Treehotel - Harads, Sweden
Live out your childhood fantasy of living in a tree house. Treehotel is a Swedish resort located in the isolated Lule River valley, consisting of five high-design tree houses nestled in the forest. The most unique is perhaps the Mirrorcube (approximately $576 a night), a house clad in mirrors that reflect the surrounding trees. Inside you’ll find a minimalist Scandinavian interior with bed, bathroom, living room, and roof deck. While decorations are sparse, there is Wi-Fi. Find out more about the Treehotel here.
The Resort at Paws Up - Greenough, Montana
Luxury camping reads like an oxymoron, but that’s exactly what resorts like one in Greenough, Montana, serve up. The Resort at Paws Up ranch has five tent options you can rent, starting at around $1,155. There’s no slumming it here: Each tent offers actual beds and home furnishings. While there’s no TV, there is an attached bathroom with running water, and you can order room service. The tents are located on a 37,000-acre ranch that offers plenty of outdoors fun, but within the safety of what is essentially a hotel. If tent living is too harsh, you can move into one of the homes hooked up with TVs and Internet. There are plenty of luxury establishments like the Resort at Paws Up, but there are some modest ones, too. The website Glamping.com has a good list of what’s available around the world. Find out more about Paws Up ranch here.
Quirky Glamping Village - Enniscrone, Ireland
As the name suggests, this glamping village in Ireland is possibly the weirdest. More amusement park than camping site, you stay in one of several different modes of transportation, including taxis, a trains, boats, and buses. Quirky Nights recently made the headlines when it prepared to move a decommissioned Boeing 767 from Shannon airport to the glamping park. The plane will become one of the attractions, and reservations are being taken now. Find out more about Quirky here.
2016 Airstream Interstate Lounge EXT ($155,060+)
There are plenty of luxury recreational vehicle (RV) makers, but we like the Airstream Interstate Lounge EXT for a few reasons. While it lacks the bubble shape of the company’s iconic trailers, the modified Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 van is easier to maneuver than bus-like RVs (you just need a standard driver’s license), yet it is packed with amenities, including a kitchen, bed, and bathroom with shower. You can add an optional air-suspension system that smoothens out bumpy rides. There are USB charging ports scattered through the cabin, while the entertainment system can be wired for satellite TV. For those who enjoy vacationing on America’s roads, this Airstream handles both city streets and outdoor campsites, in style. Find out more from Airstream.
Ecocapsule portable house (€ 79.900+)Unveiled last year, Ecocapsule is a self-sustaining mobile home. This “green” pod generates its own electricity through wind and solar energy, while filters purify rainwater before you drink it. Inside, you’ll find a bathroom with waterless waste-incinerating toilet, small kitchen, and bed – a studio apartment that fits two. A computer monitors all activity, just to make sure it’s habitable, you see. It’s designed for use in remote places, making it the ideal Earth-friendly glamping shelter. Pre-orders are being taken now, for a 2017 delivery, at approximately $90,000. Buy one now from Ecocapsule.
Depending on your view, glamping is either a fun type of vacation or the worst portmanteau ever. The combination of the words “glamor” and “camping,” it describes an outdoor adventure without actually getting dirty. Oftentimes, glamping is used to described what are essentially resort hotels with a camping or outdoors theme, but it could describe any sort of luxury camping where comfort and convenience are priorities over being one with nature – you know, why you want to go camping in the first place. If you insist of having a comfy bed, multi-burner camping stove, power to charge your laptop, or Wi-Fi to check your mail, you’re a glamper.
True backpackers would scoff at these amenities, but then again, few people know how to properly set up camp in the wild. Inexperienced campers could find themselves at risk of fires, carbon monoxide poisoning, or other injuries. In that view, glamping may not be such a bad idea after all.
One thing is for certain: Glamping isn’t usually cheap, but you don’t have to deal with finding drinking water and heat, mosquitos, hypothermia, or any other life-threatening obstacles. No, don’t call yourself an adventurer, but you’ll probably get a good night’s sleep.
While our Portland-based crew prefers the real thing, Digital Trends’ New York City staffers aren’t as audacious. Here are five of our favorite options for camping without the dirt.
