For many years now, camping has been one of the most popular outdoor activities. Being at one with nature, setting up tents and staying in them, going on treks, cozying up in sleeping bags under starry skies: all these bring a sense of thrill and adventure that many desire on a vacation.
More importantly, a camping trip also takes you back to the rustic lifestyle of old. With no running water or heaters to depend upon, you’re left alone with nature. This serves as a refreshing break from the monotonous routine of everyday urban life, teaching us valuable life lessons on wastage and survival in the process.
Glamping
However, a new form of outdoor recreation has cropped up over the last decade, which is fast gaining popularity among those looking for a quick getaway from one’s routine. This new sensation is glamping (short for glamorous camping), which is a cross between outdoor camping and the comforts of a hotel room.
Some people prefer comfort over excitement, but glamping gives them the perfect opportunity to experience both at the same time. With constructed cabins, running water, mattresses and toilets, glamping has emerged as one of camping’s biggest rivals in vacation activities.
In this article, we compare different features of the two, which one you should opt for, and why. Camping vs glamping: which one’s best for you?
Means of stay
On your vacation, camping and glamping offer very different accommodation facilities. For most people, this is often the biggest factor while deciding on which one to go for.
If you go camping, you’re expected to select a place to set up camp, construct a tent, look for running water, and get a bright fire going nearby. While all this preparation just for a night’s stay might seem daunting, it isn’t as difficult as it sounds. When you start with camping work with family or friends, it soon turns into a chaotic, fun, boisterous atmosphere. The work seems to melt away amid all the laughter and noise, and later on, it makes us tired enough for a good night’s sleep.
Glamping is the easier route out, with much less effort and much more comfort. With readymade beds and shelter, running water, bathing facilities, electricity, and all other comforts of a decent hotel, glamping is a glorified camp and a simple hotel in equal measure.
Camping gives you a sense of adventure, excitement, and activity that you would find while out glamping, which in turn gives you the comfort and luxuries that you would not find while in a tent.
Weatherproof
A huge worry in many vacation planners’ minds is the weather conditions of the destination. Rain can serve as a big dampener on a joyful day, while bright and sunny weather is perfect for connecting to nature better.
While camping, you always stand the risk of experiencing rain, cold, or heat in extremities. While this can be avoided to an extent by choosing your destination carefully, you would still have to deal with the occasional rainy day while camping. However, by keeping warm and dry, and by having a bright fire going, rainy weather could be perfect for an idyllic night of stories and laughter.
Glamping, on the other hand, is an all-weather activity. Assured of a warm and comfortable night’s stay, glampers can even frolic in the rain as they’ve got a warm bath and change of clothes ready. While camping might provide the uncertainty and suspense of bad weather, glamping is a safer option if you’re looking for a relatively calmer holiday.
Cost
One of the biggest advantages that camping holds over most other holiday activities is its cheap overall package. Maximum of the activities are free: exploring new places, playing board games, or just enjoying the atmosphere. The only major expenditures are on equipment, travel, and food.
Glamping is understandably costlier than camping, given its comparatively plush features. However, note that glamping demands only a one-time payment for the whole experience, and offers much more luxury while compared to camping, which only has limited comfort but multiple expenditures.
Which one should you go for?
As previously explored, both camping and glamping have their advantages and disadvantages. Here is a pros vs cons look at the comparison.
Camping
If you’re looking for adventure, thrill, and unpredictability in your perfect holiday, then camping is tailor-made for you. It costs less, but also requires quite a bit of preparation. This includes packing camping gear for the trip, planning for activities and transportation, making arrangements for food, and scouting the destination.
Camping gets better with experience, and your initial attempts at trying it out might end up worse than expected. One of the biggest problems that people face is the right choice of tent, as not all types of tents are suitable for all conditions. Check out this guide for more on which tent would be best for your vacation.
That being said, there are a lot of lessons that camping teaches us. You learn how to live left in alien surroundings and there’s no uber-cozy abode to retire into if you’re tired: it teaches us independence like nothing else can. Whether you’re traveling alone or with other people, camping is a novel experience that I highly recommend.
Glamping
Alternatively, people looking for a calm, relaxed vacation can start searching for glamping properties online. Many websites offer online bookings for your glamping spots, and once you secure a glamp you’re set for the vacation. Glamping offers a variety of fun activities and an equal range of different accommodations: such as yurts, treehouses, cabins, safari tents, and so on.
However, if you’re looking for an authentic experience with pure, unexplored nature and an underlying sense of adventure, glamping won’t hit the mark as well as camping does. Returning to a fixed place instead of setting up a tent anywhere limits your adventures under a radius.