What happens when you like the outdoor adventures offered by camping excursions, but you also like a little bit of luxury in your life? You GLAMP! Glamping is just what the combination of two words sound like: glamorous + camping = glamping. For someone who loves roasting marshmallows, bonding by a campfire, and exploring through the woods, but doesn’t love bugs, sleeping on the hard floor instead of a bed and the unhelpful directions involved in pitching a tent, glamping is my solution. Just because you want fun involved in a camping trip does not mean you have to rough it! Professional glamping sites can be found around the world–in Africa, Thailand, Europe, and even here in the U.S.–and they are basically hip and eco-friendly hotels of camping. Many of the locations allow guests to enjoy the nature around them as well as the traditional aspects of camping while still enjoying amenities offered at hotels such as spa services!
I was first introduced to the idea of glamping through one of my favorite TV shows, Pretty Little Liars, in the “Keep Your Friends Close” episode of Season One. Although Camp Mona was less than successful (of course A had to do with that), glamping in the real world is truly trending! The good news about this travel trend is that it is making its way to Boston College this week!
I have yet to have a personal glamping experience, but it IS on my travel bucket list. Until I fulfill this endeavor, however, I am going to enjoy the Neuro-sponsored event hosted by Her Campus BC and Women in Business this Thursday that is completely glamping theme. But if you’re not heading to this event, don’t worry! I can fill you in on some glamping essentials so you can try it out yourself. To have a successful glamping trip there are some essentials: Bonding, Beauty, Bedding, and Bites!
Bonding
One of the best parts about camping is how it is an opportunity to bond with your friends. You can get away from the stresses of our structured lives and go out into the wilderness to be beneath the stars and just BE THERE with your friends. Although many of us are not willing to venture out on our glamping excursions, you can still bond with your friends around the real (or metaphorical) campfire. Turn off your cell phones, tell stories, and share the special moments with your friends! Games are also a fun way to bond, and you will be surprised at how creative you can get!
Beauty
Part of the appeal of glamping is how it incorporates the luxuries of a hotel spa, such as massages, manicures, make-up artists, hair stylists, and saunas. A simple way to tackle this essential is setting up a mini mani/pedi bar for you and your friends. Pick out some fun nail polish colors and you can even rename them to work with the camping theme. You can also style your hair in braids and other up-dos that can endure the outdoors (if you want to venture out there).
Bedding
Some people may love “being one with nature” and sleeping on the bumpy, cold, hard ground of their tent while bugs invade their pillow area, but I am NOT one of those people. Glampers are also not those people! Glamping sites offer comfortable beds with plenty of cushion for their guests and therefore bedding is a necessity for your glamping time! Gather lots of comfy pillows, blankets, and stuffed animals (yes, some of us still have them) and make your glamping site cozy and welcoming. If you have air mattresses, you can blow those up as well. One thing I would want to do is make a jumbo bed with air mattresses and blankets for me and my friends to share so we can stay up late telling ghost stories…or gossiping!
Bites
I love roasting marshmallows for s’mores and hot dogs when I go camping and would not want to trade this! With glamping, I can choose to go with this more traditional route, but I can also take the opportunity to make my meal options, “bites,” more luxurious. You can offer great appetizers (microwaves and ovens allow for so many options) and finger foods for your friends as well as an ice cream bar if wanted. No matter what you choose to eat, make sure it is good, plentiful to last for late night cravings, and goes with the theme. And the best part about glamping is that you don’t have to worry about bugs getting into your food like Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen did in their “You’re Invited” camping video.
Glamping is a great way to take the traditional camping trip and turn it into a luxurious sleepover for you and your friends. Classic camping themes such as lack of technology, sharing of stories, working together for making food, and games should be kept, but new aspects like beauty, legitimate bedding, and lack of bugs can also be added in. Every girl deserves a little glamour in her life!
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Photo Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMpE7-NpPB4
http://www.inger-lisahurst.com/glamping.html
http://www.sarahledermandesignstudio.com/2012/06/lets-go-glamping/
http://www.caracitablog.com/2011/08/camo-nails.html
http://www.aoltv.com/2010/08/03/pretty-little-liars-its-not-too-late-to-jump-in/