Glamping Roach Style

Have ever you thought about camping as a means of vacationing? I mean, not in a tent, but maybe a pop-up, travel trailer, fifth-wheel or even a motor home? I mean “glamping”!!!

We L O V E traveling! Since BLT began in 2010, we have been to many, many fun and exciting destinations. At first, we would fly to a location, rent a car, drive, stop at a hotel room to drag luggage in, drag luggage out, drive, sight see, drive and then on to another hotel room, etc. We would usually fly home from another location, which is a one way car rental and as you can IMAGINE – that was expensive!

In Spring 2017, we decided we would “look into” buying a camper. We weren’t sure what we were looking for at the time and wasn’t even sure we would enjoy camping. I mean, it sounded like A LOT of work to me. You are expected to actually COOK while you are camping. Then you have to clean up the dishes, you have to pick up stuff so you aren’t tripping over it in a tight space. You have to not only LOAD the camper but UNLOAD it when you get home. Sounds like a lot of work, right?! Well, I think that’s WRONG!

We L O V E camping! I’m not really sure if $ for $ it is that much less expensive than the plane, car and hotel stay BUT we love it. I’d have to say the biggest advantage is that we are sleeping in our own bed every night. I thought I’d list a couple reasons camping may be for you:

• BED – You sleep in your own bed, on your sheets and your pillows. Let’s be honest in a hotel or Air B&B – you do worry about bed bugs and who slept in the bed last night, right? I know I do!
• Food – You can cook your own meals and pack as many snacks as you want! I love a good road trip with a bag of snacks, IMAGINE having an entire pantry & fridge full of snacks! You’re not even gonna get past TSA with a Diet Dew if you are flying!
• Sleeping Arrangements – You have a really unlimited amount of sleeping area. You can put kids on the couch, dinette or even on your floor with an air mattress – I never liked doing that on a hotel floor, myself. So, if you have a family of more than four, you are paying for 2 hotel rooms each night!
• Space – You have not only the inside of the camper to hang out in between sightseeing but you also have your front porch area. You can grill out burgers, steaks or even SMORES! How about an evening under the stars with a fire pit? It surprised me how different camping is from having the one room with the TELEVISION that you stare at when you are chilling out.
• Personal Belongings – You can leave your medicine and toiletries out on the cabinet, if you like! I don’t know about you, but when I’m in a hotel I tend to stress over having my personal belongings laying around – even if I have the DO NOT DISTURB sign hung – they may still come in, right?
• Clothes – You never know what mood you will be in and what you will want to wear. Or the actual weather of your destination a week before you leave? I love that I can pack up the camper with as many pairs of pants and shirts that I want (oh and yes, shoes too).
• Suitcases – Do you enjoy toting suitcases in and out of hotels or even living out of suitcase? We have a couple suitcases, but they are always too heavy when we fly. I love that I pack up my laundry baskets and carry my clothes (food, towels, toiletries, etc) and everything else out to the camper. I leave a few in there for dirty clothes hampers and take the rest back to the house until we are back home. NO NEED FOR SUITCASES!
• BYOT – while traveling you can pull over on the side of the road and BRING YOUR OWN TOILET, #1 or #2! There’s no need for a truck stop, rest area or restaurant!

You have to do your homework! We probably walked into and out of 100s…I mean 100s of campers before we found the Imagine floor plan we both loved! When Brian and I walked into it we both knew immediately that it was THE ONE!

We’ve been very pleased with our Grand Design the past 3 years. It has taken us on trips to Niagara Falls, Mackinaw, Gulf Shores, IOWA and Branson, just to name a few! We are currently planning to change the way we travel AGAIN…since our 6 foot 14 year old has outgrown the bunks!

This time we are hoping to buy OUR motor home!! Stay Tuned…BLT Roadies!!!