There's gold in them hills! The glamping rush is upon us, and now is the time to get in, get involved, and stake out your place in this rapidly growing industry. There's no time like the present to start planning your glamping retreat center, and at Living Intent, we build the high-quality, beautiful yurts that can turn your property into a modern-day gold mine, no pickaxes necessary.
At Living Intent, we're familiar with rushes. Our shop and manufacturing space are situated right in the heart of Gold Country in Northern California. This area was home to the most productive gold mining region in the world, otherwise known as the Mother Lode. In more recent years, the area has been home to another craze in the form of the Green Rush. While their environmental records are questionable at best, there's no denying that they shaped the region's history in significant ways. Now, there's a new craze sweeping not just Gold Country, but scenic rural areas the country and the world over; the glamping rush.
What is it?
Just what is the glamping rush? Well, let's start with glamping. Glamping, short for glamour camping, is a name for an increasingly popular way for people to enjoy the great outdoors, typically involving luxurious, at least in comparison to the standard nylon tent, abodes, and designed to have most or all of the same amenities as a typical home. Just think of social media's obsession with cabins, tiny homes, and yes, yurts, and you understand what glamping is. As images of nature, from national parks to more local attractions, proliferate on social media and throughout the web, more and more people are drawn to the great outdoors. Camping, at least of the classic variety, however, is still not for everyone. And that's where glamping comes in.
Beyond social media trends, there is much real research that shows just how big the glamping craze is becoming. A report on the glamping market by Grand View Research states that in 2018 the global glamping market was valued at about 2.1 billion dollars! This value is only projected to keep growing and is predicted to expand at a rate of 12.5% from 2019-2025. Those are some big numbers, and this industry is really just getting started.
Of course, there is now COVID-19 to consider in any projection of economic growth; getting outside and away from cities, however, has only increased in popularity through the collective experience of the tragedy that is the pandemic. After all, what better way to socially distance than in a comfortable, luxurious home surrounded by beautiful nature? Beats a cramped apartment in a crowded city any day.
How do I do it too?
The proliferation of short-term rentals through the "sharing economy," a la Airbnb, or more directly related to our business, HipCamp, has not just changed the way we travel to foreign countries, or big cities. It has also changed the way we get into the great outdoors. Getting into nature is no longer a matter of reserving a tiny campsite scattered among many others in a state or national park; now, you only need to pull up an app on your phone to see hundreds of secluded, beautiful camping, glamping or other rentals open to exploring. From simple campsites available on the cheap to luxurious cabins, tiny homes, and yes, yurts that can fetch a high nightly price, there's seemingly no limit on the options available for getting into the great outdoors.
For property owners with some space to share, diversifying your income with a glamping rental is a no-brainer. You've got access to a secluded bit of nature, and people will happily empty their pockets to come to experience some of it. In the area where our shop is located, prices for nightly glamping rentals can range from fifty dollars up to several hundred dollars per night! When all you've got to do is create the space, that's a pretty hefty side hustle. Visitors get to experience the serenity of your natural environment, and you get to generate income from your property in a sustainable and relatively low-input way. It's a win-win-win really, useful for your visitors, good for you, and good for the natural environment on which you live.
Yurts are, in our humble opinion, the best option when it comes to setting up a glamping rental. Not only are they much more affordable than building a tiny home or other small cabins, they often can avoid many of the zoning laws and construction permits required for other types of buildings or structures. Yurts are a unique space that most people will find charming and comforting. Additionally, they offer that more direct connection with nature that many would-be glampers are seeking. Perhaps most importantly of all, for the glamping business owner, their set-up and take-down is simple and can be done in under an hour. As always, consult your local ordinances before jumping into any sort of glamping rental business.
At Living Intent, we've sold yurts to glamping businesses all over the country. From the #1 rated HipCamp host of the year in 2018 to a recent trip all the way to a Texas wedding event venue, our yurts have been stayed in by hundreds, if not thousands of guests, It makes us proud to know how many people have been able to enjoy the comfort of one of our handcrafted beauties, and gives us the motivation to keep perfecting our craft and making our yurts better, stronger, and faster than ever before!
