Booking your 2022 glamping holiday … Your essential guide to booking your glamorous camping staycation.
As 2022 begins, we look forward to another chance to book our holidays. Wold Meadow Yurts offers a luxurious glamping experience with hot tubs and log burners … bliss! We also have Bertie our VW Campervan for a quirky glamping getaway. Here is our list of top ‘to do’s’ when booking your glamping staycation.
1. Why Book Your Glamping Stay?
With restrictions on overseas travel still looming large, a staycation is the best way to ensure you get away for at least one relaxing break this year. Holidays nearer to home look set to be very popular in 2022 following a bumper year in 2021. So, if you are booking a glamping holiday this year, our guide will help you choose the right location for you so you have a great glamping experience.
2. What is Glamping?
Glamping is now a firm favourite with many holidaymakers. It’s been around for at least two decades and has developed in leaps and bounds over the years. Glamping is a term that covers a massive range of accommodation types: yurts, bell tents, cabins, safari tents, geodomes, shepherd’s huts and lodges are just a few of them! Always check out a glamping site’s own website as this will include up-to-date and in-depth information that will help you decide if it’s the site for you.
3. What About Hot Tubs and Log Burners?
Hot tubs are a brilliant way to really enjoy your glamping stay. Some sites don’t have access to hot tubs but many do, and that includes Wold Meadow Yurts. Your hot tub and log burner are just waiting for you to enjoy using them. Always read the instructions though, and use them safely. Your hot tub also means you can enjoy the night sky while relaxing with the bubbles, as we’re are well away from any light pollution.
4. Book Early and Book Direct
As the continued effects of the Covid-19 are felt by the travel industry, then booking early is a fantastic way to avoid disappointment. eak dates in 2022 will be like ‘hen’s teeth’ (i.e., they’ll be fully booked) as the year gets underway. Busy times such as Easter, the Platinum Jubilee and the school holidays tend to book first so if these are your preferred holiday dates, don’t delay. If you book online or direct, always ensure the dates you book are correct. It can be tricky to move dates if guests book the wrong ones. Glamping sites nearly always have the option of booking direct too, either online or by telephone.
5. Location, Location, Location!
Sounds pretty obvious, however the location of your glamping site is crucial. Do you prefer a coastal area or a peaceful forest?Do you love lakeside views or mountain retreats? Luckily with glamping sites, you have huge choice. Here at Wold Meadow, our yurts are close to the Yorkshire Coast, and we are just minutes away from the Yorkshire Wolds and its gorgeous rolling hills. Your location should also be close to shops, takeaways and attractions. If you really want to have a holiday totally ‘off grid’ then there are sites you can book, however, you need to be totally prepared for these types of sites. Ensure you look up the exact location of the glamping site you select, so you arrive safely and in the correct place on your arrival day.
6. Check the Small Print
When you book a holiday, it is down to you to check the terms and conditions that accompany your booking. From a site owner’s point of view, it ensures our customers know OUR expectations. We know our customers likewise have high expectations of us, so we can give guests the best experience possible. It’s no good turning up with your dog if pets are not allowed at the site you’ve booked. Likewise, arriving and playing loud music at a site that has a low noise policy in place does not bode well! Failure to look at the Tees and Cees is not an excuse as the terms and conditions are there for a reason. Most sites are more than happy to explain their terms and conditions if needed. This is particularly important when it comes to payments for your holiday. Full payment, deposits and balances are different ways of paying for your staycation. Always check any refund policies or cancellation terms. Each site varies as to their own stipulations.
7. What Facilities Are Available?
Glamping sites vary hugely on what they offer their guests. It is a case of no one size fits all! Some sites offer en-suite cabins while other offer shared facilities which are kept clean and tidy at all times. The same applies for cooking facilities: it could be you have your own hob or similar or it might be you need to cook over an open flame. The important thing to remember is to double check what the site you prefer offers their guests by way of cooking facilities. And if you fancy some time away from ingredients and recipes, then the location of your chosen site is crucial as you’ll need to know where the local eateries and takeaways are. Check the situation with electricity at your preferred site: is it included in the tariff, or is it payable as and when you use it? That way, you know what to expect. Here at Wold Meadow Yurts from Spring 2022, our kitchen facilities will include a double oven and a small fridge freezer, shared with other onsite guests. You can heat up dishes that you have previously prepared or brought back from the local shops, using the range of oven trays provided.
8. Everybody Needs Good Neighbours
Many first time glampers, particularly ones that haven’t camped before either, are surprised at how sound and noise can travel in a glamping site!If you book a yurt or similar, then remember your walls are made of canvas or another type of material and as such are not sound proof. Glamping is all about the experience of enjoying the great outdoors in a considerate way. Noisy neighbours are a nuisance at the best of times! While everyone should be a good mood while they’re on holiday, excessive noise can dampen the spirits of the happiest guests. It’s just about being a good neighbour so everybody enjoys their holiday.
9. Weather and Glamping
The one disadvantage of a staycation can be the British weather. Even in July it can be unpredictable. There isn’t much a glamping site owner can do about it and you’d be amazed at how many guests think we can somehow turn on the sunshine! While we would love to be able to do this, our only advice is … be prepared. Bring all types of weather gear, from rainwear to beachwear! Here at Wold Meadow, we can advise our guests as to all sorts of attractions and events both indoors and outdoors, so everyone is entertained. We would also say bring board games, books/Kindles, puzzle books, playing cards or similar so you can chill out in your yurt or in our campervan if the rainclouds appear.
10. Guest Numbers
Glamping accommodation will only be suitable for a certain number of guests. Every glamping site will be insured for a certain number of humans per accommodation unit. So, if you’ve booked two adults and your accommodation takes two people only, bringing additional guests is really not acceptable. Arriving with or sneaking in extra guests is not fair and while it’s rare, it does happen. We politely ask that you just bring your booked guests only, thank you. Wold Meadow Yurts is an adult only site, so we don’t allow children. It’s a child-free zone and offers a lovely, peaceful break for grown-ups.
11. Always Check Arrival and Departure Times
The start of your holiday begins with your journey from home. You can plan your journey and make it part of your staycation. Most glamping sites have a set arrival time so it gives them time to clean your accommodation, ready for your arrival. Then when it’s time to go, the departure times gives staff time to clean thoroughly ready for the next guest. If you are set to arrive later in the day, always let the glamping site know.
12. What About Extras?
Here at Wold Meadow Yurts, we offer breakfasts delivered to your door! This is one of the best ways to relax and chill out at the start each day. Some sites will not provide breakfast so you will need to bring food with you or find somewhere to eat out. Also, another aspect that guests often forget is bedding and towels. We provide both, however other sites may not or they provide them for an extra tariff. Our yurts include king-size beds with pillows and throws and covered in colourful comfortable bedding. Fluffy towels and bathrobes are provided. Each yurt includes an electric cool box, kettle, a toaster, crockery, cutlery and non-breakable glasses.
13. What If You’re Not Happy About Something?
All businesses want their customers to be happy with their products and services. Yet if there is something that you’re not happy about, the best thing to do is to get in touch with the glamping site owner or supervisor, and give them chance to rectify it. Most times, the situation can be sorted so everyone’s happy. What isn’t helpful is if a guest doesn’t say anything and then takes a social media platform or a holiday review site to make their opinions public without giving site owners the chance to sort things. In the era of online reviews and comments, potential guests will read up about a glamping site prior to booking, and they will read up on the comments made about it. They will also read the management response which usually provides a balanced view to a review.
14. Wi-Fi … or Woe Fi
While most people have access to data on their mobile phones, many guests assume there is Wi-Fi available at glamping sites. This isn’t always the case and it’s best to check if Wi-Fi is available or not if you feel it’s an important part of your holiday. We don’t have Wi-Fi at Wold Meadow as we want our guests to completely relax and unwind. Many glamping sites are in more remote locations so a Wi-Fi network or decent phone signal might not be available.
15. Is Help Nearby if You Need It?
In the majority of cases, owners either live onsite or very close by, or a manager is on duty at certain times of the day. Check the times during which you can get in touch with site owners in the event of an emergency. And if you’re unsure about anything on site, then someone is usually at the end of a phone. However, there are glamping sites that are more remote than others where the owners or managers might live a distance away. If this is the case, then you need to be aware of it in case you need to get in touch. One of the most common issues glamping sites come across is lost keys! This can happen to anyone and it is something that you should report to the right person as soon as possible.
What To Do Next …
After a very difficult two years and with some uncertainty with regards to overseas travel, a glamping staycation could be just what you need! Discuss your holiday dates with your family, do your research and book! Here at Wold Meadow Yurts, we offer a luxury glamping experience for hardworking grown-ups. With hot tubs, log burners, peace and quiet, what are you waiting for? We are located on the edge of the Yorkshire Wolds close to the village of Wold Newton, complete with duck pond, church and pub. We are surrounded by open fields and the skies above are huge. We have good onsite facilities and we’ve stuck to our Yorkshire roots: our yurts are made in Yorkshire in the traditional Mongolian style. We’ve also got Bertie our Campervan, who stays onsite. Bertie includes a small gas hob, sink, tap, kettle, toaster, microwave, pans, utensils, seating area, storage and TV. We look forward to hearing from you!