9 Essential Differences Between Camping and Glamping

Any avid camper knows that traditional camping isn’t the most glamorous experience. From sleeping on the hard ground to building your own fire to cook food and provide heat, traditional camping isn’t like staying at a 5-star hotel.

However, if you are looking to camp, but don’t want to “rough it”, glamping provides the perfect balance. With glamping, you get to camp, without necessarily sacrificing many amenities like heat and bathrooms you are used to in everyday life.

Therefore, if you want to camp, but don’t know if you’ll be able to handle not having access to certain comforts and amenities, consider glamping. In this article, you’ll learn about the top 9 differences between camping and glamping so you can decide exactly what camping experience you want to make lasting memories.

What is Glamping?

Glamping, or glamorous camping, is a form of camping that is known as being luxurious, often involving amenities and facilities that aren’t usually associated with traditional camping.

Although glamping can be looked down upon and considered sometimes as not being a “real” camping experience, glamping can have some positives that may be overlooked. For example, glamping provides the perfect opportunity for beginners to try camping out without necessarily needing to know advanced camping skills (i.e., starting a fire).

1. Lodging/ Sleeping Accommodations

When you think about camping, one of the first things that may come to mind is sleeping on the ground in a tent in a sleeping bag. However, glamping provides more comfortable sleeping arrangements. Often, glamping will involve someone sleeping in a bed with clean sheets in a dome, teepee, or small cabin/ lodge.

Meanwhile, traditional camping consists of sleeping in sleeping bags on the ground with only a tarp or tent over your head for shelter. As a result, if you’re worried about not having a shelter during your camping trip, consider being a glamper and booking a small lodge or shelter.

2. Restrooms

Campers are used to the whole forest as their bathroom. Yet, if you are looking for more privacy to do your business, and feel uncomfortable going to the bathroom under the nearest tree or bush, consider glamping.

Glamping allows you to have bathrooms, even if they aren’t the nicest restrooms you’re used to in everyday life!

3. Cooking

There’s nothing like building a campfire and cooking your favorite food while roasting marshmallows late into the night. Yet, cooking while camping is easier said than done. Building a fire can be tricky, even for an experienced camper. Meanwhile, glamping, whether in an RV or small lodge typically has a stove or some way to heat your own food easier, not requiring you to build a fire to do so.

Although roasting marshmallows with a campfire under the stars is a classic camping experience, if you can’t make your own fire to cook your food, glamping can be a perfect alternative.

4. Amenities

The beauty of camping is that you have no distractions and essentially become one with nature. Inevitably, amenities like showering aren’t available when you camp. However, with glamping, depending on your lodging/accommodations, showers will be available.

5. Heat

A campfire provides much-needed heat to campers, especially as temperatures drop at nightfall. There’s nothing like telling ghost stories and roasting marshmallows while you heat up around a campfire.

Yet, if you don’t know how to successfully start and keep a campfire, this can make it difficult to stay warm while camping. Glamping provides the chance to have heat in your shelter without needing to start your own fire.

Although making a campfire can be a fun and memorable camping experience, if you are simply unable to start a fire, this can make your camping adventure uncomfortable and potentially unsafe.

6. Storage Options

Inevitably, when camping you lack a lot of storage options to keep your camping supplies. Of course, you can carry a backpack, leave your camping supplies in your tent, or hang them; however, you might not feel comfortable leaving your supplies out in open.

Glampers have an easier experience to not have to constantly carry around their camping supplies. Instead, they get the opportunity to store their camping supplies safely in a shelter like a small lodge or RV.

7. Water Source

Traditional camping requires you to either pack fresh water or get water from a safe water source nearby. Glampers, however, can enjoy a filtered water source as part of their lodging accommodations.

8. Neighbors (aka. wildlife)

When camping, you never know what furry creatures may be around or even run into your camp site. This can be both good and bad. Some wildlife like birds and squirrels can be friendly and fun to be around and feel one with nature. Yet, larger wildlife like bears can be dangerous, no matter how experienced a camper you are. Glamping limits your exposure to neighbors/ all sorts of wildlife. This is because you’ll be staying in an enclosed shelter where no wildlife can enter.

9. Wi-Fi Access

Undoubtedly, a major plus to camping is your ability to unplug and get away from all modern-day distractions, most notably, the internet. If you simply cannot go camping without being plugged into the internet and need Wi-Fi, whether it’s to communicate with loved ones or do work, some glamping accommodations often have Wi-Fi access for you to use on your trip.

Final Thoughts: Camping vs Glamping

There are various pros and cons to consider when deciding to go camping or glamping. Yes, glamping can be perceived as a more glamorous and comfortable experience; however, many of the memorable camping experiences like building a fire or sleeping under the stars are nearly nonexistent if you chose to go glamping.

That being said, if you are new to camping and don’t have key survival skills like building a fire or tent, glamping can provide a great first step to get used to the camping lifestyle. No matter if you decide to be a camper or glamper, both adventures are sure to bring many fun, memorable experiences in the great outdoors.