Camping Re-imagined: Glamping

Even before COVID, travelers were wrestling with how to reconcile their desire for an outdoorsy experience with a need for luxury amenities. That’s even more of an issue now, as we are all looking for ways to reconnect with nature and keep a safe distance from others, without giving up on the relaxation that we crave from our vacations. Trekking through the woods with all your gear on your back, pitching a tent, and then sleeping on the cold, hard ground is not everyone’s cup of tea. Fortunately, there is a perfect solution: Glamping. The perfect compromise between nature and luxury, glamping combines resort-like amenities and activities, with gorgeous locations and views, in places that make it easy to stay socially distanced.

two luxury tents silouhetted against a night sky full of stars in Moab Utah
Glamping with Undercanvas [photo credit: Adam Skalecki via Unsplash]

What is Glamping?

“Glamping” (a combination of “glamourous” and “camping”) is basically upscale sleeping under the stars.

Traditionally, glamping involves a canvas structure on a permanent or semi-permanent platform with power and running water. Instead of pitching a small tent, you’ll arrive at the campground to find widely spaced semi-permanent “tents” ready for you to enjoy. Inside these large rooms, you’ll find all the comforts of modern life: air conditioning, a comfy bed with luxury linens, stylish décor, wood stoves, and (very often) a private bathroom.  

The interior of a luxury camping yurt in norway
[Photo credit: Espen Bierud via Unsplash]

Suitable for romantic couples, families, or even those who like to travel with their pets, glamping offers all the benefits of camping with all the luxuries of a hotel room. Glamping allows vacationers to enjoy popular national parks away from the crowds and without enduring the toll that camping can take on the body. Due to the low energy usage of the tents, it’s also a great way to travel green and care for the planet. Not only are you immersed in nature but the pull-chain showers, low-flow toilets, and solar power minimize your environmental impact.

a luxury camping or glamping tree house in the winter with a dog

These days glamping can refer to a traditional canvas structure, a treehouse hotel, a rustic cabin, an airstream trailer, or even a stargazing dome. No matter your glamping style, it will have direct access to the outdoors, campfires, and nature’s peaceful soundtrack.

[Photo credit: Roberto Nickson via Unsplash]

The History

Glamping isn’t as new as people may think. While huge canvas yurts and tents have been used since ancient times, the idea of luxury outdoor vacations for the aristocracy started in 16th and 17th century Scotland, France, and Turkey.

Luxury camping gathered steam around the early 1900s when wealthy Europeans and Americans wanted a taste of wild safari adventures in Africa but weren’t willing to sacrifice their home luxuries. Safari tents for the upper classes were supplied with a full set of furniture, beds, rugs, and luxury bedding. Turning their safari experience into more of a hotel-like luxury rather than “roughing it”. These elegant safari camps are still very popular today.

Flash forward to 2007 when the term glamping started gaining popularity. It began to get mainstream traction when festival-goers ( who enjoyed their outdoor events but didn’t enjoy living in a tent for weeks) saw an opportunity to improve their festival experience.

a small glamping or luxury camping tent in the middle of the forest

Since then, glamping has steadily become a global phenomenon with luxury campgrounds in almost every U.S. State and countries around the world. Companies like Under Canvas provide luxury facilities to those who are taking their cue from the turn-of-the-century upper classes – enjoy the great outdoors without losing the comforts of home.

[Photo credit: Andrea Davis via Unsplash]

Why Should You Try Glamping?

Wake up in your comfy king-size bed, looking straight up at the first rays of sunrise. Even from your bed, you can smell the pine needles and fresh air waiting just outside your door. No need to shimmy out of your sleeping bag or crawl on your hands and knees out the tent flap, you simply start a fresh pot of coffee on your wood stove and step out onto your patio. Enjoy the sunrise over the trees and soak up the sense of well-being. During the day, you can do morning yoga, planned activities, or hike through the beautiful national park. In the evening, make smores around the campfire, sip a chilled glass of wine, tell stories, and gaze up at the stars. Best of all, before getting into your luxurious bed, you can have a nice warm shower.

a geodesic luxury camping dome in a seattle forest
Photo credit: Kyle Glenn via Unsplash]

There’s a reason luxury camping has been around for over a century. If this post has inspired you to discover it for yourself, let us know! Whether you want to enjoy the crisp cool air and stunning fall colors or catch the last breath of summer in the Southwestern desert, we’ll be happy to help find the perfect location, style, and climate for your luxury outdoor adventure.

Unexpected. Unprecedented. Unbelievable.

2020 has definitely been the year of the “un” everything. We’ve completely un-done our normal routines, our workplaces, our plans, our celebrations, and our vacations.

Like so many of you, I find myself more than halfway through the year without having taken any vacation time, or having gone anywhere much further than my own backyard.

Ann with a class of wine on a white deck chair on the lawn in Block Island Rhode Island

I quite literally have spent ONE night away from home in a hotel…. and that was on Block Island, a quick ferry ride from where I live.

[photo credit: Annie’s Escapes]

I thought I had come up with a COVID-safe and socially-distant travel option for next month.  My daughter and I planned a one-week road trip through Utah, with stops at Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce and Zion national parks. 

Lots of time outdoors, hiking and enjoying the scenery, and no worries about international travel restrictions and closed borders.

[photo credit: Annie’s Escapes]

But now, because of Rhode Island’s rules about self-quarantine when you return from “hot spots” like the south and west, even that trip has been canceled like so many others.

Where that leaves me is scrambling to come up with a New England road trip that complies with all local travel restrictions but still gives us something to look forward to before my daughter starts law school in September. 

Seeing the Vermont Bridges [photo credit: Annie’s Escapes]

Maine is proving problematic because we can’t be guaranteed to get a negative COVID test within 72 hours of the trip, but New Hampshire looks good. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

And what that means for YOU is that even though I typically don’t handle domestic travel, this is a very “un”usual year 😊  

sunset on the beach with the hotel blacony and flag pole

I am now very well-versed in the regulations that currently apply to domestic travel.

[photo credit: Annie’s Escapes]

I can help you figure out which states will allow you to visit (and what your home state will require of you when you return) Plus, I’ve got some great new suppliers that offer very cool experiences and accommodations throughout the United States. 

  • What would you say to a dude ranch in Colorado? 
  • “Glamping” in the Grand Canyon? 
two luxury tents silouhetted against a night sky full of stars in Moab Utah
Glamping with Undercanvas [photo credit: Adam Skalecki via Unsplash]
  • A lakefront cabin in Maine? 
  • A luxury villa in Napa?
swimming pool with guest house and overlooking a valley in California
Stay in a Luxury Californian Villa [Photo Credit: Jesse Gardner via Unsplash]
  • Traveling cross-country in a private sleeper car on a train?
  • Cruising the Mississippi on a paddlewheel steamboat?
a steamboat sailing down the mississippi at sunset
Sailing down the Mississippi [Photo Credit: Stephen Walker via Unsplash]

If you’ve got vacation time to burn, or just need to have an “escape” to look forward to, I would welcome the chance to get creative and help you come up with an exciting domestic destination for this year. Give me a call or shoot me an email.

We can get back to exploring the wider world next year!

You provided excellent guidance for us. I appreciated that you really had us think about what was most important to us when we were selecting the right cruise – and not to totally focus on what other people had to say. THANK YOU for helping to make this a memorable trip for our family! It really was a trip of a lifetime!

Clare and Mark (family cruise to Alaska)

The level of service we experienced was out of this world (and we did NOT make it easy on Ann). We weren’t quite sure where we wanted to go, when we would be able to go, or what “vibe” we were going for. After asking us some key questions (what we liked, didn’t like, why, etc.) Ann helped us narrow down our trip details and planned the honeymoon of our dreams. She helped book some of our excursions, answered some emergency questions while abroad and was always available/willing to help. I think it’s safe to say we won’t be using anyone else for future travel planning – Ann is a rockstar!

Carli (Italy and Spain)