Why Glamping Should Be on Your Summer Bucket List

If you’ve grown up in the city, eventually at some point in your adult life, one of your friends will make the suggestion.

“Let’s go camping,” they say. “Get away from it all.”

While they may be referencing the stress of urban life, the traffic and the smog, your mind immediately goes to all the great things you’ll be leaving behind — cell phone service, air conditioning, indoor plumbing…

While the idea sounds okay in theory and the photos you see on your nature-lovin’ best friend’s Instagram account at least look pretty appealing, you know behind the forest yoga and cozy campfires lie mosquitos, snakes, frizzy hair days and not a shower in sight. So, yeah, camping’s not for you…but is glamping?

A travel trend that’s risen to popularity over the last few years, glamping combines all the good things about camping with all the luxury amenities you love at home. Hospitality brands have jumped on the trend and are offering glamping packages at wilderness resorts across the world, which means you can find a range of glamping accommodations just about anywhere, and not only at resorts, but also at individual properties, thanks to smaller operations. Here’s why you should add glamping to your summer bucket list and how you can put together a glamping trip that’ll make the extreme nature-lovers jealous.

1. No Tents or Sleeping on the Ground Here

One awesome thing about glamping are the accommodations. Leave the flimsy canvas tent at home, because you’ll need lots of space for all your glamping luxuries. Think teepees, a yurt, a treehouse or a cozy cabin. Don’t have a friend who has any or all of the above? Check out Airbnb, where, yeah, you can find everything from a yurt to a treehouse to a sailboat, and all for a pretty decent price. Depending on your budget, explore the wilderness resort option too. You might find that you’re willing to pay more for certain amenities.

2. Plenty of Electricity to Go Around

For whatever you need, there’s electricity and even WiFi. Glamping accommodation providers know what you’re there for, and it’s not to be completely removed from your everyday modern conveniences. So enjoy the twinkle lights strung around your campsite, the wireless speaker system, the WiFi, a place to charge your phone and everything else your heart desires.

3. Extra Perks

Beyond just your accommodations, many glamping spots offer other common spaces where you can enjoy mingling with your co-campers while taking advantage of some luxury amenities. Think common dining spaces serving chef-inspired meals, a library in a safari tent, tennis courts, spas and more.

4. Dinner is Never a Hot Dog on a Stick

Unless, of course, you want it to be, just for the nostalgia factor. Instead, dining while glamping is a more upscale affair. If you’re somewhere that provides dining in your costs, you typically get some great food served up by an actual executive chef, but there are certainly no sacrifices if you’re catering to your crew yourself. If you’re in charge of planning the menu, just put the traditional camping experience out of your mind. Forgo paper plates and meager campfire-cooked meals. Break out some nice silverware and dishes, a real tablecloth, a good bottle of wine and your best home-cooked meal, whether it’s a sumptuous steak, a beautifully charred piece of fish or even something more complex. Many operations provide at least some kind of cooking facilities, similar to what you’d find in your own home.

5. Time to Truly Relax

When you don’t have to worry about sleeping on the ground or missing out on Snapchat, you can start to really relax and enjoy everything that glamping has to offer. While you have everything you could ever need or want, you also get a little removal from your everyday life, perfect for enjoying that forest yoga, a new book and afternoon naps in your yurt.