I’m not sure how I feel about glamorous camping — aka “glamping” — a growing trend in North America among "affluent travelers who want to enjoy the outdoors but can’t fathom using a smelly outhouse." (Really? Me neither!)
On the one hand, I wanted to start this post off with some comment about how this is the kind of “roughing it” I’m all about. But really? Not the case. Especially this:
[The family profiled in the story] shelled out $595 a night — plus an additional $110 per person per day for food … perks include a camp butler to build their fire, a maid to crank up the heated down comforter at nightfall and a cook to whip up bison rib-eye for dinner and French toast topped with huckleberries for breakfast.
Are you kidding me? I don’t even live like that at home. And isn’t part of camping the whole “I’m surviving in the wilderness on my own, man v. nature, back to the land” thing? How much nature can you really enjoy if you’re worrying about getting all that nature on your fancy duds?
On the other hand, this family is out in the wilderness, perhaps learning to appreciate it and developing a desire to protect it. That I’m on board with — people need to spend more time outside. And if it takes a "Four Seasons with a tarp over it" to make that happen … well, go for it.
On the other other hand, this:
Most visitors to Paws Up [in Montana] hail from California, New York and Florida. Just about every week, someone arrives on a private jet.
Cringing at that last bit. Maybe just stay home and watch a nature program on your giant plasma TV?
