There are few things more central and celebrated in the mythos of the frontier than the log cabin. Around the world, a log cabin has come to signify the blurring of that line between civilisation and the wilderness. In the UK and other places in Europe, they represent a kind of bygone rusticity which one cannot help but view with a sense of nostalgic charm. In America, the personal mythos surrounding Abraham Lincoln traditionally links the great President with such humble origins. And for campers the world over, a log cabin represents a fantastic weekend getaway.
Finding a great cabin can be a fun enterprise, to be sure, as long as you can avoid the hassles that can get in the way of your good time. Here, then, are a few tips and tricks for finding great cabins for your next camping vacation.
Early Birds Get the Worms—and Cabins
This is pretty straightforward—start your search for quality log cabins early. You may think you’ve got it all figured out, and planned your whole holiday out ahead of time. On the one hand, that’s a good idea, and in a sense very much in keeping with that early bird ethos. That being said, you don’t want to get ahead of yourself and plan your getaway before actually securing your cabin. What’s more, if you’re planning on leaving during holiday, camping season, or another busy time, you might well find a rush for the cabins.
Space Matters
In addition to all that, you’re going to want to look for cabins which are spacious enough to meet all your needs. This may sound simple, and in principle it is, but people tend to forget about a few space-pertinent things that must be remembered—a car, for example. Far too often, campers are so wrapped up in the experience of camping and getting in tune with nature that they forget about finding a space to park their car, be that a garage or outdoor parking spot. If you’re travelling with children, you’ll also want to find a cabin space with plenty of room for them to run and get all that energy out. You don’t want a bunch of hyper kids experiencing their own kind of ‘cabin fever’ and driving you crazy in the process.
Luxury and Authenticity
There’s also the matter of the kind of cabin in which you’ll want to stay. That too may sound simple, it being just a cabin. Experienced campers, however, will know there’s no such thing as “just” a cabin. For example, just how much are you willing to rough it out there? When you return home to your cabin after a long day in nature, do you want to come back to an authentic rustic setting, a place with Wi-Fi, electricity, and a big-screen TV, or anything in between? Finding that balance between luxury and rustic authenticity is crucial, and something to be decided well ahead of time. All this and more can help greatly in your quest to find the best cabin for you.