DIY Glamping

lotus belle glamping tent

Can’t wait until your next glamping vaca? Pin It has gone glam camping crazy, and we’re catching the DIY fever too.

The possibilities are endless. With all the glamping options out there it’s good to know what style of accommodations draws your attention. Canvas or dome? Isolated or in company? Check out this impressive lotus handcrafted tent running for $2500. It’s summer time and the intent of a glamping vacation is to be pampered and not worry about setup, labor, etc… but how about at the cabin or lake house? Adding an elegant canvas touch to refine the outdoors, a cozy zone for afternoon wine and cheese, can transform causal into tasteful.

But perhaps you’re looking for something to accommodate you while on the move. Or maybe the family wants to go camping but after a taste of glamping you just don’t find the concept of ‘roughing it’ appealing any more. We have a suggestion: The Camper.

Yes, the camper is back. It’s ‘cool again’ according to Mehrzeller, and their modern take on the camper trailer is the epitome of cool. This is a multicellular caravan customized before purchase, and it looks like a futuristic home-hive. Then there’s the more traditional fold out caravan to offer maximum space, such as “De Markies” (The Awning) by Bohtlingk. They feature their caravan set by a river with one side fully covered and the other providing shade for a fisherman dangling his feet playfully off the side of his temporary living space. A portable home and a dock all in one! Never a dull moment when searching through the trends…

Glamping is all about personalizing comfort. It’s for us nomads-at-heart who can’t bear to lose the finer luxuries when it comes to living indoors or out. Naturally, if you are as excited as we are, you’ll want to share the passion of glamping. What better way to do that than by incorporating the concept into your events? For the next family reunion try a modern tent festival. With A/C and chef prepared food, of course! Glamping has become a widespread theme for weddings as well. If you have ownership of any large and tranquil pastures it’s a theme you might want to consider. It’s all about Pinterest lately, so let’s continue the theme with some unique wedding accents to add to your glamping happily-ever-after occasion.

Glamping is rustic and ethereal. Candles are a must and candles in mason jars are even better. Flowers EVERYWHERE (for the ladies) and oak-barrel tables are something we can all obsess over. Vintage everything, and, naturally, you’ll want to add in some archery or potato bag races for entertainment. If you want to go to the extreme bring in some horses for an evening ride into the sunset.

Resorts might be offering the best of glamping, setting the bar high for DIY projects, but rising to the challenge is worth it. It may take storage and preparation time to add the subtle essentials like restaurant quality food and five star bedroom amenities – but watching the stars unobstructed at night with the promise of a signature hideaway is a payoff all it’s own.

[Image credit: http://www.happyglamper.com.au/glamping-hire/lotus-belle/]

Nature Immersed Glamping Destinations

Clayoquot

The search is always on for the unique, the nature immersed experiences – this is what drives most glampers . If you’re looking for the next luxury stop, then here are a few out-of-the-box destinations that are sure to please!

It takes a seaplane ride to arrive at the Clayoquot Wilderness Resort. 45 minutes out of Vancouver will take you to the island where luxury tents make a comfortable stay – plush beds, en suite bathrooms, heated floors, running water, and thermostat-controlled propane wood stoves. Activities like bear-watching and zip-lining will fill your stay and horses are the main means of transportation.

Take yourself 5,000 feet elevated into the Swiss Alps and you’ll find yourself at Whitepod. The area is explored mainly through skiing, with the option of snowshoe, dogsled and foot. Here you have a choice between 15 geodesic domes that blend into the Alp landscape with white canvas in winter and green canvas in summertime. The view, as you might expect, is truly inspiring.

Whitepod

If you want to see what it’s like to live out-of-this-world, the Earthship Biostructure may be the closest you can find. This desert setting in Taos, New Mexico, gives an otherworldly feel to this off-the-grid resort – which is still able to offer the amenities of wi-fi and TVs (complete with netflix) through electricity gathered by sun and wind. Everything is built with natural or recycled materials. Rainwater storage is utilized for drinking and showering, as well as for watering the garden.

Then there’s the famous Uluru’s Longitude 131 set in the red sand dunes of Australia. There are just 15 tents, which are more aptly described as freestanding luxury rooms. One-way privacy films coat the expansive windows, so you’ll feel out in the open and perfectly hidden all at the same time. The location is neighbor to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, meaning the views are uninterrupted and the local plants and animals are in your “backyard” of sorts.

Longitude 131

What’s made of 25 individual domes and 3 community domes? The EcoCamp in Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia! The EcoCamp is the Park’s first sustainable accommodation, with geodesic domes that resemble high-tech igloos with transparent ceilings for stargazing. Complete with private terraces, comfortable beds, private bathrooms, wood stoves, gas heaters and splendid views of Torres del Paine peaks. There is no lack of luxury, either, when it comes to the community domes and their Chilean cuisine restaurants.

Add the word “Ger” to your glamping dictionary. At the Three Camel Lodge in Gobi, Mongolia, you’ll experience the traditional mongolian herder tent in luxury. Here there’s a selection among twenty Deluxe Gers that are all handmade using lattice wood covered in felt and canvas.Unlike the typical Mongolian herder your stay will find you in perfect comfort with wood stoves, private bathrooms and king-sized beds, with a view marked by the iconic Gobi-Altai Mountains.

Treehouse enthusiasts will appreciate Chole Mjini, the “castaway fantasy” set in the remote Chole Island in Tanzani, Africa, where they have seven treehouses to choose from. This castaway fantasy is complete with all the creature comforts, including outdoor showers with hot water. The resort has worked alongside the local island community to add a taste to your visit unlike anywhere else, and activity options – including diving, island excursions, swimming with whales, sunset sailing and more – are certain to leave an impression.

Chole Mijini

If you can manage a slot or two out of the 14 allowed spots inside Chumbe Island Coral Park in Zanzibar, Tanzania, it’s certainly worth a stay. Exclusion stems from the need to protect this island coral reef sanctuary, visitors will stay in eco-bungalows with waterfront views. Each bungalow has it’s own sleeping area, living room, hammock, self-contained bathrooms to ease the body and mind between adventures. Everything is included when staying at this glamping spot, including guided snorkeling in the reef sanctuary.

Australia’s Wildman Wilderness Lodge is rebuilt from the same materials as the former Wrotham Park Lodge which was shut down 1,740 miles away. While the materials may have been recycled, nothing about this resort feels second hand. Being settled in the scenic land of Mary River National Park Wetlands gives visitors front row seats to the rivers, billabongs and wallaby wildlife. Safari tents are well equipped with all the luxuries of comfy beds, en suite bathrooms, running water and electricity, while the camp land is kept clear of unwelcomed guests such as crocodiles.

For an unforgettable and unparalleled experience you might try the Human Nest at Treebones Resort. While the stay might not be particularly luxurious – you’ll have to bring your own sleeping bag and pillow to lug up to the nest – it will make an impression. The view from your perch will take in the Los Padres National Forest and the Pacific Ocean. Ah, California you don’t disappoint!

So… do you still have room on your glamping bucket-list? 🙂

Skinny Cow “Girls Gone Glamping” Contest

Skinny cow glamping

We know you’ve been waiting for a chance to get away, and now the Skinny Cow “Girls Gone Glamping” prize might just be that chance! This is for the girlfriends, a chance to leave it all behind and join us in Montana for some serious pampering – I mean camping – I mean… well, you know, glamping!

Alright, what’s the scoop?

Skinny Cow, known for their light (yet indulgent!) desserts, is offering a vacation to The Resort At Paws Up as their grand prize during a series of contest drawings. It’s going on now, so it’s time to get in the game if you haven’t already! Enter as many times as you want. The winner and two friends will get to enjoy a weekend of all-expenses-free indulgence. Not a bad way to reward yourself for your smart sweet tooth! The glamping vacation is the big giveaway, but there are plenty more gift cards and treat freebies waiting all who join the sweepstakes.

Check out this fun infographic for more Skinny Cow glamping excitement! Find out what more than half the women surveyed agreed on when it comes to reasons to get out of town. Turns out that East Coast women tend (more than other regions) to prioritize plush bedding and pillows when selecting their glamping spot. And when choosing (hypothetically, of course) between the perks of clean bathrooms/showers or being bug free, which wins in your book? The Resort at Paws Up is the premier luxury glamping resort in Montana. When it comes to comfort, no one takes better care of you and yours than at Paws Up in Greenough. This is roughing it like royalty.

And, with 37,000 acres to enjoy, you and your besties will have plenty to explore after the sweepstakes are over. Imagine enjoying a Skinny Cow ice cream by the campfire beneath Montana’s “Big Sky” with luxury beds prepared to perfection by the camp butler. The days are so fresh it’ll quickly put you in touch with your inner cowgirl. You’ll return home rested, empowered, and ready to face the wilderness of the concrete jungles once more!

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Rules of the game:

1 Grab your favorite SKINNY COW® Candy or Ice Cream.* (This first step is the best!) Don’t have any SKINNY COW? See below for a free way to enter.

2 Enter the 12-digit bar code on your box of candy or ice cream. Or use the 6-digit code from inside your candy wrapper to receive one entry into the sweepstakes.

3 Click to see if you’re an instant winner.

4 Play every day! Each entry gives you another chance to win our grand Girls Gone Glamping prize!

5 There is a new grand prize drawing every two weeks for a chance to win one of nine trips. All glamping trips are October 2-5, 2014. So keep coming back to throw your cowboy hat in the ring for another chance to win!

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May the best glamper win!