In the past you'd go camping, but these days an increasing number of sites are offering more luxury. However "glamping" has been slow to catch on in Germany.
Instead of bedding down on the ground, campers slumber in canopy beds, their tents are en suite and have their own kitchen - even the bread rolls in the morning are delivered. What was once a cheap holiday option has become a very competitive business sector.
"Glamping" - a name which combines camping and glamour - has for the past few years become a growing trend in Europe. And although its been very successful elsewhere, Germans are only slowly taking a shine to it.
Camping idyll back in 1963 in BavariaImage: picture-alliance/dpa/G. Rauchwetter
"Camping is still associated with many clichés - midges, dirty shower rooms and huge amounts of beer," says Jeroen Callewaert, managing director of the Vacansoleil booking platform. This portal offers a choice of some 450 "glamping sites" across Europe - of which only 13 are in Germany.
Those responsible for running German campsites are only slowly investing in golf courses, 24-hour service or waterparks. "Many campsites do not reach glamping-standards," Callewaert explains. "A pool is a must for any place that we offer," he adds.
Aqua park at a campsite in southern FranceImage: picture-alliance/dpa/K. Kreder
The Federal Association of German campsites in 2015 nevertheless recorded over 29 million overnight stays - which was an increase of 4.8 percent on the preceding year. And according to the Federal Statistics Office, eight percent of Germans say they prefer a tent to a hotel for their summer holidays - preferably in Bavaria, Mecklenburg-Pomerania and Lower Saxony.
Hotel service and luxury standards are still in low demand in Germany. But that is about to change. Campsites have, in the last five years in particular, worked on improving the quality of their sites, according to Viktoria Groß from the German Camping Club (DCC), representing some 110,000 members.
Camping in the dunes in the Western Pomerania Lagoon Area National ParkImage: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Büttner
These days, there are campsites that offer free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs, or gourmet chefs who prepare fine dining meals at a campfire. Campers and site managers have found a new direction in which to develop.
Several factors have influenced these changes, says Groß, including long periods of bad weather in southern Europe or the threat of terrorist attacks in popular holiday destinations. These uncertainties mean that many shy away from booking far in advance and prefer instead to spontaneously head off with a camper van.
But once at a camp site, these holidaymakers are not prepared to forgo the luxuries and comforts associated with hotels.
Camping, from bourgeois to 'glamping'
Spas and golf courses - camping today is so much more than a tent and a sleeping bag. Sites and equipment are more and more outlandish - but also profitable, bringing in 11 billion euros last year in Germany alone.
This house boat is probably a good alternative for your average German summer. This floating caravan is called "Sealander." The multi-functional boat might not be suitable for the high seas, but it's good for pottering on lakes and rivers. The market for out of the ordinary camping and holidaying ideas is booming. What was once a cheap holiday sector has become a highly competitive business.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Endig
The luxury camper business
Camping used to cost 10 euros ($11) for a place to pitch your tent in the midst of untouched nature. It has now evolved into "glamping" - glamorous camping. It involves services like having breakfast rolls delivered or fully equipped camper vans with their own whirlpool. Viktoria Groß from the German Camping Club says those pitches can cost up to 80 euros a day, nearly as much as a hotel room.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J.-P. Strobel
Cool camping cult
Germany does not come with a guarantee of good weather. According to official statistics, only eight percent of Germans claim to prefer a tent to a hotel for their summer holidays. The indoor option combines both - like the Hüttenpalast, or hut palace, in Berlin: it has 24-hour service and a sauna. An added advantage is that anyone wanting to camp in the city can leave their caravan at home.
Image: Huettenpalast/J. Brockhaus
A city in itself
The recreational park on the Grav island, down river from Wesel on the Rhine, claims to be the biggest family camping site in Germany. 9,000 campers on a summer's day populate the more than 2.1 million-square-meter site, which includes miles of beaches. According to federal statistics, there were 29 million overnight stays at campsites throughout Germany in 2015 - and the trend is growing.
Image: Imago/H. Blossey
Home is where the heart is
What's better - an allotment or long-term camping? German campsites offer many fixed plots for caravans. Many resemble a traditional German allotment. What was once regarded as bourgeois, says Viktoria Groß from the German Camping Club, is now hugely popular with families. Campsites have improved and some now even offer wave pools or horse riding.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/B. Marks
Successful camping market
The desire for independence, being close to nature and self-determination is rather pronounced in many German holiday makers. And some feel quite a lot of special equipment is needed to fulfill this "return to nature." German campers invested some 8.2 billion euros ($9 billion) in equipment last year, according to the German tourism association.
Image: Colourbox
Something for when it's not a rainy day
Bad weather, constant rain or just cold temperatures - according to the German Camping Club, this explains why many campers decide to holiday at short notice. They can check the weather forecast online, and if favorable, quickly throw their things together and hit the road. Germany has many beautiful regions worth exploring without having a long drive there or back.
Image: Imago/S. Ditscher
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This is the market site managers and outdoor-equipment manufacturers are invigorating with some unusual offers - like fixed timber-huts shaped like a barrel or giant, luxury campervans with private whirlpools installed on their roofs.
"Camping next to the site's own golf course or spa - this would have made most people shake their heads in disbelief just a few years ago," says Groß. Germans are now also prepared to pay for these luxuries. A recent study found that whereas holidaymakers would pay up to 27 euros ($30)a day for a campsite 10 years ago, that had already risen to 46 euros by 2010.
Today it is as much as 70 euros, Groß estimates. Those booking with providers like Vancansoleil can pay twice as much. On average, a family that goes glamping will spend 1,500 euros for a week in an 80-square-meter (861-square-foot)safari-tent.
Tree-house tent in a Bavarian high-rope climbing forestImage: picture-alliance/dpa/Waldseilgarten Höllschlucht
Families are the main target group for glamping. "People who really didn't know what to make of camping discover it through glamping," Groß explains. "But most just want to give it a go, but in the long-term Germans are not likely to become dedicated 'glampers' - their love for nature would stop them," she adds.
