Glamping; are you fucking kidding?

By On September 15, 2008 · 2 Comments

I heard today – for the first time – about glamping through an article in the New York Times travel section. Glamping is apparently the luxury form of camping, which I’m sure will become a big hit with the young middle age yuppy crowd who like the prestige of roughing it, but who actually loathe the roughness of the outdoors.

Back when I lived in Australia, I used to love those weekend camping trips sleeping outside in our 2 man tents with the sound of the bush around us. The whole point of camping is to find interesting and fun ways to make yourself comfortable without the luxury of everyday civilisation that we take for granted. Roughing it actually gives you an appreciation for things like light at the flip of a switch, and microwave hot meals in 2 minutes. I find that it is very therapeutic to get away from this, and take ourselves back to nature and simplicity for a time.

See, all the modern world is an illusion that we make for ourselves; we’re continually plugged into artificial realities that are made up of technology, social schedules, and the environment of the society that we operate in on a day to day basis. We become so enamored with all these things that we forget life is really just a simple thing with very few necessities required. The times when you realise this is when you take yourself out of this life and put yourself somewhere very basic, without distraction. That’s when you relearn what is important in life. Every time I have gone away to somewhere like India, or Thailand, or Nepal and truly unplugged myself from my western lifestyle for months at a time, have I found a peace that is not possible to achieve otherwise.

I don’t really know what to make of glamping, except that it is yet another diversion targetting very wealthy people who aren’t looking for a camping experience by more looking to tell other people they went on a glamping holiday. Pretentious wankers and the type of girls I avoid like the plague are probably going to be lining up around the corner to get a glamorous yurt. But in the end, what’s the fucking point? Why not just pitch a tent in your living room, and save yourself the hassle of having to go anywhere rough in the first place.

Probably because it wouldn’t cost you anything!

Andy.

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  • http://www.gibsonblog.com Ron Gibson

    There is a whole spectrum to wilderness vacations. On one end there is complete roughing it- taking almost nothing with you, hiking into the wilderness, catching your food, and living off the land. Some might believe toilet paper to be too extravagant at the extreme. On the other end of the spectrum there is glamping- a complete luxurious stay with no lack of convenience including spas, 5 course meals, fully guided activities, etc. Most people’s definition of camping would fit somewhere in the middle. What they all share in common is a need to return to the wilderness, smell the campfire, be in a remote location, and experience wilderness based activities like hiking, fishing, and maybe horseback riding.

    Why not just stay at the Ritz? The reason glamping is growing in popularity is a boredom of the norm. But that boredom does not mean guests want to forgo the luxuries they have become accustomed to. And why should they? These guests want a certain level of extravagance. And glamping provides that unique extravagance. Glamping isn’t new either, the Rockefeller’s developed it almost 100 years ago with their ‘great camps’ and Adirondack styles.

    I live at a glamping destination- Clayoquot Wilderness Resort (www.wildretreatblog.com). And costs at destinations such as ours are definately above the norm (approx. $1500/day/person). However, there is a market for a product such as this, and a clientele that is appreciating the ability to venture to a property such as ours.

    What such remote properties provide to the rest of the world? We take a percentage of our profits, and charge fees in order to protect the wilderness around us. We rebuild salmon bearing rivers to increase wildlife populations. We provide funds and assist in the Wilderness Tourism Association to continue operations of wilderness tourism across BC. And in doing so- we provide a product that a select few desire.

    So there is glamping- at least our version- described in a short post. It is definately not camping, but it doesn’t pretend to be. It isn’t the Ritz Carlton either, but caters to those that would normally stay at the Ritz or the Four Seasons. You could compare a stay at the Ritz to glamping, while a stay at the Howard Johnson’s to Camping. Each to a different market and a different clientele.

    Ron Gibson GM
    Clayoquot Wilderness Resort

  • http://www.mentalechoes.org Andy

    Hi Ron,

    Thanks a lot for your comment here. You know, in all fairness you are absolutely right; glamping is another holiday option for people looking for something different. If people have a happy time and memorable experience on a glamping holiday, then it’s all good. And if some of the money from a glampers trip is put back into nature conservation, then everyone benefits and mores the better.

    I suppose my not-so-impressed opinion of glamping has a foundation in the many years of backpacking around second and third world countries I did, where luxury was very limited. But I found it was in these places that I would have the most rewarding experiences, and periods of personal growth. However that is really a personal experience and I can understand not something for everyone. I think you said it best with, ‘each to a different market and a different clientele’.

    I’ve always said, never be so predjuced you wouldn’t try anything once before making a judgement. So perhaps I might just try a glamping holiday at some point in the future to see what all the hype is about! :) I’ll keep you number close by! :)

    Be Good,

    Andy.

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