If vacation is not time off for you but time on, then you may get bored sitting on a tropical beach or following a tour group around attractions you’ve seen in countless travel magazines or websites. You want something new, something exciting – or a new, exciting way to see “traditional” destinations. Adventure travel is made for people like you. Here are our top tips for making your vacation the adventure of a lifetime.
- When you make an investment, you have to take into consideration your risk tolerance. With adventure travel, you have to figure out your “adventure tolerance”! Is adventure going somewhere few people go? Or is it jumping out of an airplane? This will inform your choice of destination.
- How fit are you? Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu or sea kayaking off the coast of Greenland are wonderful adventures, but they are also intensely rigorous. If, for instance, you have bad knees, you may want to avoid extreme hiking and opt, perhaps, for a walking or biking tour over more level terrain. This can still be an adventure, one that your knees can appreciate.
- “Adventure” often means a bit of danger, especially if you visit locales like Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Yemen, Kenya, and Somalia. While these destinations have much to offer, it always pays to be cautious. Before you plan your trip, look for travel advisories and warnings from your government. They may advise you as to precautions or to avoid a specific destination altogether.
- Keep all of your important paperwork in a safe place, and leave a copy with friends and families. When in a foreign locale, familiarize yourself with local police stations and your embassy. The US State Department, for instance, has a Smart Traveler Enrollment Program that allows you to register your travel so they can assist you more effectively and efficiently in an emergency.
- If traveling abroad, check your medical insurance coverage if you should, oh, hurt your knee! In all seriousness, make sure you’re covered for illness or accident. Related to this, make sure you have the immunizations you need.
- Check the weather! If you are from northern Canada and you go to Egypt during the summer months, those 104˚ days are going to be quite a shock. Also, because many regions have dry and rainy seasons and extreme temperatures, you want to make sure you are safe and comfortable.
There is a lot to consider when planning your adventure vacation, but don’t lose sight of your goal: to have fun! There are a variety of wonderful destinations that will help you achieve just that.