Over the next decade Guyot Designs went on to make silicone bowls for backpackers and pets and ingenious sets of utensils.

FORBES: A Cloud Economy Innovation: Apple's iPhone Gets Its Own Robot

Last August in Creel, 100 miles away and a popular drop-off point into the Copper Canyon for backpackers and home to the Tarahumara Indians, three truckloads of masked gunmen opened fire on a Saturday afternoon gathering, killing 12 men and a year-old boy.

FORBES: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

The website Couchsurfing, founded in 2003 and boasting 5.5 million members, has long been popular with backpackers for providing essentially the same service for nothing.

BBC: Airbnb battles: Would you stay with strangers?

Since then, the cloud forests near Monteverde and Santa Elena have become Costa Rica's premier destination for everyone from budget backpackers to well-heeled retirees.

BBC: Lonely Planet��s top 10 spots in Central America

Since becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995, Luang Prabang has attracted backpackers in droves, and they still account for the majority of tourists.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Changing the world of backpackers by reducing their load may pave the way for some other invention.

FORBES: Connect

There was a bed in the kitchen, and he invited backpackers passing through campus to stay with him, in exchange for help building the site.

NEWYORKER: No Secrets

But in just four short years, the slow trickle of backpackers has turned into a steady stream of adventure travellers eager to experience the spectacular trail for themselves.

BBC: Northern Laos�� 100 Waterfalls Trek

Owl House Backpackers offers pleasant self-catering accommodation in Allemann se Huisie, a garden cottage with a patio for braais (barbacues), and Aandster, a renovated Karoo house and former sculpture studio.

BBC: South Africa��s arty eastern Karoo