That “glamping” is a portmanteau of “glamor,” and “camping” may be immediately apparent to most, but what difference does that combination present? What many don’t enjoy about camping is the discomfort that arises from being outdoors: There’s no plumbing or hot water. Not everyone can deal with that. Many people like nature as long as they're conducting do-it-yourself ornithological studies from a porch. Still, for many people, glamping can be a helpful alternative to camping.
Glamping is simply camping through more comfortable means. Instead of a tent, you sleep in luxurious, outdoor-friendly or vehicular rooms like cabins, power boats, or luxury RVs. During daylight, you would otherwise do the same things you’d do if you were just camping, fishing, hunting, or hiking. Accordingly, glamping, especially in luxury RVs, is one of the best ways to combine the joy of being outdoors with the comfort of home. Some demographics may get more out of glamping than others.
For example, people in wheelchairs cannot camp. Wheelchairs, especially power wheelchairs, are incredibly delicate. They’re barely able to brave roots and rocks, let alone city streets. Glamping could open a new world of traveling for people with disabilities. Comfort for an able-bodied person may be a necessity for a disabled person. As medical science allows for people to live longer, more elderly people will mean more people with mobility issues who would appreciate a glamping trip. Here’s how glamping makes the great outdoors more enjoyable and accessible.
To stay at a hotel is to indulge in its amenities, from items as simple as running water and light to luxuries as extravagant as queen beds and air conditioning; these are all environmental stressors. Spending time in the wilderness instead of a hotel can appreciate why the environment is worth protecting. Though glamping in luxury RVs isn’t as spartan as camping, it can still help you disconnect from the rest of the world in a healthy way that a hotel room cannot emulate.
Hotels are expensive, and you might not use everything for which you pay, like wifi or continental breakfasts. The environment isn’t the only thing that can benefit from you avoiding hotels. If you want a vacation on a budget, then glamping could be a happy medium between a modest camping trip and a luxurious trip to a resort.
Even if you’re opting for luxury RVs, glamping can’t match a resort's glamor, but it allows you to optimize your vacation however you want. What’s the point of a bar if you don’t drink? What’s the point of a bedroom if you’re content with sleeping on the floor? To make your vacation as you envision it is ultimately to have more fun and make your vacation more restful than it’d otherwise be. Glamping is great for people who want to change their vacation experiences without straying into territory that is too far from their respective comfort zones.
Indeed, many people enjoy survival as a hobby because they enjoy braving the taste of grubs, building outdoor shelters, and starting fires in pits. As much as people enjoy this hobby, it’s not very accessible or forgiving to newcomers because making a mistake could be dangerous. Having injury miles from civilization is much more dangerous than slipping on the floor at home. Even a manageable injury can lead to infection. Glamping offers a greater sense of safety by presenting a comfortable home base from which to call help.
When you demonstrate an interest in a hobby as niche as glamping, you might run into others who enjoy the same thing. When you return from a trip, you can keep in touch with new friends and invite them over for a drink or two. Plus, you’ll have new friends with whom to travel. Introverts who love to camp may enjoy glamping as a less solitary way to revel in being outdoors. Making friends is nearly impossible if you are not in school or working remotely. Going to the bar doesn’t even do the trick because so few people go out at night alone, and most nightly parties prefer to be left alone, so glamping can offer an organic way to make friends for those who struggle socially.
Even glamping may not be for everyone, but perhaps this post has elucidated what you might gain from joining the club! Maybe your next trip will be a glamping one.
