With companies like Under Canvas offering incredible glamping opportunities near national parks across America, it’s easier than ever to convince your non-camping friend, spouse or partner to sleep outdoors. Here are 5 reasons why glamping is great for those who would prefer to skip sleeping bags, dirt and pit toilets.
1. Experience Luxury in a Deluxe Safari-Style Tent
This claim may seem incredulous to non-campers, but one of the most glamorous rooms you’ll ever sleep in may actually be a tent at a glamping resort. That’s certainly the case at Under Canvas’ 8 locations. You’ll find a king bed with luxurious linens in Under Canvas’ deluxe and suite tents, plus your own wood stove with pre-chopped wood, a deck and private bathroom with a flushing toilet.
“A lot of people are afraid of roughing it but still want to experience the outdoors” says Sarah Dusek, CEO and cofounder of Under Canvas. “We bridge that gap. When you stay with us, you don’t have to sacrifice creature comforts.”
At Under Canvas’ Grand Canyon and Great Smoky locations, the tented lobbies are furnished with stunning West Elm furniture and accessories. It makes checking in feel more like it’s part of an experience rather than a task. You’ll discover your tented room is just as elegantly appointed. What’s more glamorous and romantic than sleeping in the outdoors without ever having to set up a tent, crawl into a sleeping bag or get dirty? Did we mention you can order coffee service to be delivered to your tent?
2. Live in the Moment
Similar to camping, glamping allows you to experience a digital detox. When you glamp, you may not have access to WiFi in your tent or even in the common area. At Under Canvas’ glampgrounds, this lack of connectivity is called “an intentional inconvenience.” Why? So that guests can disconnect from technology and reconnect with those they love.
When you don’t have WiFi or television, it leaves plenty of time to talk with your family, friends, or other “glampers” dining next to you at the Embers Cafe at an Under Canvas location. After a long day of adventuring, you can play some board games with your family or get valuable park tips from others enjoying s’mores around the community fire.
3. Discover a Sense of Community
How many hotels have you stayed in where you are just another guest spending the night in room 335? At glamping places like Under Canvas, there’s a personalized approach that trickles down from the check-in staff to the concierge service to campfire conversations. There’s a fantastic restaurant on-site designed to encourage interactions among staff and guests. There’s a campfire with complimentary s’mores where you can trade tips with other guests in the evening. There’s a concierge who you can talk to about booking tours and then book your outing for you. And lastly, places like under Canvas offer free activities on site like walking tours and yoga classes.
4. Opt for an All-Inclusive Stay
Rather than spending time trying to figure out what attractions are closest to your campsite or which hike in the Grand Canyon is not going to leave your thigh muscles seized up for days, kick back on your porch and enjoy your morning coffee. At places like Under Canvas, a guest concierge service can give you insider park tips and help plan your entire vacation once you arrive. Or plan months in advance and opt for a three-to-four night “Expedition Package” that includes all meals and adventures like a helicopter tour of Zion National Park or stand-up paddleboarding near Yellowstone. A lower-priced, two-to-three night “Adventure Package” includes all meals, plus activities like a Jeep tour of the Grand Canyon.
5. Be an Environmental Steward Without Trying
By choosing to glamp, you’ve already taken a step toward becoming a better environmental steward. How? Glamping resorts use less electricity than standard hotels. Why? First, there are no air conditioners to slurp up tremendous amounts of power. Second, lighting in your tent or in common areas comes, at least in part, from solar panels. Since there are no hallways, solar LED lights often line outdoor paths.
Glamping resorts also use less water than standard hotels. In fact, at Under Canvas locations, you actually have to pull a dainty chain to get the water to flow out of your shower, which helps them use 87 percent less water than a similar-sized hotel.