I have a few, very fond and distinct memories of my summers as a child. Some of the clearest are of camping alone in my backyard. I would set up my pup tent under a tree in a corner, facing away from the house (to further the illusion that I was in some exotic and wild location) or my father would, after some convincing, open up the Coleman camper that we took on family vacations and I would drag in books, blankets, toys, games and snacks from the house. I stayed out there for days sometimes. When I got hungry, I went in the house for meals. When I needed company, it was only a few steps away. When I needed the facilities, there they were. All the convenience of living at home but I had my own private, secluded and cozy place far away from the hustle and the bustle of my everyday 10-year-old life.
Flash forward 35 years and I realize that what I was doing now has a name. I may have actually invented “Glamping.” This trendy new accommodation and vacation experience, a mashup of glamour and camping, meets all the needs of experienced outdoor vacationers but leaves no convenience forgotten. It’s a catchy name for a suddenly stylish activity that has no official rules. The claim to the true history of Glamping is, in fact, still up for grabs. One wonders who coined the phrase first and marvels at the fact that we aren’t going Famping (fancy+camping) or Corting (fort+camping). Despite its murky origins, Glamping’s present day popularity is clear and undeniable.