After many conversations with individuals and families, this post will be straight to the point…“Glamping” should not be a dirty word. We all have different comfort levels in anything that we do, so spending time outdoors shouldn’t be any different.

Often people will say “we did ____ and I know it’s cheating.” Cheating? Who are you cheating? It’s your experience and yours alone. So, when you and your family are doing anything at a level that makes for the most enjoyment, that is just perfect. If someone is judgy in any way about that, tell them to go poop in a hat.

If you booked a family cruise and decided to include some upgrades on the trip because you know that would mean your group would have more fun, would you be ashamed of it? If those add-ons were what helped convince someone to go, would you not jump at the chance to accommodate? Same goes for exploring the outdoors, it is not as if you have to rub dirt on yourself, sleep in a pile of leaves and eat pinecones to prove that you got the ultimate experience. We are all just looking to have a nice time, there are no style points.

We read a story in the NY Times this past summer that is a good example. “Whatever’s going to help you commune with nature and have a great experience, I’m all for it,” said Kevin Rosenberg, who runs Gear to Go Outfitters, an online equipment-rental and guide service. “You might as well be comfortable and enjoy it.” And this is coming from a person who so calls “roughs it” but again that’s what he happens to be most comfortable with.

There aren’t any rules when it comes to having a nice time so letting others influence your experience is a big No-No. Sometimes it’s fun to just sit back and listen to people like AT hikers go back and forth about who is doing it harder or acting more primitive.

If spending time outside is a competition for someone, they are in it for the wrong reason. We won’t go into a list of our experiences but there is semi-famous saying among hikers, “It’s hard to meet an a-hole at 4,000 feet.” Sorry for almost swearing in a family friendly blog, just trying to drive home a point. But, that saying isn’t entirely true because I am sure we all have met someone on top of a mountain or deep in the woods who rubs us the wrong way. They tend to be few and far between but they are still out there and they are just noise.

What has been great about this journey so far for us is that we are normally surrounded by like-minded folks. Groups doing exactly what we are doing but everyone doing it at a level that allows them to enjoy the most. If an air mattress makes you more comfortable sleeping at night, pack it. If you grab take out and bring it back to your site, do it up. If not owning any gear, renting a tent already set up for you and pretty much walking into hotel room set up in the woods is your idea of sleeping outside, then enjoy and don’t be shy about it.

We pack our comforts and guess what…we have a blast and don’t lose sleep about it…probably because of the teardrop or our awesome sleep pads for the tent. The next time you hear someone speaking negatively about glamping or people who do things differently; tell them that on average 86% (over the age of 6) of U.S. population didn’t even camp for a single night last year, so who in the end are the ones missing out on a true experience?