Glamping is camping for people who’ve aged out of sleeping on the ground…or who were never really into that in the first place. In other words, it’s for me. I grew up playing in the woods and mucking about in the creek behind our house, and I still love diving into nature for an hour or an afternoon, for a hike in the woods or a scuba dive, but then I like to curl up someplace luxe. 
Blame it on the Winnebego my father bought for our family when I was a child. I still have a childhood memory of me riding in the passenger seat with my father behind the wheel, and Gladys Knight’s Midnight Train To Georgia playing on the Winnebego radio dial. It was all over lickety-split. By the time I was eight my parents had split, and the little familial paradise I longed for (I long for it still) had come to its inevitable, unceremonious end. Still I have that memory. It’s the sweetest one I know. Back then we camped in a campground. I’m pretty sure it had paved roads. The only reason we bothered to camp at all is that this was the 1970’s, and in our little corner of paradise (Panama City, Florida, a.k.a. “The Redneck Riviera”), they wouldn’t have the likes of us in their all-white hotels. My how times have changed.

Or maybe I got my glamping ways from mother who, recognizing me for the nature child I am, sent me off to  wildnerness camp, while she herself remained behind in more comfy, read “indoorsy” surrounds. I’ve got a little of her in me, too, which may be why glamping holds such appeal.

Glamping Resources

Go Glamping
I learned about Go Glamping, a directory of luxury campsites on Very Short List, “a delightful email that shares cultural gems from a different curator every day.” That’s their description, but I agree. Go Glamping was one of the gems offered by Robin Horton, founder of Urban Gardens, “a green lifestyle and design blog that blurs the boundaries between indoor and outdoor spaces.” It’s a great resource if you want to camp without, you know, roughing it.

Shelter Co
Shelter Co was featured in the October issue of Vogue Magazine. They provide “a luxury lodging experience at the destination of your choice,” with the experience fully customized to your needs.

Garden Camping
Garden camping is another trend that I learned about from Urban Garden’s Robin Horton via Very Short List. If you ever camped out in the backyard as a child, garden camping will feel familiar and outre at once. For one thing, you’ll be camping out in someone else’s garden. For another, it’s probably be nicer than your backyard of yore. Tourists in search of affordable garden camping accommodations, from an urban garden to a country estate, can connect with homeowners through Camp in My Garden, a social network style community through which you can rent a garden for up to 28 days. Most of Camp In My Garden’s listings are in England, a few others are scattered across Ireland, Scotland and continental Europe, with a smattering in the U.S., Canada and other parts of the globe, including Thailand and Africa. You can search by location or by event (such as an art show, literary festival or sporting event).

PHOTOGRAPHY via Shelter Co.

Tags: Camp In My Garden, Camping, Europe, Glamping, Nature, Shelter Co, The Great Outdoors, travel, Wayfaring, Wildnerness