This is how grownups travel

Like many people with busy careers, backpacking no longer entices me as it did in my 20s. I still crave the thrill of roughing it, but the boundless time and energy I used to have for detailed planning – and for the trip itself – has steadily seeped away, absorbed by adult responsibilities. Just thinking of the inconveniences and unexpected hurdles that come with independent travel exhausts me.

So how can one have a real adventure without all the hassle? The answer is “champagne backpacking” – i.e., trekking with a few added luxuries. You may not have the same vigour and freedom as in your 20s, but more disposable income means you can hire experts to customize your expeditions, smooth over wrinkles and weave in some five-star amenities. Sleeping bags are welcome, but optional.

I was introduced to the term years ago while planning an ambitious three-week trip to Tanzania. I wanted to climb Kilimanjaro – plus hike an active volcano, go on safari, sail and dive in the Indian Ocean, trek with shepherds in the highlands, tour Zanzibar and relax for a few days on a pristine beach. And I was able to do it all with the help of Africa Travel Resource, a tour agency based in England. It hooked me up with small but reputable lodges and outfitters (which provided me with all the necessary equipment and special apparel) and arranged for reliable transportation between stages.

I was able to get from point A all the way through to Z, cleaned up and well rested for each excursion. A representative at the agency referred to this unorthodox approach as “champagne backpacking,” and the term has stuck with me ever since. Although I had help, the experiences on that trip were bona fide, such as the night I served soup at the base of the Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano to a young Maasai warrior hired to protect me and my makeshift campsite from nearby wildlife. (It was abundantly clear that the princely Maasai youth would not be serving me soup.) And I was able to travel on my own, free of some one-size-fits-all itinerary.

More recently, my partner and I enjoyed an unforgettable 50-kilometre trek through the Peruvian Andes. We had a short period of time away from work and, as usual, lacked the luxury to plan. Applying the champagne-backpacking philosophy, we hired Quechuandes, a reliable trek operator based in Huaraz, a small city an hour’s flight from Lima, to customize and arrange all the details. We just needed to show up with weatherproof clothing and a desire for adventure.

The result was an intimidating four-day journey – but it was far more efficient and comfortable than one we would have undertaken completely on our own. Our odyssey through the Blanca and Negra Cordilleras, one of South America’s pre-eminent trekking mountain ranges, was led by a private guide, Miguel Ochoa, and a muleteer, who transported all of our “necessities.” These included a pantry’s worth of food, from which Miguel prepared delicious three-course dinners every night, and a bathroom tent.

One afternoon, as we encountered a young American couple after hiking five hours in strong rain, the difference in travel approaches was obvious. Here we were, with our seasoned guide leading the way and our essentials already set up at that evening’s final destination. And there they were, on their own with everything they needed weighing heavy and wet on their backs.

Awaiting us was a glorious evening spent drying out with hot mugs of tea in a sparse but fully equipped kitchen tent. Our counterparts, on the other hand, would be setting up their two-person shelter in the cold rain somewhere. And while we enjoyed a freshly cooked meal of crushed lentil soup, sautéed trout fillets, mashed potatoes and steamed local vegetables, they were likely eating unheated food from a can.

Regardless of our comforts, however, each day of climbing and descending presented its own challenges. On the day of our highest ascent, we battled the oncoming rush of water from the peak’s melting snow. As precarious as it was going up in these conditions, it proved even more dangerous coming down: We had to gingerly descend on slippery rocks, over which streamed a steady flow of water. Miguel kept a watchful eye and imparted timely tips on how to handle tricky steps – but he could not control nature.

Eschewing a group tour meant we were isolated except for occasional small herds of cows or horses. We were free to go at our own pace, taking in the breathtaking mountain ranges that surrounded us, many capped with pristine snow and ice. One of the tallest and most majestic peaks we saw is – according to some – the one that served as a model for the Paramount Pictures logo. We would not be climbing Artesonraju, of course, but when facing such powerful beauties, the mind inevitably wanders to the thought.

If you are anxious, as we were, to know what happened to the young American couple, we learned that they had made it along the trail just fine. Although we experienced many golden moments on our trek, I’m sure the more daring quest undertaken by those two intrepid travellers afforded them even more. But, walking away with my own unforgettable experiences, it doesn’t matter at all.

One last note, in the interest of full disclosure: There was never any actual champagne involved in these travels, but the point is, there’s no reason there can’t be.

IF YOU GO

The airline LC Peru offers daily one-hour flights to Huaraz from Lima. Many formidable guest houses are available in this mountain town, most for less than $50 a night with breakfast, catering to trekkers. (They will safely store your luggage while you go off on a multiday trek.)

What to do

Quechuandes (quechuandes.com) is a trek operator based in Huaraz, offering a variety of mountain adventures of differing durations, levels of difficulty and group sizes. The all-inclusive costs for the four-day Santa Cruz trek is around $800 a couple if travelling without any other tourists.

General tips

If you don’t want to use a tour operator, you can bring the champagne-backpacking experience to your trek. Even simple things such as taking a short inland flight once in a while, and treating yourself to upscale accommodations on occasion, can lighten the backpacking load. These short flights get you from one “it” location to the next, saving you precious hours that would have been lost to land travel. Although nothing can replace the experience of riding a bus packed with locals and their small livestock, not every travel moment needs to be life-changing. A proper hot shower and a pampered sleep after days of lodging in hostels are highly restorative.