Do good while sleeping under the stars.
Evie Carrick is a writer and editor who’s lived in five countries and visited well over 50. She now splits her time between Colorado and Paris, ensuring she doesn't have to live without skiing or L'As du Fallafel. Safari Tent
Courtesy of Backland Luxury Camping
The plight of people who are displaced from their homes due to war and persecution is top of mind for many. Now through the end of December, you can do something to help. Something that requires only a couple of nights at a luxury eco-resort on 160 acres of private land in Arizona.
All guests who book two or more nights at Backland Luxury Camping outside Williams, Arizona can support Heal, a small volunteer family-run nonprofit that helps settle refugee families in the U.S. To date, Heal has helped five families from Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Venezuela.
Courtesy of Backland Luxury Camping
Courtesy of Backland Luxury Camping
The eco-resort has glamping tents boasting giant panoramic windows, king-sized beds with luxury linens, outdoor patios, and a luxurious en-suite bathroom and shower. Each of the 10 distinct glamping tents is at least 75 feet away from each other, ensuring that each guest can enjoy true privacy and quiet. Huge 16-foot panoramic windows let in the sun and offer views over the open space, and the skyview tents have glass skylights set directly over the bed so you can stargaze as you drift off to sleep.
It goes without saying that in this corner of the world, the landscape is open and vast. Backland is set on 160 acres of private land that’s surrounded on all sides by a national forest — and the night skies are dark, quiet, and full of stars. (Backland is 45 minutes from Flagstaff, Arizona, which is the world’s first International Dark Sky Place.) Backland’s crème-de-la-crème is the Grand Sky Suite, which has a 16-foot window over the bed and sleeps up to six people.
Courtesy of Backland Luxury Camping
Courtesy of Backland Luxury Camping
All of Backland’s tents are fully insulated with climate control and electricity. There’s also onsite dining in a glass-walled restaurant with a fireplace and a covered beachfront patio. Breakfast is complimentary, while hearty boxed lunches and gourmet made-from-scratch dinners come at an additional cost. Massages are on tap in the tented spa, which is set in a ponderosa pine forest.
Those looking to get out and explore will find walking trails crisscrossing the property, a pond with a beach, and a volleyball court. Backland has several native plant and pollinator gardens, including a milkweed garden for monarch butterflies, an apiary that produces honey used onsite, and native orchards.
Further afield, Backland guests can make the direct, one-hour drive to Grand Canyon National Park or visit one of the many nearby natural attractions, including Sycamore Falls, Wupatki National Monument, Sunset Crater Volcano, and Walnut Canyon National Monument.
To use your stay at Backland for good, book at least a 2-night stay before Dec. 31, 2023, and enter the promo code STAYFORGOOD at checkout. In addition to knowing that two percent of the proceeds from your stay will go directly to Heal, the package also includes a free restaurant credit. Guests booking 2 nights get a $75 restaurant credit, while those booking three and four nights get $115 and $150, respectively.
After the package closes at the end of December, Backland will close for the winter and re-open in March 2024 for the spring and summer seasons.
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