Latest luxury camping alternatives for your outdoor getaway
Once it was only celebrities at festivals who could afford to go ‘glamping’. Now though everyone seems to be getting in on the trend of posh camping.
Whether you feel like slumbering underneath the stars in luxury yurts, or getting close to nature with wooded tree-top hideaways, the new designs in camping alternatives are coming in thick and fast.
So for those of you who don’t like to spend nights atop damp ground proof sheets on rocky floors, why not take a look at some of these recent innovations designed to revamp the peg-up tent into a relaxation station?
Stackable sleeping cells
‘Did you ever live in a beehive before?’ says co-inventor designer Barbara Vandhorre.
These honeycomb-shaped wooden cells were designed by a team of Belgian designers called B-and-Bee, who were fed up with sleeping in tents at music festivals. The separate capsules are great for avoiding the muddy or flooded floor beneath: plus everyone gets their own individual pod (so no disturbance from all the other sweaty bodies around you after a night of dancing!)
Each pod contains a king sized bed, which can be transformed by day into a comfortable seating area. And the best bit is locks, lights and power are all included, meaning you’ll still be able to keep your gadgets buzzing throughout the trip!
The QUQUQ camping box
With one of these European-designed camping boxes, you can transform your van into a two-person camper in under one minute. Crack open the top to find a miniature kitchen inside, complete with a 2-flame stove, a freshwater sink and storage space, as well as a comfy bed for two.
When compared to other campers-in-boxes, the QUQUQ is not only more fun to say, it also appears to be simpler to transport and transform. It’s effectively a home in one, and means you can switch that mouldy old tent for a cool, compact camping compartment.
De Markies mobile home
For the laid back roadtripper, the De Markies (Danish for ‘The Awning’) is a perfect way to live and breathe those wide, open roads. When driving along it measures just 2.00 metres by 4.50 metres, but once you’ve arrived at your destination, it opens up and the space can increase threefold in a matter of seconds.
One side of the Dr Markies hosts a private boudoir, whilst the canvas on the other side is completely transparent, allowing for breath-taking views of the countryside from the comfort and warmth of your cosy camper.
Orange, stainless steel, and crisp white complete the vintage-looking design, which is both stylish and contemporary.
Glisten Camping
Glisten Camping brings a truly unique glamping experience to the south-west of France. The brainchild of Cornish-based camper Simon Thomason, Glisten selects the best locations in south-west France then sets up the distinctively stylish geodesic domes. Each dome sleeps a family of up to six.
These camping pods have hanging beds for kids, tonnes of head room, partitioned bedrooms and luxurious king-sized beds and are the true essence of glamping. As Simon puts it, “the great outdoors deserve a beautiful indoors”.
Indoor Caravanning
Although combining indoor and outdoor is usually the worst design faux-paz known to man, bringing the outdoors inside has proved fabulously popular in Germany.
The Huttenpalast (meaning ‘caravan palace’) in Berlin provides quirkily decorated vans within the comfort of an old vacuum factory. They even provide AstroTurf flooring for makeshift gardens, and hanging baskets galore, so you still get a healthy fill of the fresh outdoors without actually having to step outside. This is an ideal for the novelty-seeking glamper.
Have you noted any other glamping designs or trends in other countries? Let us know in your comments below!
All photos curtesy of Salop Leisure
Where can I buy a de marries?