Glamping: It’s What To Do This Season
By combining glamour and camping, you get “glamping,” the best of both worlds that offers the great outdoors and the luxuries of home. Purists all over — and I’m sure Buffalo Bill himself is turning over in his grave — scoff at the idea of glamour camping, but I’m here to offer a few pros to the cons that buzzkill campers are so quick to posit.
Take It Outside
With glamping, you still get to enjoy the outdoors. Shocking, huh? Not really a revelation in my opinion because I don’t think that busting your chops and climbing the fourteener make you “appreciate” the mountain more. To enjoy the outdoors is to slow down and take it in — how you arrive at the destination does not predicate your benefit or pleasure we are so graced with here in Colorado.
One Big Happy
You can bring Grandma. There are few things better than enjoying quality time with your elders, and even fewer things better than quality time around a campfire. Combine the two? You pretty much deserve a medal. With glamping, you can spend time with your relatives and the elderly who, frankly, either physically can’t or don’t want to hike half the PCT or the Colorado alternative.
Pack Mule Not Required
Think of all the stuff you can bring. Whether you want to bring the full Harry Potter series for a marathon reading, a kayak to navigate the river, or a bundle of firewood to save time collecting it, your car or RV acts as a good alternative to a backpack. I can’t stress the amount of times I’ve had to choose between 5 oz. of toothpaste or 6 oz. of protein powder whilst backpacking. With glamping, you don’t have to worry about any of that.
Safety First
A very important but less fun reason to choose glamping this season is safety. The inexperienced backpacker poses a threat to the safety of any group of backpackers. Nature offers quick weather changes, dangerous predators, all of which are threats that hinder an experienced and seasoned backpacker. Glamping, on the other hand, offers a safety net for several reasons including the ability to transport first aid quickly and the ability to contact help if needed.
So glamping may seem like a lamer alternative to roughing it or backpacking, but it truly can be an enjoyable and productive way of enjoying the outdoors. With glamour camping you can still enjoy the outdoors, bring along those who may be unable to hike, bring tons of stuff to make your experience all the better, and it’s all around a safe thing to do.
