Most people don't travel on their own. And that's especially true of people who like to travel for adventure. Well, at least that's the way it used to be. These days, singles adventure travel is really beginning to take off as a possible thing for people to do.
That's what a survey done by the US Travel Organization says. It's a trend that the travel industry sees so much potential to that they have really been putting their resources into planning for all kinds of exciting new possibilities in singles adventure travel.
I find it hard to believe that this could really be as mainstream as all this? When you see how the Lonely Planet in its travel books these days always makes a point to add tips for the solo traveler on every page, it has to get you thinking. And there are travel websites that are exclusively dedicated to the lone traveler - websites like CSTN.
Certainly, traveling alone for pleasure is a preference that many people now happily go for. Singles adventure travel though is a travel niche in the general lone traveler segment. Finding information on how best to go about adventure travel alone may be a bit harder than general travel. Let's quickly go into what options you have here.
For the first-time lone adventure traveler, a retreat or adult camp is often a great choice to make. A retreat is a place you go to, when you really know what kind of adventure activity you like - surfing or snowboarding or something - and you go to a place that's dedicated to that one activity. You'll find that they have lots of plans and activities planned out for you, as well as a lot of loafing time.
The idea of traveling alone for adventure and finding yourself in a place that's full of "available" people, may be a bit disconcerting. Especially if you're not "available" yourself. But that really isn't any trouble. The singles adventure travel retreats always have gender-specific arrangements. You even get to choose age-specific retreats. These retreats tend to think of everything. You don't have to worry about where to stay, what to eat, equipment rentals - all is arranged for.
First-timers to singles adventure travel can also choose organized destination vacation tours. These can be a great way to meet people who think the way you do, and you don't have to drag your partner along with you who isn't interested in adventure travel. Whatever it is that you like - hiking up mountain trails, going hunting for fossils or whatever - these can be a great way to concentrate on your passion while not worrying about romance.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Going With the Right Operator of Adventure Travel Tours
So you are planning on an adventure vacation. Of course, it can be very difficult to pick an operator out of the dozens that show up on Google when you search. But there are a few things you can do to assess how good and operator of adventure travel to worse is.
The first thing you want to look for is how affiliated the operator is. They should have membership with the Adventure Travel Trade Association for at least a general-purpose travel association like the USTOA. When an operator is a member at one of these places, it shows that he has passed all their requirements, that he's posted a bond for at least a $1 million to make sure that you have protection against any bankruptcies or claims, and so on.
But affiliations can only go so far. There is quite a lot of homework that you need to do personally, to verify that an operator of adventure travel tours provides the kind of service you're looking for.
With an adventure travel vacation, often, you'll actually be placing your life in the hands of this operator. A so-so operator isn't just about not getting your money's worth. This is about your life. You want to exercise the highest standards possible.
For instance, you want to see if the very first call you make to the company is answered in a professional way. A professional, well-informed receptionist answering your call, everything done in a controlled and responsible way - all these are important indidicators. Anything that's improper - anyone who's rude for instance - and you don't want to trust your life to those people.
You want to go with an operator of adventure travel tours who appears to want to bend over backwards to please you. Not only do they need to be polite (that's only the bottom line) you want them to offer to help you make arrangements for your travel, insurance, gear and so on. These should be people who really love what they do. Such people will always be there trying to answer your questions and to make things comfortable. And oh, make sure that they give you references. You want to know what other travelers think of them.
Remember reading about how in January 2012, a bungee jumping Australian tourist in Africa had her bungee cord snap? She could have died, except that she lived and spent a long time in hospital. You have to make absolutely sure that the company you're going with keeps quality equipment in first class condition. You need ask for evidence of this, and they should be provided to you without a project that.
The first thing you want to look for is how affiliated the operator is. They should have membership with the Adventure Travel Trade Association for at least a general-purpose travel association like the USTOA. When an operator is a member at one of these places, it shows that he has passed all their requirements, that he's posted a bond for at least a $1 million to make sure that you have protection against any bankruptcies or claims, and so on.
But affiliations can only go so far. There is quite a lot of homework that you need to do personally, to verify that an operator of adventure travel tours provides the kind of service you're looking for.
With an adventure travel vacation, often, you'll actually be placing your life in the hands of this operator. A so-so operator isn't just about not getting your money's worth. This is about your life. You want to exercise the highest standards possible.
For instance, you want to see if the very first call you make to the company is answered in a professional way. A professional, well-informed receptionist answering your call, everything done in a controlled and responsible way - all these are important indidicators. Anything that's improper - anyone who's rude for instance - and you don't want to trust your life to those people.
You want to go with an operator of adventure travel tours who appears to want to bend over backwards to please you. Not only do they need to be polite (that's only the bottom line) you want them to offer to help you make arrangements for your travel, insurance, gear and so on. These should be people who really love what they do. Such people will always be there trying to answer your questions and to make things comfortable. And oh, make sure that they give you references. You want to know what other travelers think of them.
Remember reading about how in January 2012, a bungee jumping Australian tourist in Africa had her bungee cord snap? She could have died, except that she lived and spent a long time in hospital. You have to make absolutely sure that the company you're going with keeps quality equipment in first class condition. You need ask for evidence of this, and they should be provided to you without a project that.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Buying Adventure Travel Insurance
It's probably not a big surprise to you that adventure travel is quite risky. When you undertake travel of this sort, you do risk life and limb in the process. General-purpose insurance companies may not be the best place to go to for your adventure travel insurance needs. You might have to go to a specialist vendor.
Any of these specialist adventure travel insurance companies, depending on the kind of adventure you like, will charge you different rates. Certain kinds of activity are considered especially risky and especially deserving of a high premium charge.
Of course, that's what it is like theoretically. In practice, the way they calculate these rates can be completely unfathomable. For instance, they say that if you would like adventure travel insurance for mountain biking or skiing, your premium will be a reasonable one, because you only have a 50% chance of injury.
However, these very vendors also cover sports. Believe it or not, they have insurance for golf players and net ballplayers. Want to know how high your level of risk is those sports? It's considered to be 70% to 99%.
Perhaps there is something to how they define "injury" that could explain these baffling calculations. According to their fine print, they define "injury" as every little cut and scrape and muscle pull.
Even so, one does one find it hard to understand how golf could be considered more risky than mountain biking or skiing.
Basically, the lesson here is that if you want to buy adventure travel insurance, you want to read the fine print. Adventure travel insurance vendors have only recently become this freakishly careful. In fact, they are being more careful than they know how to be. They don't really know how to calculate risk for different kinds of adventure travel or sport. And they use different silly formulas.
So basically, your best bet would be to shop around. Not every vendor of adventure travel insurance has the same kind of formula. Some people will charge you quite a lot for skiing, while others will charge you very little.
Basically, your adventure travel insurance policy will cost you about $100 for a trip. Depending on the sport or activity you take up, it can only be cheaper than that. Do just be careful that you read the fine print for what's covered and what is not.
Any of these specialist adventure travel insurance companies, depending on the kind of adventure you like, will charge you different rates. Certain kinds of activity are considered especially risky and especially deserving of a high premium charge.
Of course, that's what it is like theoretically. In practice, the way they calculate these rates can be completely unfathomable. For instance, they say that if you would like adventure travel insurance for mountain biking or skiing, your premium will be a reasonable one, because you only have a 50% chance of injury.
However, these very vendors also cover sports. Believe it or not, they have insurance for golf players and net ballplayers. Want to know how high your level of risk is those sports? It's considered to be 70% to 99%.
Perhaps there is something to how they define "injury" that could explain these baffling calculations. According to their fine print, they define "injury" as every little cut and scrape and muscle pull.
Even so, one does one find it hard to understand how golf could be considered more risky than mountain biking or skiing.
Basically, the lesson here is that if you want to buy adventure travel insurance, you want to read the fine print. Adventure travel insurance vendors have only recently become this freakishly careful. In fact, they are being more careful than they know how to be. They don't really know how to calculate risk for different kinds of adventure travel or sport. And they use different silly formulas.
So basically, your best bet would be to shop around. Not every vendor of adventure travel insurance has the same kind of formula. Some people will charge you quite a lot for skiing, while others will charge you very little.
Basically, your adventure travel insurance policy will cost you about $100 for a trip. Depending on the sport or activity you take up, it can only be cheaper than that. Do just be careful that you read the fine print for what's covered and what is not.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
How To Choose an Adventure Travel Company
The first few times that you try an adventure vacation can be hard. Trying to find out what kind of adventure travel company to go with can be a challenging thing. Try to search for one online, and you'll find dozens of operators. How on earth do you ever know which of those you should go with? Certainly, you know what can happen when one chooses the wrong adventure travel company. There can be poor quality guidance, poor quality equipment and unpleasant arrangements.
Well, you just need to do a little homework. With the Internet at your elbow, it isn't that hard to find reliable information on whom to take your trip with. Once you have a few names, all it takes are a few phone calls, a few questions, and a little research in the adventure of your choice.
When you narrow your search down to a couple of companies, your first job will be to get to know each company better. Find out how much experience each company has in adventure travel, what their philosophy is, how they're qualified, and so on. Ask them how long they've been in business, and ask them specifically how long they've been in the adventure you want.
It is not a bad thing to be an adventure travel company that's only been working for a short time. But the people who own the business and the guides - all those people need to be very experienced ones.
It isn't enough to know that adventure guide in the company has a lot of experience in the adventure business. If all of said experience is in deep-sea diving, it doesn't say a whole lot about how good they will be taking you trekking up the Himalayas. In fact, really specific experience can be invaluable. If it's a dangerous place going you're going to - up a very high snowbound mountain, the experience your guide has can have an effect on your chance of coming back alive.
Once you have a good idea how invested they are in the kind of adventure travel you're looking for, you can make a reasonable guess about how good your trip will be. Remember - you don't want to the guinea pig that you that your travel company tries to learn the ropes on.
As a general rule, an adventure travel company that's earned a few awards for its adventure travel programs should be pretty good. Especially if the awards are recent ones. You'll find all this information on the company website. Also, for extra measure try to find out what kinds of travel affiliations they have. The Adventure Travel Trade Association and the USTOA all grant recognition to adventure travel operators.
Well, you just need to do a little homework. With the Internet at your elbow, it isn't that hard to find reliable information on whom to take your trip with. Once you have a few names, all it takes are a few phone calls, a few questions, and a little research in the adventure of your choice.
When you narrow your search down to a couple of companies, your first job will be to get to know each company better. Find out how much experience each company has in adventure travel, what their philosophy is, how they're qualified, and so on. Ask them how long they've been in business, and ask them specifically how long they've been in the adventure you want.
It is not a bad thing to be an adventure travel company that's only been working for a short time. But the people who own the business and the guides - all those people need to be very experienced ones.
It isn't enough to know that adventure guide in the company has a lot of experience in the adventure business. If all of said experience is in deep-sea diving, it doesn't say a whole lot about how good they will be taking you trekking up the Himalayas. In fact, really specific experience can be invaluable. If it's a dangerous place going you're going to - up a very high snowbound mountain, the experience your guide has can have an effect on your chance of coming back alive.
Once you have a good idea how invested they are in the kind of adventure travel you're looking for, you can make a reasonable guess about how good your trip will be. Remember - you don't want to the guinea pig that you that your travel company tries to learn the ropes on.
As a general rule, an adventure travel company that's earned a few awards for its adventure travel programs should be pretty good. Especially if the awards are recent ones. You'll find all this information on the company website. Also, for extra measure try to find out what kinds of travel affiliations they have. The Adventure Travel Trade Association and the USTOA all grant recognition to adventure travel operators.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Adventure Travel on the Cheap this Year
As summer approaches, families all over the country get into a huddle - what kind of vacation plans do they have this year? And it has to be a special one they think of because it has to make everyone happy. If it's going to cost money, it is going to make the people spending the money - the parents - the unhappiest if the children are always going "So what else is new". Well, affordable adventure travel could be where your family's zone lies this year.
Let's look at how if you don't have too much money set aside for this year's vacation, zip-lines and rodeos and golf can be great ideas.
When you were young, adventure travel probably meant that you had to go somewhere off to the mountains and then hike with your family until you were blue in the face. These days, adventure travel tends to be much more entertaining. For instance, try the Appalachian Mountain club. You'll find these in New Hampshire. Go here and you'll find that it's the perfect place to unwind. You get these mountain huts out in the wilderness in the White Mountains. It's just $30 a person a night. There are lots of free programs and activities for children that they have.
Children just have a romantic idea of the wild wild West in them. But they've probably never been to a place like that. So if you take them there, they are surely going to find it hard to complain of how there's nothing new. The Cody Wyoming National Park and Yellowstone National Park have such a great parade of adventure travel attractions for everybody. How can your children not love barrel racing or nighttime rodeo? And where else can they have have a good close-up look at street gunfights, all staged andcompletely fun?
They have entire villages set up for this. You can get to live there in a little Wild West cabim. And it's just to $150 a night.
Usually, Yellowstone National Park can be a little expensive in the summer. There is a way though to make it adventurous, fun and still affordable. You just have to use one of their hundreds of camping sites.
Know how when you take a hiking trip, your children absolutely refuse to go hiking? You could turn it into something they can't help loving. You could turn it into a treasure hunt. At Mt. Hood near Portland, Oregon, at the resort that they call The Resort, they have a great treasure hunting adventure for the whole family, that they call the geo-caching adventure. Your children who never get up off the TV at home are going to be unstoppable here.
Let's look at how if you don't have too much money set aside for this year's vacation, zip-lines and rodeos and golf can be great ideas.
When you were young, adventure travel probably meant that you had to go somewhere off to the mountains and then hike with your family until you were blue in the face. These days, adventure travel tends to be much more entertaining. For instance, try the Appalachian Mountain club. You'll find these in New Hampshire. Go here and you'll find that it's the perfect place to unwind. You get these mountain huts out in the wilderness in the White Mountains. It's just $30 a person a night. There are lots of free programs and activities for children that they have.
Children just have a romantic idea of the wild wild West in them. But they've probably never been to a place like that. So if you take them there, they are surely going to find it hard to complain of how there's nothing new. The Cody Wyoming National Park and Yellowstone National Park have such a great parade of adventure travel attractions for everybody. How can your children not love barrel racing or nighttime rodeo? And where else can they have have a good close-up look at street gunfights, all staged andcompletely fun?
They have entire villages set up for this. You can get to live there in a little Wild West cabim. And it's just to $150 a night.
Usually, Yellowstone National Park can be a little expensive in the summer. There is a way though to make it adventurous, fun and still affordable. You just have to use one of their hundreds of camping sites.
Know how when you take a hiking trip, your children absolutely refuse to go hiking? You could turn it into something they can't help loving. You could turn it into a treasure hunt. At Mt. Hood near Portland, Oregon, at the resort that they call The Resort, they have a great treasure hunting adventure for the whole family, that they call the geo-caching adventure. Your children who never get up off the TV at home are going to be unstoppable here.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
All the Adventure New Zealand Has To Offer
There is something about New Zealand and thrill-seeking daredevilry. It's just a kind of national sport to seek out super crazy insane situations to put yourself in and to get to not die. It seems to something to do with the natural environment of New Zealand. With all its wondrously rugged mountains, valleys and spectacular coastline, to citizens who loves adventure, New Zealand has something to offer everyone. You visit India for its ancient temples and culture; you visit America for its spectacular energy for life and for its scenery; you visit New Zealand to almost kill yourself. But only almost.
New Zealanders have thought up and perfected such a range of adventurous activities to sell to tourists. What kind of death defying acts would be your pleasure - the original, bungee jumping? How about fly by wire or monorail cycling called Shweeb or the hamster ball - a very limited selection of all the adventure New Zealand has to offer, to be sure. How exactly did New Zealand get to be this way? Why are its citizens so obsessed with death-defying adventure? And how does the bug get everyone?
If New Zealand is the world capital of adventure, Queenstown in New Zealand (of the South Island) is the country's adventure capital. TripAdvisor says so. Arrive here, and the town doesn't really seem like much - a handful of streets, and a lake. The only stores here sell stuff for tourists and there are no end of hotels and hostels all over the place. In this unassuming little place, they offer you ways to tease death that you would never dream of otherwise - right from skydiving to strange names that you would never be able to interpret if no one ever told you - BASE jumping, parapenting, snow kiting and other such oddities.
They say that all the adventure New Zealand lives through each day as part of its national character comes from the Maori tribes - the aboriginals of the land. They were an adventurous a group and they inspired the settlers. Add to that the way New Zealanders are an naturally inventive bunch who can't wait to see what happens when they push the envelope, and you have a terribly volatile mixture. And of course, life isn't valued in New Zealand as it is in America. If something happens to you when you're in the middle of an adventure, you can't sue anyone. That's not how New Zealand works.
Zorbing is a particularly insane activity. You lock yourself into a huge air-filled ball and then you roll yourself downhill. It's pretty popular in lots of countries around the world. A true New Zealand export. Make sure that you research all the different companies that offer adventure services when you land in New Zealand. Planning ahead will ensure that you actually make it back.
New Zealanders have thought up and perfected such a range of adventurous activities to sell to tourists. What kind of death defying acts would be your pleasure - the original, bungee jumping? How about fly by wire or monorail cycling called Shweeb or the hamster ball - a very limited selection of all the adventure New Zealand has to offer, to be sure. How exactly did New Zealand get to be this way? Why are its citizens so obsessed with death-defying adventure? And how does the bug get everyone?
If New Zealand is the world capital of adventure, Queenstown in New Zealand (of the South Island) is the country's adventure capital. TripAdvisor says so. Arrive here, and the town doesn't really seem like much - a handful of streets, and a lake. The only stores here sell stuff for tourists and there are no end of hotels and hostels all over the place. In this unassuming little place, they offer you ways to tease death that you would never dream of otherwise - right from skydiving to strange names that you would never be able to interpret if no one ever told you - BASE jumping, parapenting, snow kiting and other such oddities.
They say that all the adventure New Zealand lives through each day as part of its national character comes from the Maori tribes - the aboriginals of the land. They were an adventurous a group and they inspired the settlers. Add to that the way New Zealanders are an naturally inventive bunch who can't wait to see what happens when they push the envelope, and you have a terribly volatile mixture. And of course, life isn't valued in New Zealand as it is in America. If something happens to you when you're in the middle of an adventure, you can't sue anyone. That's not how New Zealand works.
Zorbing is a particularly insane activity. You lock yourself into a huge air-filled ball and then you roll yourself downhill. It's pretty popular in lots of countries around the world. A true New Zealand export. Make sure that you research all the different companies that offer adventure services when you land in New Zealand. Planning ahead will ensure that you actually make it back.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
I Have Always Been Intrigued By Adventure Tourism
I have never been one to go on vacation and just lounge around. I have always preferred to be out and about — doing things I would not normally get to do at home. One thing that has always interested me is adventure tourism
, and while I think I might want to give it a shot one day, I am not sure it is something I would want to do every time I take a trip.
Adventure tourism packages can range from location to location, but most often, I will see them to countries in Africa, Asia or South America. They are typically to places that are not considered as “developed,” and hence add to the intrigue and adventure. One that I saw that I particularly wanted to try was an African safari where I would get the opportunity to see animals up close that I normally would only see in the zoo or on the National Geographic Channel.
It was through Zambia and relatively safe — as safe as a safari can be, anyway. I saw some footage of one of the tours and it looked like a lot of fun. I was not sure if I wanted to take my children on such a trip, but I figured it would be a great opportunity for me to discover a part of the world with which I was not very familiar.
I saw another brochure for adventure tourism for the Yukon Territory. I found this simply fascinating, because again, it was a part of the world with which I was not very familiar and I would have to survive in conditions that most people besides Inuits rarely ever encounter. I spoke to a friend of mine who participated in a trip to the Yukon Territory, and he said it was not for the faint of heart.
There was also the advertisement for adventure tourism in the Australian Outback. I know that most of this area is uninhabitable, and I used to love to watch Steve Erwin hunt crocodiles and snakes in the region. He just made it look like it was so much fun that one almost forgot how dangerous it actually was.
Adventure tourism is not for everybody, and I have not taken advantage of such a package yet. I see them all of the time and I know that eventually the temptation will be too great to resist. I can imagine one of two things happening if I do ever make the jump. Either I realize that I am not cut out for it and never go on such a vacation again, or I become completely hooked, and never go on a different kind of vacation.
, and while I think I might want to give it a shot one day, I am not sure it is something I would want to do every time I take a trip.Adventure tourism packages can range from location to location, but most often, I will see them to countries in Africa, Asia or South America. They are typically to places that are not considered as “developed,” and hence add to the intrigue and adventure. One that I saw that I particularly wanted to try was an African safari where I would get the opportunity to see animals up close that I normally would only see in the zoo or on the National Geographic Channel.
It was through Zambia and relatively safe — as safe as a safari can be, anyway. I saw some footage of one of the tours and it looked like a lot of fun. I was not sure if I wanted to take my children on such a trip, but I figured it would be a great opportunity for me to discover a part of the world with which I was not very familiar.
I saw another brochure for adventure tourism for the Yukon Territory. I found this simply fascinating, because again, it was a part of the world with which I was not very familiar and I would have to survive in conditions that most people besides Inuits rarely ever encounter. I spoke to a friend of mine who participated in a trip to the Yukon Territory, and he said it was not for the faint of heart.
There was also the advertisement for adventure tourism in the Australian Outback. I know that most of this area is uninhabitable, and I used to love to watch Steve Erwin hunt crocodiles and snakes in the region. He just made it look like it was so much fun that one almost forgot how dangerous it actually was.
Adventure tourism is not for everybody, and I have not taken advantage of such a package yet. I see them all of the time and I know that eventually the temptation will be too great to resist. I can imagine one of two things happening if I do ever make the jump. Either I realize that I am not cut out for it and never go on such a vacation again, or I become completely hooked, and never go on a different kind of vacation.
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