquot Wilderness Resort

Don’t misunderstand — glamorous camping can be expensive. Really expensive. For instance, in the summer months two adults can pay about $8,500 to spend three nights in a tent at the Clayoquot Wilderness Resort (http://www.wildretreat.com/) in British Columbia, Canada. The all-inclusive price of admission includes flights from Vancouver to the resort on a remote fjord, gourmet meals, drinks, massage treatments, horseback riding, fishing, whale and bear watching, kayaking, sailing, clay shooting, rock climbing, mountain biking and nifty day trips.

As heavenly as all of that may sound, a trip like that may not quite be in your budget for next year. Is it possible to go glamping closer to home for much less money? The answer to that question is a resounding yes. Check out the picture below....a standard tent transformed into to a cozy glamping space complete with rugs on the floor, cozy bed, and a convenient wash stand.

Jan's old tent transformed into a classy glamping retreat.

Basically, it all boils down to putting plenty of thought into the food, drinks, bedding and other comforts you feel like bringing along with you into the great outdoors. You can actually make car-camping incredibly glamorous, and if sleeping in a tent doesn’t appeal to you, you can make yourself and your loved ones quite comfortable in a cabin, cottage, yurt, tipi, VW bus, vintage Airstream trailer — or, heck, even a covered wagon is available.

I did a bit of research and found some great locations for a glamping adventure in the US; check it out and let me know your thoughts….Is glamping for you?

• WOW! - Resort at Paws Up http://www.pawsup.com/glamping/creekside-camp.php in Montana
• Cozy - Costanoa http://www.costanoa.com/site.php in California.

• Adventure - Teton Covered Wagon Adventures http://tetonwagontrain.com/ in Wyoming.

• Whimsical - The Martyn House http://themartynhouse.com/bed-breakfast/ in Georgia.

• Bathroom in Tent - Sinya on Lone Man Creek http://hillcountrysinya.com/About_us.html in Texas.

• Family - Black Canyon Ranch http://www.blackcanyonwildliferanch.com/Glamping.html  in Colorado.