What is Glamping?
Glamping is luxury camping or “glamorous” camping. It combines the best of sleeping under the stars, with modern conveniences such as bathrooms, comfortable bedding and deck areas.
The idea of luxury excursions into the wilderness is nothing new. In the early 1900s, British and American adventurers to the African plains hired tailors, chefs and dozens of porters per person for extravagant game hunting trips. But the term “glamping” itself is only a few years old. A Google search reveals that people only started looking for this new term on the internet from about 2007. The word “glamping” first appeared in the United Kingdom in 2005 and was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2016.
How is Glamping different to Camping?
What exactly defines the glamping experience as distinct from plain old camping? Some glampers may like to step out into the natural wilderness with a sense of adventure, but more often than not, they like someone else to handle all the details – and with style. Others glampers prefer a “minimal frill style” and are happy preparing their own meals, but like having a comfortable bed.
Camping is the no-frills way to get out and experience nature. You usually sleep in sleeping bags on a mat on the ground, in a tent you’ve pitched after perhaps hiking into a campsite on one of Australia’s fabulous walks. Campers can build a fire in a fire pit or power up the BBQ and make a meal that is usually pretty basic. Toilet facilities are either an amenities block (complete with frogs) or a spot away from camp that you dig yourself. You may also need to purify water to drink and cook.
“Glamping” on the other hand combines the experience of the wild with a bit more glamour and comfort, enabling you to experience the great outdoors without sacrificing luxury. It differs from camping in that the focus is on comfort, luxuries and having the very best of it. Glamping tents are ready for you to move into straight away, with beds made up with luxury linen, and the fire (if there is one) set ready for your arrival. So all you have to do is get on with having a great time, whether with your partner, family, or a group of friends.
Here at Green Getaways we have extended the definition of glamping in Australia to include other styles of accommodation that allow travellers to feel that they are sleeping outside close to nature in semi permanent accommodation. These can include:
Dome Stays
Sleep under the stars, but feel perfectly sheltered. Dome stays are the latest trend in glamping! Check out the fabulous selection of dome stays here…
A yurt is a portable, round tent covered with skins or felt and used as a dwelling by nomads in the steppes of Central Asia. You can stay in a Mongolian style yurt in Victoria’s King Valley.
Treehouses
A tree houseis a platform or building constructed around, next to or among the trunk or branches of one or more mature trees while above ground level. Tree houses can be used for recreation, work space, habitation, and observation. You can stay in a treehouse near beautiful Maleny, Queensland.
Tiny Houses
Tiny houses are usually prefabricated structures, built in a factory on a permanently attached chassis before being transported to site (either by being towed or on a trailer). Used as permanent homes, for holiday or temporary accommodation, they are left often permanently or semi-permanently in one place, but can be moved.
Tipees
A tipee (also tepee or teepee) is a cone-shaped tent, traditionally made of animal skins upon wooden poles. A tipi is distinguished from other conical tents by the smoke flaps at the top of the structure. You can stay in a tipee in Tasmania’s Huon Valley.
