GLAMPING!

Where HAVE we been?  Is it possible the GLAMPING trend nearly passed us by? Maybe so, since our first glimpse of glamps occurred in this month’s AARP magazine.  Glamorous camping there was described as combining “the splendor of the great outdoors with the comfort of a top-tier hotel.”

In Google retrospect, we see that USA Today and ABC News both covered this altLuxury style of camping as early as 2007.  And in 2008 New York Times’ Green Traveler described glamping as “camping but not quite.”

Offering a business model perspective, Mark Penn in the Wall Street Journal described this updated and upscale visit to the outdoors in August 2009.  For those wishing to enter the hospitality industry, he opined, start-up costs could be minimal as undeveloped land may be available at low cost and accommodations can be mobilized as necessary.

In fact, we did glamp before we knew glamping was cool.  Our initiation was at Safari West in California’s Sonoma County.  We chose to celebrate a special birthday in one of the resort’s luxurious yurts, where you “wake up with the sounds of Africa echoing in your dreams.”  Really!  From our yurt-pad we looked out at the giraffe family and were only steps away from the tropical bird refuge.  A two-hour safari the day before had introduced us to the many other wild animals usually found in far more remote regions of the world. We had to pinch ourselves to remember that we were in Northern California!

Glamping, aka “Comfy Camping” or “Boutique Camping,” is indeed a worldwide phenomenon.  Vacations may offer kayaking, climbing, hiking or fishing, in sun or snow, sea or mountains, northern or southern hemispheres, for singles or families.  The common threads are the haute cuisine, luxurious linens, superior service offered by those providing the glamping experience.  Many carry coveted ratings from the likes of National Geographic or Conde Nast.

Inherent in most of these wilderness luxury vacations is a certain greenness.  Chefs offer locally grown ingredients in their riverside feasts.  Far and Away Adventures, based in Sun Valley, ID, posits that their river trips with personal concierge service, massages, award-winning wines and organic food are also carbon neutral.

For more information, visit goGlamping.net a complete directory of luxury camping experiences.