This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Oliver Browne, 44, who founded True Summit Adventures in 2022. He is based in Albania. This piece has been edited for length and clarity.
A trek to Everest Base Camp with a helicopter return, heli-skiing in Albania, crossing Mongolia’s Altai Mountains and Gobi Desert by horseback and camel, and exploring Bhutan while staying at Six Senses.
These are some of the adventures we’ve taken our ultrawealthy clients on, which cost an average of around $100,000 per trip.
What I’ve learned over the years, however, is that you don’t need a billionaire budget to have these kinds of experiences.
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Our clients are a mix of private-equity supremos and people who got rich in tech
When I founded True Summit Adventures, I focused on mountain adventures and trips to places I knew well, like East Africa and Nepal. As our client base grew, we expanded into superluxury adventures with broader appeal.
The experiences we offer include luxury frontier travel, polar yacht charters, and safaris on foot, horseback, or by helicopter. Clients stay in bespoke luxury canvas camps erected specifically for their party, rather than sharing a lodge with other guests. We typically cover accommodation and experiences, but not the cost of international flights.
Courtesy of Oliver Browne
Our clients are an eclectic group: a mix of younger people who made their fortunes in tech, and older private equity supremos. They want to be pushed out of their comfort zones and meet interesting people. That’s one reason we offer icon-led adventures, where world-famous adventurers act as our clients’ guides.
It’s not about sitting on a beach for a week and drinking margaritas, but pursuing something more meaningful.
When planning a trip, I try to think: if I were superwealthy and money were no object, what would I want to do?
Courtesy of Oliver Browne
From 2006 to 2015, I played polo professionally and went on adventures to places including Argentina, Pakistan, India, and South Africa, which introduced me to a lot of superwealthy people.
After I retired from polo, I worked in the family office space for about five years. Between those jobs and polo, I’ve worked around ultrawealthy people for about 20 years. In 2019, I went to South America and Asia to climb, and by 2021, I was no longer trying to be Oliver the investment professional, but Oliver the adventurer, and I haven’t looked back.
Decide what will make the trip magical and budget from there
Although I organize extravagant trips, it’s not how I usually travel. I’ve traveled the world on a shoestring budget before, doing everything as cheaply as I could, such as when I traveled solo through Mozambique during my gap year.
Whatever trip you’re planning, the key is to decide which elements matter to you and will make the trip feel magical. Once you know, prioritize those elements, and plan the adventure within a budget you can afford.
I think there’s an iteration of most adventures for different price points, as long as you’re willing to sacrifice certain things.
Instead of chartering a yacht for a week for $120,000, you could book a cabin with an adventure cruise company and pay a fraction of the price. You won’t have the same amenities or privacy, but you’ll have a similar experience.
On safari, you might not be able to stay at the best lodge in Arusha, Tanzania, but you can find a perfectly reasonable three-star hotel nearby.
Bhutan can be fiendishly expensive if you fly there by private jet, stay at Six Senses, and travel by helicopter. Alternatively, you can fly via Kathmandu and stay in a four-star hotel that’s still pretty nice.
Superluxury travel offers access to superior logistics and accommodation, but for me, luxury isn’t always the be-all and end-all of an adventure. It’s about being in a new place, climbing a mountain, seeing the sunrise, and watching wildlife.
To see the world and have amazing adventures, all you need is curiosity, interest, time, and a certain amount of money, but not a billionaire budget.
