What is Glamping? .............................................................by Paulette Rees-Denis

What the heck is Glamping?

by Paulette Rees-Denis

What does a wild-hearted, tattooed, honky tonkin’ bellydancer do when she is taken over with the urge for some wanderlusting?

She goes glamping!

What the hell is that you ask? Well my friends, it is a term combining glamour and camping... does that conjure up any images in your head?

Yes, and that before-mentioned bootscootin’ queen is me...and I go glamour camping, complete with tiara and crinoline, in any of my three trailers, two are vintage and one is a retro looking new pup. And what fun I have!

Babes, I’m not one for sleeping on the hard ground in a tent...done that long time ago… Now I like to see the road and take my stuff with me in my own little house on wheels— my full kitchen (that is way important!), my bed, my man, my two corgi-dogs, guitar, my man’s bass guitar, various assorted cowboy boots and books, lots of wine and whiskey, computer, camera, etc. And little is the operative word here… we are talking 14-18 foot long trailers. Plus our tow vehicle (which I wish was a ‘57 BelAir station wagon!). Not one of those enormous scary RVs that could host a giant party and guzzles gas like not to be believed. Just a sweet small little trailer, that is decked out and cozy with some sort of theme!

Take Loretta! She is a turquoise and white ‘63 Shasta, which my husband and I bought pretty much restored. She is a 17 footer, and her theme is honky tonk music, ‘cuz that is what I play on my guitar and listen to mostly. And of course named after Ms. Loretta Lynn. We found amazing fabric for the cushions that is jetson meets guitars and is perfect.

We laminated old album covers for placemats and hang up our cowboy hats and assorted accoutrements having to do with music and the country legends. And we try to keep it in its time period with old dishes, old lounge chairs, a cool striped awning, an old radio hooked up to our ipod. You get the picture.

Then there is Buck. He is our ‘56 Aloha and is named after Mr. Buck Owens, another musical favorite. This one is yellow and white, 14 foot, and has similar musical tributes to the man. This is the trailer that my man Jeff saw sunken in a field covered in mud. He knocked on the scary door of the double wide, and asked to buy it for $200! Towed in on out of there and we had it restored by a genius fixer upper, Brian Morrow in Washington. It so rocks…

Our third, because you can’t have just one, is a newer version of a teardrop meets an Airstream. It was our first, and though it is a 2004, I adore it. It’s true that they don’t make things like they used to, but this little cutie is so much fun, not much bigger than a teardrop trailer but you can stand up and cook inside. The table folds down into a bed and it is quite the homey little house on wheels. Why not pitch a tent or stay in a hotel? Just guess...This is way more fun, with just some nicely added personal luxuries. I can still hit the road, call my shots, stay in resorts, state parks, or off the road, depending on if I want a hook-up to electrical or water, and see the world. No sleeping bags and wet gear or motels needed.

Of course, with every hobby, there is usually a new family involved. Ride a Harley, got a biker family. Take bellydancing, got a bunch of new girlfriends. Get a trailer, got a road trip full of BBQ-ing fiends. And glamping...well, you should see some of these trailers my glamping sisters deck out. I do go to several vintage trailer rallies throughout the year in the pacific NorthWest, to meet up and see what is going on out there in our little trailer world. My husband loves it and I have to put blinders on him when we are on the road or we just might be pulling yet another one back home. Good thing our very long driveway is full.

Have you heard of Sisters on the Fly? This is one of my girl camping groups. No men,

no kids, no pets—those are the only rules. This is the all girl gatherings to get away and do some outdoor stuff. You will see what I mean if you check out their website for some great photos of trailers and their owners. On some of these weekends we have cocktail makers and storytellers, and just see who’s cowboy hat has the biggest brim. I’ve even taught yoga for the early morning risers in the community center, and got 100 women up bellydancing in their cowboy boots and crinolines while my musician husband was the mister sister (the only guy allowed) and played music while I danced and taught! Many time we hold auctions and raise thousands of dollars to donate to a special cause, like Casting For Recovery (last gathering we raised $4700.00 just auctioning off this amazing quilt handmade by many sisters). And everyone contributes. And then you get to decorate and add your personal style. Some set up chandeliers and bring out the finest crystal for their wines. Some use their redneck wine goblets instead ( a ball jar with a lid, a straw, and an added stem!) Some have elaborate pink poodle themes, a la Fifi, others have Hawaiian tiki bar themes. And there is an abundancy of cowgirl and fly fishing themes too… Repurposing old stuff goes a long way with these folks and their little home away from home. And some just keep it simple. All good.

Often I want to cook up elaborate meals and light candles and lounge while sipping wine, and sometimes I just want dips and crackers and olives and beer. Some mornings we carry our steaming mugs of coffee as we sight see each others trailers or junk store finds. I don’t bring my blender so store bought smoothies are my way to go for breakfast--I do need to remain healthy! Potlucks are ongoing, as everyone shares everything with each other. Need help backing that little one into a space,

someone will always jump in to help. Try getting that awning up with one person, not an easy task, but your neighbor is usually right there to lend a hand. It doesn’t matter if you have tattoos or bleached white hair. You are all there for the same reason, or five anyway!

I love to be on the long stretched out road, to take time out for exploration, down time, new and old friends. This kind of traveling is not for the faint of heart, as you need to sometimes lay on your back and jack up the trailer, or dump the gray water, or fix something, plus hooking and unhooking, leveling, and of course setting up and decorating. Sometimes it is a lot of work just for a few days, and sometimes it is a breeze. You need to have the right tools and cords and the sway bar and a strong back, plus the desire to do it yourself.

I also host a rally every year, coming up on number eight. Amazing folks from all persuasions come, join in the talent show with singing and joking and hula hooping and poi swinging. They bring great food and wine to share, laughter and stories from the road, year after year, to experience more life on the road with each other. Like old friends who see each other once a year. A true privilege really.

What else do we do while we are glamping? Mostly we hang out with ourselves or our friends, do some sort of sightseeing, or go for a bikeride or a hike, or run to the beach with the dogs and come back for whiskey and some guitar strumming into the night, hanging out under the stars with a little campfire, and a warm bed waiting inside. How fab is that?

Paulette Rees-Denis is a movement motivator, instigator and inspirator worldwide, the director of Gypsy Caravan Dance Company, and innovator of Gypsy Caravan Tribal Bellydance™ . She is the author of Tribal Vision: A Celebration of Life Through Tribal Bellydance. Lots of good Tribal goings-on, so check out her online class offerings, and the whereabouts of her upcoming Collective Soul and Teacher Training Certification courses. Sign up on her her website to get on the tribal journey.

Copyright 2014 Paulette Rees-Denis for la Vie Sirene