For many people the entire idea of vacationing is to relax and unwind somewhere serene and peaceful, with as little to do as possible. For them a quiet beach and some easy snorkeling might do the trick, or just laying out and working on your tan at the five star hotel and resort. For others, adventure travel is the ticket and they will not be satisfied until they have climbed mountains, hang glided, or zip lined into some hairy situations. For these adventure travel seekers the whole point of traveling and vacationing is to get to experience something that is not available in their regular mundane, nine to five life. They want to get out and explore jungles, kayak down grade three rapids, or shoot wild game (with their cameras of course). To these rugged individualists the thrill of facing danger and in some cases, almost getting killed, is what lures them to the life of great adventure travel.
The main problem with adventure travel is that it costs way too much for the average traveler. Today’s economic situation around the world makes voyaging to distant exotic ports just a dream for many, never to be realized. Because of the very fact that less people are traveling, however, adventure travel buffs can now find incredible bargains if they are persistent and can be flexible with their dates of travel.
One of the best and most convenient ways to book adventure travel is to surf the world wide web for deals and last minute getaways. Because the travel industry as a whole is really feeling the pinch of the recession, they are now offering tremendous deals on travel to many faraway lands and guided adventure tours.
If you live in the U.S. you can find some great adventure travel tours as close by as Mexico or Central America. In Central America you can travel to Belize and enjoy some of the finest jungle zip lining and deep sea adventure fishing in the world. In Costa Rica you can hike through remote rain forests at the base of mighty volcanoes like Arenal and see some of the most pristine habitats in the Western Hemisphere. Nicaragua has great volcanoes and jungle tours like Selva Negra near the northern city of Matagalpa, or Morgan’s Rock nature reserve near the southern beach town of San Juan del Sur.
There are great airfares available, though more expensive, to South America also. You can hike through the Andes in Chile if you are so inclined, or visit ancient ruins. If you go to Brazil you can take river boats down the Amazon and even spend some time with the beautiful indigenous people that live in the jungle in much the same way they did several hundred years ago.
Africa is a great destination but much more expensive. There are some companies that claim to offer discount or budget safaris but you need to be extremely careful and check out their references first. There are a lot of scams out there and you should definitely check the company out carefully before sending any money. Since most travel sites require that you put down a deposit this can get tricky so use some common sense when making these decisions on adventure travel options. If it seems to good to be true, you are probably right.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Adventure Travel for the Free-Spirited Individual
Adventure tourism is now one of the fastest growing trends in travel business. It started with Leo Le Bon who co-founded the world’s first adventure travel company—Mountain Tours with other eight travel mates. Le Bon and others made the first commercial journey to the Annapurna region of Nepal. Since then, the travel business grew rapidly resulting to a plethora of travel companies that offer adventure vacations.
Classifying an adventure travel however pose a little difficulty in defining what exactly it means. Adventure travel depends on the level of strenuousness of activities involved. Adventure may involve leisure biking and hiking for some travelers or it may entail base jumping into an underground cave in Mexico.
Nevertheless, a travel involves some fundamental aspects to be classified as adventure. Adventure travel typically includes going to far-flung areas, intermingling with various cultures, and doing a physical activity.
Two categories of adventure travel are hard and soft adventures. Hard adventures fall under extreme and mostly dangerous sporting activity. Examples of hard adventures are rock climbing, surfing, paragliding, and scuba diving in remote locations. Soft adventures, on the other hand, are leisure activities that are often educational. It does not involve strenuous activity unlike hard adventures. Bird watching, religious pilgrimages and architectural tours fall under soft adventures.
But you might wonder who usually embark on an adventure travel? Travel Industry Association of America’s (TIA) study indicated an estimated 20 percent of adult travelers are adventure tourists. It is also parallel to The Wall Street Journal reporting in 2003 that revenues from adventure tourism has skyrocketed topping the adventure market with $245 million dollars.
While many studies say college-educated males in their 20s typically embark on hard adventures, it is harder to categorize people who go for soft adventures. They say baby boomers and seniors significantly affect the rise of number of soft travelers. However, adventure-seeking women have also substantially caused the continuous growing of the industry. For example, divorcees ages 40 and 60 usually turn to adventure travel as a shift into new lives.
In addition, adventure travels are physically and psychologically beneficial both men and women. Physical challenges like mountain climbing require both physical fitness and focus. It develops muscles as well as serves as an excellent mental workout. Achieving difficult tasks also help build self-esteem especially for people in midlife crisis.
There are several options to what kind of adventure travel fits a specific type of person. But you should determine first how adventurous you would like to be. A travel agency may actually help steer you through the multitude choices that you will face.
Sports-themed vacations are well-liked for athletes. Examples of these are baseball fantasy camps and NASCAR driving schools. Safari is one example of soft adventures popular to many of varying ages. This may involve driving and walking through the African plains and come into close contact with lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo.
Longtime popular destinations are the Seven Wonders of World that include biking and hiking to these locales. Some of the world wonders include pyramids of Egypt, expedition to Antarctica, cultural tour in Japan and Ethiopia, the Great Wall of China, and Taj Mahal in India.
If you opt to have an adventure travel however, be sure to be safe as much as possible. Take note that adventure travel has inherent danger involved.
Classifying an adventure travel however pose a little difficulty in defining what exactly it means. Adventure travel depends on the level of strenuousness of activities involved. Adventure may involve leisure biking and hiking for some travelers or it may entail base jumping into an underground cave in Mexico.
Nevertheless, a travel involves some fundamental aspects to be classified as adventure. Adventure travel typically includes going to far-flung areas, intermingling with various cultures, and doing a physical activity.
Two categories of adventure travel are hard and soft adventures. Hard adventures fall under extreme and mostly dangerous sporting activity. Examples of hard adventures are rock climbing, surfing, paragliding, and scuba diving in remote locations. Soft adventures, on the other hand, are leisure activities that are often educational. It does not involve strenuous activity unlike hard adventures. Bird watching, religious pilgrimages and architectural tours fall under soft adventures.
But you might wonder who usually embark on an adventure travel? Travel Industry Association of America’s (TIA) study indicated an estimated 20 percent of adult travelers are adventure tourists. It is also parallel to The Wall Street Journal reporting in 2003 that revenues from adventure tourism has skyrocketed topping the adventure market with $245 million dollars.
While many studies say college-educated males in their 20s typically embark on hard adventures, it is harder to categorize people who go for soft adventures. They say baby boomers and seniors significantly affect the rise of number of soft travelers. However, adventure-seeking women have also substantially caused the continuous growing of the industry. For example, divorcees ages 40 and 60 usually turn to adventure travel as a shift into new lives.
In addition, adventure travels are physically and psychologically beneficial both men and women. Physical challenges like mountain climbing require both physical fitness and focus. It develops muscles as well as serves as an excellent mental workout. Achieving difficult tasks also help build self-esteem especially for people in midlife crisis.
There are several options to what kind of adventure travel fits a specific type of person. But you should determine first how adventurous you would like to be. A travel agency may actually help steer you through the multitude choices that you will face.
Sports-themed vacations are well-liked for athletes. Examples of these are baseball fantasy camps and NASCAR driving schools. Safari is one example of soft adventures popular to many of varying ages. This may involve driving and walking through the African plains and come into close contact with lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo.
Longtime popular destinations are the Seven Wonders of World that include biking and hiking to these locales. Some of the world wonders include pyramids of Egypt, expedition to Antarctica, cultural tour in Japan and Ethiopia, the Great Wall of China, and Taj Mahal in India.
If you opt to have an adventure travel however, be sure to be safe as much as possible. Take note that adventure travel has inherent danger involved.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Adventure Africa Travel
The mention of the word adventure sends our adrenaline levels on a high and we cannot wait to be part of whatever it is. We visualize all we will encounter and we simply cannot afford to miss out. That is why an adventure Africa travel seems like the best recipe for an instant trial. Africa is a beautiful continent that gives us a sunny experience and their game life is to die for. That vacation you are planning to have sometime soon will not be complete without an adventurous African treat. Picture their awesome hospitality, the interesting people you will meet there and above all the tropical sun, which will leave you asking for more!
Africa is truly blessed and has a bunch of everything that can be considered exciting. It happens to be a melting pot for different cultures and you will thrill yourself as you interact with the friendly people who will be more than enthusiastic to host you. Africa has some of the best beaches in the world and you will enjoy basking in the huge African sun as you enjoy some of their best cuisines and biting. Your adventurous trip will meet the wild when you get into Africa’s best game parks that have the world’s big five. Thrill yourself with a close range roar from the lion and watch the elephants thump their way with authority. Marvel at how huge they can get and you have not seen this game anywhere else other than on the African soil.
Adventure African travel will open your eyes to fascinating flora and fauna you have only imagined in your dreams. South Africa would be a perfect stop now with the World Cup fever that has taken the world by storm. Enjoy the pure African hospitality and learn more about their culture. The vuvuzela, which is the official World Cup celebration instrument, will drive you crazy with enthusiasm. You can take an adventure African travel at any time of the month and you will be sure to enjoy it to the fullest. Travel to Kenya in August and marvel at the wildebeest migration that has found its way to the Wonders of the World list. While here, you can find your way to Mombasa and enjoy the inviting tranquil sandy beaches that will leave you mesmerized.
Tanzania is just some kilometers from here and you will have the thrilling experience of watching Mount Kilimanjaro and the elephants of Tarangire National Park. Rivers are long and fascinating in Africa and River Luangwa in South Africa will be a perfect inclusion in the adventure Africa travel. While at it, you will be sure to take a load of fascinating photos home for all to see and you will not hesitate to take the adventure Africa travel again. For ample preparation for an adventure African travel, it is important to read travel guides that detail important information for first-time travelers. They will also help you plan for your adventure Safari and give you guidance on when best to take that Safari.
Africa is truly blessed and has a bunch of everything that can be considered exciting. It happens to be a melting pot for different cultures and you will thrill yourself as you interact with the friendly people who will be more than enthusiastic to host you. Africa has some of the best beaches in the world and you will enjoy basking in the huge African sun as you enjoy some of their best cuisines and biting. Your adventurous trip will meet the wild when you get into Africa’s best game parks that have the world’s big five. Thrill yourself with a close range roar from the lion and watch the elephants thump their way with authority. Marvel at how huge they can get and you have not seen this game anywhere else other than on the African soil.
Adventure African travel will open your eyes to fascinating flora and fauna you have only imagined in your dreams. South Africa would be a perfect stop now with the World Cup fever that has taken the world by storm. Enjoy the pure African hospitality and learn more about their culture. The vuvuzela, which is the official World Cup celebration instrument, will drive you crazy with enthusiasm. You can take an adventure African travel at any time of the month and you will be sure to enjoy it to the fullest. Travel to Kenya in August and marvel at the wildebeest migration that has found its way to the Wonders of the World list. While here, you can find your way to Mombasa and enjoy the inviting tranquil sandy beaches that will leave you mesmerized.
Tanzania is just some kilometers from here and you will have the thrilling experience of watching Mount Kilimanjaro and the elephants of Tarangire National Park. Rivers are long and fascinating in Africa and River Luangwa in South Africa will be a perfect inclusion in the adventure Africa travel. While at it, you will be sure to take a load of fascinating photos home for all to see and you will not hesitate to take the adventure Africa travel again. For ample preparation for an adventure African travel, it is important to read travel guides that detail important information for first-time travelers. They will also help you plan for your adventure Safari and give you guidance on when best to take that Safari.
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