Glamping: 5 Star Camping

Those who know me well will chuckle when I say that my husband and I are considering buying a camper for next summer.  I’m so not that girl.  I hate bugs and hate being dirty.  I’m also not very fond if being out in the cold.  So why consider camping?  Because as a kid I absolutely loved my camping trips with my parents and I know my kids will love camping too.  The thing is, I camped in a motor-home.

Camping doesn’t have to be about roughing it in a tent (though for those who wish to, more power to you!)  Here are 5 tips to glam-ify your campsite and turn camping into glamping!

1. Get the VIP treatment: You can’t have 5 star camping without a 5 star location! Make sure you plan your trip ahead of time to ensure you get the best spot on the lot, close to things like hot showers and a great view.

2. Don’t sacrifice luxury: 36 per cent of Canadians consider a tent to be the most important gear to have on a camping trip and there is no reason why it can’t be fabulous. With the new line of Coleman Instant tents, you can go from package to pitched in 60 seconds or less with enough space for a queen size air mattress and all the duvets you can handle.

3. Ambiance is key: Amplify the nature experience with a few items from home like flowers, bedside lighting, tablecloths and linen napkins. You should also bring along a cozy portable chair, a small rug and a tented shade for the ultimate outdoor Zen zone.

4. Eat like royalty: Don’t let your dinner suffer just because you’re roughin’ it! Thanks to a little bit of preparation and some great new portable appliances, you can enjoy your gourmet goodies just as you would at home. Take it up a notch and bring along some posh snacks like cheese and crackers and a nice bottle of wine to really wow your campsite guests … and taste buds.

5. Deck out your tent: Turn your tent into an outdoor oasis to truly unwind on your glamping retreat. From a collapsible night stand to host your Ipod dock, to those 900-tread count sheets that sooth you to sleep – this is sure to be your classiest camping trip yet.

Here are some products from Coleman Canada to help you in your glamping efforts:

Hmmm, maybe I could camp in a tent with products like these!  To take our first tiny step, we were sent the gorgeous AeroBed Smart Settings Queen 20″ Double Height air mattress!  My husband couldn’t wait for his holidays – a time during which he has promised the kids they will camp out in the backyard – and checked out the air mattress inside one afternoon (he’s such a guy, always wanting to play with the newest toy!)

Our mattress is navy, not cream like the image above, so it’s a little hard to see how large it is in the photo but I hope you can get the general idea.  This baby is huge!  It’s high off the ground (like a real bed!) and inflates in minutes (seriously, of course we’ll have a site with electricity, this is me after all!)  It’s very comfortable too – no more sagging air mattress when extra guests come to visit.  In fact, we may take this with us when we travel to the grandparents as well!

For now, my husband and kids will test it out in a tent in the backyard in the weeks to come.  Who knows, maybe a tent and air mattress is all we’ll need next summer for our camping adventures.  I wouldn’t count on it though – look up Glamping online and you’ll see that I’m but a young grasshopper in this land, oh the fun we could have glamping next year!