10 challenges with style

I have a birthday looming. It got me thinking about how, as travellers, we all deal with getting older so differently. Some of us give in gracefully and willingly to the draw of ever more comfortable hotels with good food and wine. Nothing wrong with that to my mind!

However there are others who, as they get older, feel the need to prove that we can still do adventurous or exciting things which push us. A challenge is no bad thing of course, but equally we need to know our limitations, and perhaps pick our battles wisely. Or maybe, we shouldn’t worry about that, but should at least make sure that whatever we do take on, we do it with style and a touch of luxury!

Here are a few ideas you might enjoy considering for the coming year if you want something with a bit more oomph than a fortnight in the south of France (nice as that is), but a nod to comfort and style.

1. Climb Kilimanjaro (with a personal chef and your own loo!).
2. Trek to see Mountain Gorillas, with porters to carry your bags and help you up the hills.
3. Cycle for a day in the Andes, downhill only of course.
4. Take a day’s walking safari in Zambia – with a chai-wallah bringing tea and cake for elevenses, and a stop for a 3-course bush lunch in the wilderness.
5. Go panning for gold in the Ecuadorian Amazon, staying at a luxury lodge.
6. Camp out in the desert of Wadi Rum in Jordan – with a full bedouin tent, carpeted floors and a BBQ par excellence.
7. Take a 4 day trek in Peru’s remote mountains near Machu Picchu, and enjoy a jacuzzi and bottle of wine in the evening.
8. Head into Maasai territory in Kenya to experience life as a Maasai (but not forgetting an en-suite tent, comfy bed and camp staff)
9. Go trekking in Morocco’s High Atlas mountains, ending the day in a mountain kasbah with great food and a hammam (steam bath)
10. Decide on an exciting railway journey across India, but make it the Palace on Wheels rather than a 2nd class coach on a standard train.

Go on, make 2014 the year you take on a challenge. You can always give yourself the reward of a relaxing, properly luxurious holiday at the end of it!