In recent years, vacations to Europe have steadily increased; according to a reliable Portugal news source, during the summer of 2011, Portugal airports have seen a traffic increase of approximately 3.2 million people. Fortunately for travelers seeking something a bit more adventurous than the typical hotel or resort, Europe has a variety of unconventional lodging options. Among these are a stay in a riad or a stay in a shepherds hut, a holiday in a tipi, or holiday in a yurt; there are even treehouse holidays and glamping; glamping, for those who are may be puzzled, is a portmanteau created from the words glamour and camping. For those who seek more conventional quarters, but with a different ambiance, there are converted castles and churches. Additionally, less quirky places to stay, which still maintain that distinct sense of European romanticism are the ever so popular villas in France and villas in spain.
With people, in general, growing ever more Green conscious, one would be hard pressed to find a business that is not attempting to capitalize on public ecological interest. As its name implies, ecolodges are sustainable lodging such as yurts and tipis that minimize waste, and often times support the surrounding economy or non profit organizations. Most Americans are familiar enough with tipis and yurts, when it comes to the idea of glamour camping, or glamping, how exactly is camping made glamourous. And once glamour is defined can it coexist with camping.
While many Americans do their best to live a green life, but are not quite ready, or comfortable, with sleeping on the hard, cold, bumpy ground, there are glamping choices. Basically, glamping provides all of the cool things about camping, such as sleeping outside and under the stars to a nocturnal chorus. Unlike hiking to the middle of a forest and pitching a tent and digging a latrine, unless one is a hard core not trace camper, glamping sites are much like RV parks, without the RV and with green amenities. While amenities vary from glamping site to glamping site, some examples are antique beds and rugs to composting toilets.
Green campers and no trace campers claim that glamping defeats the purpose of camping. But this is largely based on semantics. While glamping may hardly resemble coping with leaky tents and a survival adventure, it does offer greener and more sustainable lodging options to eco conscious individuals.
