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.
Is it a caravan or house boat?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.