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Adventure Travel Vacations
from:Adventure travel vacations are vacations that take you out of your normal, everyday routine. When people think adventure travel, they think of dog-sledding in Alaska, rock-climbing in Nepal, or exploring white water rapids in Costa Rica. Of course, all of these experiences are adventure travels. But adventure travel vacations run the gamut of activity levels and can include an intense trek through mountainous terrain, or they could be something a little bit more on the calm side like a wine and food tasting tour of Tuscany. They could also be closer to home than many people may initially think. A weekend spent camping at a nearby lake is an adventure travel vacation.
And adventure travelers are not just single seekers of the coveted adrenaline rush; many adventure travel vacations are great opportunities to bond as a family and give children new experiences that they never would have had if they had either spent the time home in front of the TV or on vacation in a hotel room.
With adventure travel vacations, you can book your own trip, or you can choose a company which will plan your excursions for you and immerse you in a group of new people with which to share your adventure experiences. Another option that is becoming increasingly popular is a middle of the way compromise, sometimes called a “self-guided tour.” You consult an agency or tour operator for planned excursions, general information, accommodations and ground travel, but you choose when to go and with whom.
While you don’t need to be in shape for a wine tasting tour of Tuscany (though if the tour is a walking or biking one, you will) most adventure travel vacations require you to be in somewhat relatively good shape. Also, most adventure travel vacations are environmentally friendly, so be prepared to follow certain rules. Indeed, ecotourism is one of the main components of many adventure travel vacations. Ecotourism mainly focuses on observing the plants and animal life in a community, understanding their ecology and how to coexist peacefully with our planet.
In a sense, the majority of adventure travel vacations are learning vacations, in which you are transported out of your everyday routine and your eyes are opened to new experiences. There are some vacations, however, that stress the “learning” part of an adventure travel vacation more than the adrenaline rush part. You could spend a week with a professional learning a new hobby or extend that wine and food tour of Italy by being taken to local markets to learn how to choose the right ingredients for making the dishes yourself.
Let’s talk about price. Obviously, with the wide variety of adventure travel vacations to choose from and the wide variety of methods used to organize such vacations, there is a wide variety of price tags for your escape. A simple adventure travel vacation which can take you to the forest a few miles from your home on a weekend camping trip can cost you a couple of hundred dollars, between a decent tent, sleeping bags, cooking supplies and either food or equipment to catch your own food (if you choose the latter option, make sure you know the regulations about hunting in the particular area you choose as your vacation spot).
If you choose something a bit more organized, prices range anywhere from around $1000 to $5000 per person, with prices close to the latter number reserved for those exotic and luxurious trips. These prices usually don’t include airfare and some don’t include meals. It’s always best to do some extensive detective work when planning your adventure travel vacation and make sure you know just what you’re getting for your money.
The Internet is a wonderful resource for gathering information on adventure travel vacations. The Adventure Travel Association site, gorptravel.away.com and gordonsguide.com are good places to start. You can also check out your local library or bookstore for travel books or magazines to either get ideas or get some more information on an idea that’s already been brewing in your mind. Whatever the type of adventure travel vacation you choose, it will be a life altering experience, broadening your horizons and causing you to appreciate the world around you.