GLAMPING

“NEW YORK (AP) -- Did a bad experience turn you off camping? Maybe your tent leaked in a rainstorm or you shivered all night in a borrowed, smelly sleeping bag. Or that thin foam pad you were trying to sleep on didn't do much to protect your back from the rocky, uneven ground beneath your tent.

It doesn't have to be that way. Tour companies and resorts now offer luxury camping, and the term "glamping" -- shorthand for glamorous camping -- is starting to turn up in reports from the United Kingdom and Canada. The New York Post recently mentioned "glamping" in an article on a new Web site for luxury travel, http://www.globorati.com. (The story also referred to "jetrosexuals" as a globetrotting jetsetter who thinks nothing of hopping on a plane to Asia for a shopping spree.)

In British Columbia, Canada, the Clayoquot Wilderness Resort, a 30-minute boat ride from the town of Tofino, is offering "glamping" on a fjord on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Tents have Persian carpets, down duvets and even electricity. There's a sauna and hot tubs on site, and activities including fishing, horseback riding, kayaking, hikes and wildlife-watching.

But if you thought camping was a budget vacation option, you'll have to readjust your expectations for glamping. Three-night packages at the Clayoquot resort begin at $4,100 a person, double occupancy. Details at 888-333-5405 or http://www.wildretreat.com.

Other tour companies offer luxury tent accommodations as well. Abercrombie & Kent has several trips to Africa that include high-end camping, such as guided tours of Botswana that include game drives and accommodations in "walk-in tents with extra length beds, crisp sheets and warm blankets," plus a "mess tent" for what's described as "bush-style haute cuisine" served on china and linen tablecloths. Details at http://www.abercrombiekent.com or 800-554-7016.

Closer to home and a bit less upscale, but still a world away from the do-it-yourself leaky tent, Maine Family Adventures offers a deluxe guided camping trip to Acadia National Park; http://www.mainefamilyadventures.com/trips_acadia_camp.html. Meals prepared by the guides, camping equipment and activities are all included in the cost of about $1,000 a person.”

“...Tents have Persian carpets, down duvets and even electricity. There's a sauna and hot tubs on site, and activities including fishing, horseback riding, kayaking, hikes and wildlife-watching.”

“My first backpacking trip of the modern era (I am not counting my boyscout days) was with the Parks & Rec department of my town. They provided transportation, food, snacks, all the gear and advice. All I needed to do was pack some clothes and carry the stuff. For 3day/2night trip from Wilminton, NC, to Erwin, Tn, to hike from Iron Mountain Gap to the Nolichucky River I paid $75.”

“The sauna is there for the people that have to hump all the gear in.”

“" Maybe your tent leaked in a rainstorm or you shivered all night in a borrowed, smelly sleeping bag. Or that thin foam pad you were trying to sleep on didn't do much to protect your back from the rocky, uneven ground beneath your tent"

Take away all the so-called discomforts and whats the use?! Its What Patrick F Mcmanus calls "A fine and pleasant misery" That keeps me going back to the sticks!”

“I must be truly disillusioned? I thought taht bringing along a couple of beers, a camp chair or a book was luxury camping.

I like what we do.”

“dhutch - don't forget the TGI Fridays hot wings.”

“HAAAAA! That was 5 Star camping :-)”

“that sounds like the "hut to hut" trail that's being developed in western Maine...”

“Okay, Thinkbubelz and I just saw a Nightline story on "Glamping"... $10,000 a person for a WEEK of "Glamping"?! Where can I sign up to own a piece of this pie?!!!

I cannot believe that the people they interviewed even have the nerve to call this "getting into the wilderness".... Insane...!”

“Here's the link:

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=3294418&page=1

I'll be happy to take someone's $10,000 to go camping... don't they say a sucker is born every minute?”

“Isn't there a thread started on this at least once a year?”

“What's it cost to "do" everest?”

“We found a pair of 12-year-olds enjoying the massage tent, receiving the sort of high-end, relaxing rubdown most people are lucky to ever experience. Of course, this entire trip is something most people will never experience.

"I like the food a lot. Last night's dinner was the best: rack of lamb," said 12-year-old Evan Sayre from Long Island. But what about s'mores by the campfire or hot dogs? "No," he told us.”

“If you can attract the clientel who can really afford this it might be a hoot and half. When we were doing work targeting a customized experience, the problem was not with the rich who could afford it, but with the folks who saved and scrimped and went into hock for the "experience of a life time" Wait until they find out clothes still wrinkle, mosquitoes still bit and feet still get sore.

I think I'll pass on this .”

“Hey, keepin em outta the real backcountry is fine with me.”

“amen!”

“I guess for someone from Long Island, even Central Park may seem like a wilderness, but having rack of lamb and not even a hint of a s'more is a sacrilege...

Ramblingrev's post hits the nail on the head-- the people who hock their homes for an "experience of a lifetime" are the ones I feel sorry for...

Give me $10,000 and I can think of many places in the world I could go (and for many weeks).... These people are totally missing the point...

Of course, I guess this is like city folk going to "Dude Ranches" to experience life in the "wild west"....(which is why they called the cowboys called them "dude ranches" in the first place...

I can see going on a guided tour somewhere with knowlegeable hikers from the area if you are not an experienced camper. I cannot understand going to the Ritz Carlton in the woods if you say you want to experience the great outdoors. Heck, the reason why Thinkbubelz and I go camping IS to ditch the computer and the city life for a few days!”