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So, You Want to go Glamping?

I’m pretty passionate about this rising trend in the outdoor industry! Glamping is like the gateway drug to the outdoors, a way to fall in love with outdoor adventures — hiking, wildlife watching, outdoor photography, skiing, paddling, birdwatching, conservation, and more — while still sleeping in relative luxury.

“So, wait, can’t I just sleep in a hotel and still have outdoor adventures?”

Sure. But, staying in hotels is a means to an end, with the end result being that you sleep in a bed with some conveniences, and maybe even luxuries, while traveling.

Glamping, by contrast, is an immersive experience. The setting for your glamping experience may be deep in the forest, in the middle of the desert, or in your own backyard. But the focus will always be connecting you with the outdoors.

A small cabin at sunset. Caption reads: Glamping Resource Guide for Outdoor Lovers

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So, What is Glamping Exactly?

It’s a mashup of glamorous and camping, but the actual definition actually falls on a very wide spectrum between lodging and camping.

As with camping, glamping means different things to different people. If you sleep in an RV, are you camping or glamping? If you have running water and a full kitchen is it glamping or lodging?

I say, create your own definition that fits with what you want glamping to be for you. For me, glamping is a real bed and a waterproof shelter in a beautiful, natural, and private place.

When I go glamping, I don’t need running water or electricity, but maybe in your book, those are necessities. There are glamping experiences out there that meet all of your expectations, but you’ll have to do some research so you know what you’re getting into.

How I Find Glamping Near Me

Glamping Cabin
Glamping goals – this is such a dreamy cabin!

For the most part, I use private booking platforms to find the best glamping near me. Sometimes I resort to more general Google searches for leads, especially if I am unfamiliar with an area.

Once I know where I want to go, I use the following platforms, in this order listed, to look for unique glamping properties. By methodically sifting through the growing number of rentals that are available for outdoor lovers, we have been able to spend the night at some amazing places that we will never forget!

And my new mission may just be to find the most incredible glamping all over the United States.

Our Favorite Online Glamping Resources

  • Tentrr – Tentrr puts a different spin on glamping by providing landowners with ready-to-go glamping sites, complete with canvas tents, bed platforms, woodstoves, toilets, and eating areas. We have stayed in a few Tentrr sites, and have always had good experiences. Sites are unique in that they are extremely private. Prices are pretty standard, between $95 and $150 per night. There are lots of Tentrr sites in New England and New York, and they are expanding across the USA.
  • VRBO – We love using VRBO for its flexible cancelation policies and low service fees, but there is currently no way to search specifically for glamping properties aside from cabins. Vacation rentals range from studio apartments to fancy villas and castles. You could get lost dreaming up your next getaway!
  • Glamping Hub – Glamping Hub is my next choice for finding glamping near me. It has a lot of unique properties, including yurts, treehouses, cabins, and glamping tents. There are also high-end vacation rentals that you have to sift through. Glamping Hub rentals tend to be more luxurious and expensive, but the booking process is easy.
  • Hipcamp – We love Hipcamp because the booking site offers all kinds of private camping experience, not just glamping. We have found remote patches of land to pitch our tent on, as well as treehouses, cabins, and fire towers. We don’t always love the Hipcamp search engine, as it seems to be glitchy sometimes. Full disclosure: I was a Hipcamp Field Scout in 2016.
  • Airbnb – Airbnb is a vast network of vacation rentals with some unique glamping properties. Reading Airbnb reviews gives us confidence that every place we choose will meet our expectations, and glamping properties are easy to find using the search filter. One caveat is that the cancelation policies and fees are different for every property, so you have to read the fine print before booking.

Glamping in New England

A yurt in Fairhaven VT for rent on Airbnb
We enjoyed our stay at this beautiful yurt in Bristol, Vermont

Our home base is in Vermont, so the majority of our glamping excursions to date have been in New England. If you are hoping to do some glamping in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, or Rhode Island, check out our Glamping in New England Page. We have a lot of posts featuring our favorite glamping spots nearby.

Glamping in New York

Adirondack Star Ridge Firepit
The view from Adirondack Star Ridge

Glamping must have been invented in New York because there are hundreds of glamping properties in New York, spread across the whole state, and all of the booking platforms mentioned above. Here are some of our favorite spots for glamping in New York.

Glamping Near National Parks

A small camper in the desert near the Grand Canyon at sunset.
You can rent this cozy camper near the Grand Canyon. Photo credit: Airbnb

We are huge national park lovers, and are looking forward to doing more glamping near national parks in the very near future. Here’s what we’ve got so far:

Backyard Glamping

Want to try glamping without ever leaving home? Give it a go in the backyard first, and maybe you’ll be hooked. At the very least, glamping is an awesome quarantine activity (looking at you 2020 and 2021), is fun for kids, and is a great party idea!

Cabin Camping

Finally a bit about cabin camping. In my mind, there is a distinct difference between glamping and cabin camping, with cabin camping being a bit more in the ‘roughing it’ category. With cabin camping, you may have to hike into your cabin. You will probably have to bring a sleeping bag and sleep on a wooden platform. It’s pretty much camping in a shelter. Your definition might be different, and that’s okay.

Now is the perfect time to start planning your glamping adventure, whether it’s in some remote place that you’ve always wanted to visit, or in your own backyard!