A lot of people like certain parts of camping – the great views and the opportunities to explore new parts of the world are unbeatable – but other parts are not so great. For example, there’s dirt everywhere, no showers, and port-a-potties – if you’re lucky. You have to sleep on the cold, hard ground, and most of the time the food sucks. Fortunately, there’s a way to keep the best parts of camping while adding a dash of glamour to the experience. Glamping is a much cleaner, more comfortable experience than your average camping trip, and it can be just as much fun.
Step One
Choose some friends to go glamping with. Call up your friends to plan the awesome night. Find two or three friends to accompany you, or bring more people for an even more glamorous experience. Make sure to get permission and even help planning from your parents before you go any further.
Step Two
Choose a location. Find a state park or national park near your house, or go even farther away for a longer or more adventurous vacation. Think about what activities you want to do while glamping, and choose a location that will provide you with those opportunities. For example, national parks offer tons of great hiking, or find a campground on a lake for swimming and boating. If you want a more casual experience, choose to go glamping in your back yard - this won't be as much of an adventure but could open up opportunities for bringing more glamour into your trip.
Step Three
Choose accommodations. Some parks offer caravans, cabins, or tents all set up for truly luxurious glamping experiences. If you're not going to one of these places, you'll need to bring your "tent" with you. Buy or rent a large tent, as big as possible - it can even have multiple rooms and a screened front porch. Or consider taking an RV equipped with beds, a bathroom, a kitchen, and other facilities. If you're in your backyard, use a tent to protect against possible bad weather, sleep on the porch, or build the perfect fort for your glamping trip. In any case, you'll want to choose something as luxurious as possible.
Step Four
Figure out your sleeping arrangements. One of the big advantages glamping has over camping is that you don't need to sleep on the ground. If you're staying in an RV, it will come equipped with nice beds. If you plan to sleep in a tent, get a nice, comfortable air mattress with a pump that will blow it up for you, or even bring your mattress from your own bed. Make sure that you have somewhere comfortable to sleep, as this can make or break your glamping experience.
Step Five
Plan your meals. Work with your friends to decide what you want to eat. This can be anything from canned beans to an elaborate five-course meal, but again, the more glamorous, the better. Think about what kitchen facilities you'll have - you don't want to bring a frozen pizza if you won't have an oven to cook it in. Come up with a couple ideas, and work with your friends to choose appropriate meals. Look around online for fun and creative recipes to try. Cute snacks, desserts, and other recipes are readily available with a quick Google search.
Step Six
Make a list of ingredients and go shopping. Making a good list is essential if you have a tight budget, and it will make sure you don't forget anything important. Make sure to get everything you'll need for your meals as well as all of your favorite treats. This may include: ice cream, cookies, candy, soda, etc.
Step Seven
Plan your activities. Create an itinerary that details what you'll do when. For example, paint your nails at 7:30 pm, and then huddle around a campfire and tell ghost stories at 10. Remember, this does not have to be followed strictly, but creating the itinerary will help you and your friends accomplish everything you want to do.
Step Eight
On the glamping night, set everything up. Do this before your friends arrive, or wait until they come so that they can help you. Make sure everything's perfect - tent set up, beds made, lots of extra pillows and blankets, food and snacks in bowls and readily available, plenty of firewood for a campfire, etc. Once everything is set up and ready to go, just sit back, relax, and enjoy your glamping experience!