Farmers Find New Source Of Income Renting Land For Airbnb Of Camping, Hipcamp

Maryland farmers are finding a new source of income through a vacation rental platform. Hipcamp is similar to Airbnb, which allows people to rent out their homes, apartments and other private quarters for short stays.

But as the name suggests, Hipcamp focuses on camping accommodations.

The company was started in 2013, and slowly grew in popularity out West before making its way to the East Coast.

It has grown in popularity since the onset of COVID-19 and the creation of the socially distant vacation.

HAWKWOOD FARM'S HIPCAMP SETUP FOR OUTDOOR SHORT-TERM RENTALS

Hawkwood Farm is a 90-acre farm nestled in the Appalachian Mountains of Maryland. The property, owned by Erin and Angela Aylor, is in conservation through the Maryland Environmental Trust and the Catoctin Land Trust. The farm has a small orchard and vineyard.

The Aylors’ Hipcamp setup includes two sites. Meadowland is in the center of the field with directional stones and a 360-degree unobstructed view of the sky. The second site, Rainbow’s End, is near a stream and spring-fed pond.

“We first heard about Hipcamp through a journalism student at Fort Meade who had visited to complete a research assignment,” Aylor said. “We decided to give it a try because the sites were basically already created and maintained. Hipcamp carries a hefty insurance policy and manages the communication and scheduling, so it was just a matter of creating the profiles and uploading a few pictures.”

Hipcamp is user-friendly for hosts, and that is part of the appeal for busy farmers. Creating your profile page and listing your site is free and only takes minutes to set up.

Check out the full article from Lancaster Farming here.

Photo credit: Wildom Farm