Glamping has grown up: from tree houses to yurts with Wi-fi, the luxury camping concept has moved way beyond canvas

Do you yearn for a yurt with Wi-fi and a hot tub? Glamping – a portmanteau of ‘glamour’’ and ‘camping’ – has been around for a while, but the original concept of canvas with added comfort has recently morphed into a new, much wider concept where accommodation only has to be one thing: quirky.

Everything from deluxe tree house hideaways and vintage-style Airstream camper vans to off-the-grid luxury villas and log cabins with a hot tub under the stars are now offered under the guise of glamping.

It’s a movement that started in the US and in Europe, largely inspired by luxury tented safari camps in Africa. You can still find basic ‘canvas hotels’ that will rent you a canvas tent containing a mattress, a bedside table, a lamp, but not much more. The modern take on the concept increasingly means all-mod-cons.

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“The people who frequent them are seasoned travellers,” says David Troya, CEO and founder of GlampingHub.com, an online booking website focused on nature, travel and experiences. “They’re people that are experienced enough to be looking for something different, which is why they are drawn to the idea of glamping.”

Troya also says that glamping tends to appeal to large families and groups of friends looking for somewhere special to spend time together. “The seclusion of the locations allows them to connect with their loved ones in a special way,” he says.

“Glamping means special experiences in the great outdoors,” says Tom Dixon, managing director at Canopy & Stars, a search engine for ‘special places’ across Europe. “Glamping has a really wide appeal as the type of experiences are so varied, from off-grid cabins and remote yurts where the experience is more basic, to luxury tree houses.” Canopy & Stars includes converted horse carriers, Romani caravans and even an Iron Age roundhouse.

Perhaps its most quirky is The Beermoth on the Inshriach Estate in the Scottish Highlands. It’s a former fire truck renovated into a home for two. A close second is the Goji treehouse in Herefordshire, England; a bright red, spherical, cocoon-styled treehouse hanging 10 feet off the ground. It even has a wood burner.