I was nervous to camp alone with my 9-year-old son, so we tried glamping. It was the perfect adventure with less stress.

The author and her son went glamping.

Courtesy of Nicole Findlay

While my Scottish husband joined the Tartan Army in Boston for the group stages of the FIFA World Cup, I wanted to do something equally exciting with my 9-year-old son. A few of his friends had recently gone camping and came back with fun stories.I knew he would love a night out under the stars, but I hadn't camped since I was in my 20s. The idea of just the two of us in a zip-up tent in the middle of nowhere felt scary.So, instead of jumping straight into the wilderness, we went glamping.Glamping is definitely easier than campingI booked a one-night stay at The River Electric, a glamping site nestled in the woods in Guerneville, California. I described it to my son as fancy camping.When we arrived, we threw our bags into a yellow wagon and wheeled it to our canvas tent, which had a typical zip-up door and was flanked by two wooden lounge chairs. Inside, we found two double beds, a nightstand with a small lamp, a bright red locker to store valuables, and a couple of outlets.I was nervous about sleeping in a tent with no door to lock, running into a wild animal, and being a solo parent in the woods. But seeing his little face light up when he saw where we would be sleeping helped me push all that aside. Right away, he claimed the bed on the right and started unpacking his stuffed animals. He was just so excited.Surprisingly, at least for me, we both slept fantastically. Although we were in a tent, we certainly weren't roughing it. It felt more like a boutique hotel — but in nature.