If you’ve just stumbled upon this site, welcome!
CarGlamping.com is a blog and web series chronicling the car glamping escapades by me, travel writer/videographer/Instagrammer Erik Trinidad, whose work has appeared in National Geographic, Thrillist, Lonely Planet, Fodor’s Travel, Drive, and Your AAA magazine.
But what exactly is car glamping?
First off, “car glamping” is an oxymoron; sleeping in your car is in no way supposed to be glamorous—but perhaps it could be?
Somewhere in between camping and van life is Car Glamping—that is, glamorous car camping for those who want to embrace multi-day outdoor adventures, using a car as a basecamp—but without skimping on comforts, conveniences, or even a few luxuries. (Yes, you can have your Häagen-Dazs ice cream cake in camp, and eat it too.)
CarGlamping.com aims to be a resource for automotive gear, outdoors sports gear, camping gear, gourmet camping cuisine, and road trip destinations. However, it isn’t exactly intended for seasoned car campers, van lifers, RV enthusiasts, or even car nerds.
The words and videos on this website are meant to inspire and inform those who are, like me, new to world of mobile life—or even new to the world of urban car ownership. In fact, before acquiring my 2020 SUV mentioned on this site, I hadn’t owned a car for seventeen years, getting by with public transportation, bicycles, car shares, and bumming rides off of friends in the New York City and San Francisco Bay Areas. (Thanks, guys.)
However, I’ve also had the experience of living out of a knapsack for a year and a half, backpacking around the world, so I figured I could easily live out of a car, especially at shorter intervals.
For years, I’ve been intrigued by the idea of full-time van life, but figured that Car Glamping is a happy medium between having a brick-and-mortar home and a mobile home, so that I can venture out in The Great Outdoors on a whim—and with as many comforts and conveniences that can fit in and on top of an ordinary car.
Of course, as I’m new to all this, I’m slowly discovering the gadgets and accessories already available for a mobile lifestyle with a car. I’ll be sure to share them as I go on my Car Glamping journey, making it up as I go.
Check back here often for my latest stories and videos. In the meantime, Happy Car Glamping!