Westgate River Ranch, Florida
I have been in love with glamping before it was the new in thing to do and I’m going to share with you my best glamping tips to have the best first time glamping experience.
Glamping appeals to everything that an outdoorsy diva is so welcome to a crash course in Glamping 101.
What is glamping?
Simply put, glamping is glamorous camping. It combines the fun parts of camping with all of the modern conveniences and creature comforts that bougie people like me still want while we commune with nature.
It’s become quite the trendy word, especially in the hipster millennial vernacular. You can glamp in tents, yurts, cabins, treehouse, teepees, and even an airstream camper.
Who says you can’t be comfortable while soaking up some one on one time with mother nature? Of course you can!
What glamping is not.
Remember the failed Fyre Festival founded by Ja Rule and Billy McFarland and promoted by the likes of Kendall Jenner and other Instagram influencers.
It was touted as this “once in a life time musical experience” in the Bahamas complete with luxury glamping tents (flimsy geodomes), first class culinary experiences (cheese and bread), and a line-up of chart topping artists across all genres (nope, that didn’t happen either).
How dare they give my beloved glamping past time a bad name! Shame on you Ja Rule. Shame. On. You.
So let me clear up for you what a real luxury glamping experience entails with these essential glamping tips.
I promise it’s not this train wreck that the Fyre Festival became.
8 Essential Glamping Tips for a Luxury Glamping Experience:
Conestoga River Ranch, Utah
1. Accommodations with an actual structure and floors – If you are exposed to the elements then it’s not glamping. You’re camping. True glamping has a sturdy structure and preferably a floor and not just the bottom of a tent or dirt. Every glamping experience I have had we actually had wood floors, whether it was a glamping tent, yurt, or cabin. A nice rug or faux fur rug is nice touch as well.
2. Bedding – Luxury glamping means you will sleep in comfort. That’s paramount. A cot just won’t do. An air mattress is acceptable but a real bed is the ultimate amenity for luxury glamping. You need pillows for sleeping, decorative pillows, sheets, and blankets.
Bedding at Conestoga River Ranch
3. Climate Control – My favorite glamping experiences have had air conditioning, like the Texas Hill Country eco cabins. However some places have such a cool climate that they can get away with not having A/C as long as the structure allows for ample ventilation. At the very least fans are a must.
If the destination experiences colder temps, then they must have a heater of some kind. The best of the best, like Conestoga Ranch in Utah, had a heater and faux fur electric blankets! It was nice and toasty at night.
4. Ambiance – Luxury glamping is all about the ambiance. Strings of lights and lanterns are my favorite element to give a glamping tent that dreamy ethereal feel. I also love decorative touches like cute pillows, tables, chairs, and other little knick knacks around the space.
5. Appliances – Now here is where not all luxury glamping properties are created equally. Westgate River Ranch glamping tents have full size refrigerators and microwaves and a gas grill right outside. That was heaven. I’ve stayed in others that didn’t have that, but they did have on site restaurants with ahhmazing meals, so that made up for it. At the very least you do need electricity.
Bonus OD Glamping Tip: Outdoorsy Diva says if there is no power, then it is not glamping.
Eco Cabins, Texas Hill Country
6. Wow Factor – There should be some type of included service or amenities offered that makes your experience pop. I’ve stayed places that delivered breakfast to the front porch of the tent. I’ve glamped places with a fire valet to come and light the fire pit every night.
Having bath robes and shower shoes provided to you like I had at the M&M Glampground at NASCAR is another great touch that adds a wow factor.
I’ve also stayed in a yurt in a state park in Georgia that wasn’t as fancy but it did have an outdoor deck overlooking a lake and included the use of a kayak.
A glamped in a yurt with a moon roof dome in the top to give us awe-inspiring views of the stars at night and board games.
Bonus OD Glamping Tip: You can still have a wow factor even if you’re having a DIY glamping trip. Making your s’mores with fancy chocolate or gourmet marshmallows is a great way to glamp up your camping trip.
There just has to be something to give the experience a wow factor.
Fort Yargo Yurt, Georgia
7. Bathroom – This is quite possibly the most important amenity for glamping. Port-o-potties and glamping do not mix and a bush just won’t cut it.
If you’re glamping then that means a real toilet and running water. Luxury glamping will provide a full private bathroom and shower. I love when I don’t have to leave my structure to get there but sometimes it’s in a separate building and that’s manageable.
8. Security – There should be a way to secure your belongings inside of your luxury glamping structure. If you can’t lock it, then hopefully there’s a safe. Also hopefully there’s some kind of onsite security, like a guard or a gate.
So kids, those are the the glamping tips to ensure a REAL authentic glamping experience. You need all of these components to qualify.
I am a self-appointed glamping expert so I know what I’m talking about. You might have your own opinions on what constitutes glamping and that’s cool too. You can write them on your own blog.
Just kidding, tell me all about it in the comments if there’s something I missed.
Where can you go glamping?
There are so many glamping resorts all over the world. Just a little research on sites like GlampingHub.com or Air B n B will give you so many options.
Check out my Glamping board on Pinterest to give you glamping inspiration.
Get more glamping tips on the Outdoorsy Diva Podcast
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2 Comments
Dianne Lareau
August 29, 2020 at 9:31 amI came to your blog because I saw a camper ad that showed a black family using the camper and I though “huh, Do black people camp?” I know even the question sounds racist. But I realized in all of my years performing at camp grounds in Florida I don’t recall coming across any black folks. Sad. I thought perhaps it’s just not part of the culture. The I thought perhaps you don’t feel welcome. Unfortunately there is a tendency for some campers to be rednecks. But not all of them. I have always loved the fact that folks in RV parks and camp grounds are adventurous sorts with a desire to have new experiences and are often outgoing and friendly. I applaud your effort to help all people to feel empowered to go out and explore this beautiful world. I wish you continued Joy in your travels. Oh, on a different note I love the idea of glamping but it’s usually too expensive. Thanks again
Lauren
August 30, 2020 at 8:33 amHello Dianne. Thank you for sharing that. And it’s true that we are underrepresented in outdoor recreation but that’s changing. I agree that glamping can be expensive. It seems to be getting more and more expensive these days.