Does your sense of adventure challenge you to go rafting down a river in Zimbabwe so you can get a glimpse of the hippos? How about mountain biking under a snow-capped volcano in the heart of the Chilean Andes? Or sea kayaking along British Columbia's Gulf Islands, accompanied by seals, sea lions and the occasional orca?
Now it is possible for you to get lost in the wilderness without being the next Indiana Jones. Adventure travel in the 21st century rips you away from your everyday worries and transports you to the base of a 20,000-foot mountain where your only concern is how to reach the top. Many outfitters, schedule trips to some of the most scenic parts of the globe, where you can try a sport and then gloat about your accomplishments that night over a five-course meal. Add some spice to your life and tackle one of these adventures, then savor the memories.
Adventure travel as an industry, or avocation, is becoming increasingly prominent. This partly is a consequence of the world becoming effectively smaller; it no longer is particularly hard to travel to far flung parts of world. But it is also because people evidently prefer an adventure in Africa to a bus ride in Cleveland. This means that the term adventure travel is becoming something of a misnomer - or at least has outgrown the preconception that it is an inherently dangerous and demanding way to spend a vacation.
Companies and outfitters and guides have become increasingly adept at creating and tailoring adventures to meet the demands of people who are not Arctic explorers or marathon runners. These are not the kind of harrowing adventures that would impress Shackleton. Instead, they are tours designed for people looking for unique, memorable and creative vacations. Luxury adventure travel is no longer an oxymoron. And there are companies and trips that cater specifically to families, to women, to singles. All of this translates into an impressive standard of professionalism and safety and into an array of adventures almost impossibly wide in scope.
As adventure travel becomes easier to do, it almost necessarily becomes harder to define. It used to be that adventure travel was divided between soft and hard – hard adventure was more strenuous, included few frills and the tours demanded some kind of experience with, or commitment to, the activity. Soft adventure was more accommodating.
This distinction is not so clearly defined anymore. Adventure travel and active vacations have become enormously popular, and in doing so has become greatly diversified. Ordinary travelers benefit from this maturation because adventure travel now offers endless possibilities with few restrictions on participation. The adventure part hasn’t changed much – the mountains of Peru or the back roads of China are no less thrilling. But the standards are different.
Even hard adventure travel – trekking vacations to Everest or whitewater rafting in India – is now conducted with an unprecedented degree of professionalism, preparation and safety. Some bemoan this change, but the people for whom it has opened new, real and exciting opportunities don’t seem to mind much. The evolution of the adventure travel industry has made more adventure more possible for more people.
Soft adventure travel has evolved as well. Safari lodges in Africa are among the most breathtaking accommodations in the world. Walking and biking tours are so expertly and flawlessly designed that they offer a rare degree of discovery and immersion. Adventure travel outfitters and tour operators no longer labor under the mistaken impression that adventure is somehow exclusive, prohibitively difficult and appropriate only for people with remarkable immune systems and robust insurance policies. Outfitters and operators quite deliberately offer adventures and vacations accessible to everyone. That makes finding adventure travel something of an adventure unto itself – but that is what World Travel Direct is for.
