Glamping

Glamping is a made-up word for "glamour camping".  It might have appealed to my friend whose idea of roughing it was having to ring twice for room service.  Glamour camping can take place just about anywhere but commercially is most often offered by upscale hotels, even in places like Manhattan.   It combines the fun of sleeping in a tent, perhaps on a penthouse patio, with the comfort and convenience and service of a first rate hotel.  The closest I've come to glamping is staying in my 40' Class A motorhome.  And while many luxury RVs might seem like glamping to some people, it is really far more than that.

Glamping has become a novelty market in places like fancy hotels in New York City where you can "glamp out" on a terrace.   You still have full access to room service, indoor plumbing and electronic entertainment and communications, but your "bedroom" is an elegantly appointed tent on the veranda.  Of course if the weather turns bad or just find you're not enjoying it, you can always go back inside.

Glamping is probably not something most families would or could do without outside assistance.  You are more likely to make reservations to "glamp" at a luxury hotel, but you might go glamping anywhere, provided you have the support resources to set it up.   Perhaps if you already have a well-trained and dedicated domestic staff you could have them orchestrate your glamping trip. One image of "glamping" that comes to mind is the tent of the English Lady in the movie "Hildago" and the elegant setting for offering Hildaldo tea.   You might begin to approximate your own glamping experience by upgrading standard camping equipment to greater luxury.  The large (queen or king sized) air mattresses with electric pumps might provide you with a far more comfortable bed than a standard sleeping pad or camp cot.  A large, mulit-room tent with a private bedroom where you can indulge yourself with silk pajamas might add to the ambiance.   To get the most out of a full-on glamping adventure you'll need room service, or something like it, to deliver your meals and snacks and other refreshments in a timely manner.  Perhaps some fairly mature kids could give their parents a bit of a glamping weekend by performing those services for them.

Home made glamping is made easier if you have a luxury RV.  You don't need any special tents or special bedding, just use the comfortable queen or king size bed in the private master bedroom of your RV.  Meals and snacks are more quickly and easily prepared in the fully functional galley of most RVs than in a primitive camp.  Some purists might consider any form of RV camping as glamping, but they would be overstating it.  Perhaps you could consider RV camping to be glamping if all the driving, setup, cooking, cleaning, etc. are handled by a chauffer, butler, cook, and maid but I have yet to see such an arrangement.  For one thing, why bother going out at all if you're going to keep the same level of pampering you get at home?  Part of the whole idea of camping (or even glamping) is to get out of your normal routine.   That being said, a glamping experience in a fancy hotel would be an escape from most people's "ordinary" lives and quite a treat for most people.

You might give yourself a taste of glamping by treating yourself to a nice steak dinner and a decadent desert instead of the standard burger or bowl of chili before retiring to the comfort of your cozy motorhome.   If you're a tent camper, be sure to upgrade to a queen or king size air bed instead of sleeping on the ground.  For a safe "candlelight" experience try some battery operated LED tea lights.  They give off about the same flickering light as a single candle without the risk of setting your bedroom on fire.

Glamp out!