Go Glam(p)

Gen Ys have embraced all things outdoorsy, acquiring wilderness skills, modernizing wilderness styles, and, sometimes, even venturing into the actual wilderness. For many of them, a high-tech sleeping bag doesn’t quite seal the deal, so they turn to sites that offer a glammed up camp experience—AKA “glamping”—and allow for a cushier, if pricier, entry into the great outdoors.

Shelter Co.: The longstanding pop-up trend has left its mark on retail shops, urban landscapes, and movie venues. Now, the concept is being applied to event planning. Billing itself as a “pop-up lodging service,” Shelter Co. creates temporary, comprehensive overnight accommodations—essentially fully furnished campgrounds—for experiential events. The planners at Shelter Co. can erect a cluster of European-style tents at almost any location, customizing the outdoor experience to clients’ specific occasions and needs. Standard accommodations include carpeted floors, wood-frame beds with comfy mattresses and down comforters, and lounge vignettes for group gathering. We suspect that this inherently romantic concept might spur an uptick in camp- (or glamp-) themed weddings.

AirHotel: Conceived and constructed by Belgian performance art group TimeCircus, AirHotel presents a novel approach to the glamp experience. This hotel-by-way-of-circus experiment is taking place this month in the woods of Norfolk, England, where TimeCircus has installed nine fantastical pods among the trees. The structures, which sit nestled in branches or hang just above the ground, sleep up to six people and boast cozy-quirky features like beds hidden within nests of actual twigs, an eco-friendly sauna, and complimentary dream journals. TimeCircus members are on-call to entertain, and tree-climbing chambermaids provide aerial concierge services. We can’t imagine much better visual material for Instagram-fanatics’ #PhotoADay attempts and competitive undertakings.

Minaret Station: The amenities at New Zealand’s Minaret Station are contained within canvas tents, but that’s about the extent of this nature retreat’s likeness to traditional camping. Located in the Southern Alps of NZ, the site is accessible only by air travel, and guests must be helicoptered in. On arrival they’ll find the aforementioned high-tented canvas lodges, outfitted with wall-to-wall sheepskin carpeting, en suite bathrooms with heated floors, and plenty of heated water—enough to keep a hot tub at the ready in every suite. Guests of adventurous spirit can partake in hiking and fly-fishing; those more hesitant can admire sweeping views of the glacial valley from the safety of their private decks.