Additional Coverage:
- This mom paid $13,000 to get dropped in the wilderness by a luxury travel company. She said it changed her life. (businessinsider.com)
Texas Mom Finds Herself After Getting Purposely Lost in Moroccan Mountains
Esther Spengler, a Texas mother in her mid-30s, was five years into postpartum depression and feeling lost. Like many mothers, she felt she had lost her identity after having children. Searching for a unique anniversary trip with her husband, she stumbled upon a rather unusual service: a luxury travel company, Black Tomato, that drops you in the wilderness and leaves you to find your way out – their “Get Lost” experience.
Intrigued, Spengler became fixated on the idea. Her husband, recognizing her excitement, suggested she embark on the solo adventure while he cared for their children. After a year and a half of saving, Spengler found herself alone, in a very different sense, in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains.
“I had felt like a dead skeleton walking around,” Spengler confessed. “But this trip sparked life back into me. It completely changed my life’s trajectory.”
Spengler’s experience reflects a growing trend among wealthy travelers: choosing challenging nature-based adventures over traditional luxury resorts. Black Tomato’s “Get Lost” program caters to this desire, allowing travelers to disconnect from the world and reconnect with themselves.
Spengler, wanting warmth and distance from the US, chose Morocco. For three days, armed with a map, compass, and a backup GPS, she navigated the mountains toward a pre-determined endpoint.
“I craved that isolation,” she explained. “I needed space to think and just be.”
High-End Wilderness Experiences on the Rise
The “Get Lost” experience caters to a diverse clientele, often successful individuals seeking reflection. Some are navigating personal hardships, contemplating career changes, or searching for purpose after selling a business.
The trips, often exceeding $25,000, are typically reserved for the wealthy. Spengler, whose husband was in the military, spent months saving and fundraising to afford the $13,000 experience.
Each “Get Lost” trip is bespoke. Clients can choose their destination country or simply request a specific type of landscape, like a desert or jungle.
Some even remain unaware of their destination until arrival. Past trips have ventured to Mongolia, Peru, and Norway’s Arctic Svalbard.
Upon arrival, local guides transport clients to remote locations via car, aircraft, or even yak. After a day or two of survival training (fire building, shelter construction, etc.), travelers are equipped with supplies and left alone to navigate back to civilization. While seemingly isolated, clients are constantly tracked for safety, with guides discreetly shadowing them.
Travel as Therapy
Black Tomato views these trips as transformative. “Travel is becoming part of your therapy plan,” explains Rob Murray-John, head of special projects. After the wilderness portion concludes, clients reunite with guides for a celebratory hotel stay, adding a touch of traditional luxury to the experience.
Spengler, reluctant for her adventure to end, returned home with a renewed perspective. “I wasn’t going back to the way things were,” she declared. She joined the Army, a lifelong dream, and began taking survival classes, further embracing her newfound resilience.
Spengler’s Moroccan adventure wasn’t a relaxing vacation. It was a transformative journey of self-discovery, proving that sometimes, getting lost is the best way to find yourself.