Glamping: Its Time Is Coming
Europeans love touring churches and museums, but when it comes to vacations, Americans have always loved the great outdoors. Fishing, camping and just driving around are great American pastimes.
But now, welcome to the early stages of the era of “glamping” — glamorous camping. It’s a visit to the outdoors, but updated and upscale. While it’s just starting to take off, it’s likely to grow significantly based on emerging travel and vacation trends.
While glamping is sometimes caricatured as over-the-top luxury (think butlers with bug spray), its real potential is in making “roughing it” a little less rough but still affordable. At the moment, the very high-end dude ranches are still conspicuous consumption. But camping with trimmings — tents with heaters, eco-outhouses, showers hidden around the corner — has tremendous appeal. It’s outdoorsy, but with a good mix of the comforts of an active resort. The business people who provide these experiences get to skip building a big hotel, and put up “mobile rooms” instead. Meanwhile, glampers get a feeling of being close to nature, with a full complement of activities like hiking, fly-fishing and kayaking.
There has been a spate of articles recently about the green shoots of glamping, even proposing standards for the facilities. Having a reasonably priced vacation that is certified as ecologically sound — one that honors nature without disturbing it — could gain real traction.
Of course, the glamour of the outdoors has started at the top, with First Glamper. Teddy Roosevelt’s expeditions seared the public’s imagination. Our more modern presidents have had Western ranches and Maine seaside compounds. Sure, some have preferred Martha’s Vineyard, but they all now have Camp David at their disposal — which is nothing but glamping taken to the extreme, with its luxury “cabins” and even a Secret Service-run gift shop.
