Adventure Travel – What is it?

This short article explores what ‘adventure travel’ means for you, and seeks to dispel the common theme that it must almost always be inherently dangerous, physically demanding, or even be life-threatening! It’s not remotely true as we have discovered so many times.

So what is ‘Adventure Travel’?

Today, the more mature travellers seek far more from their travels than they ever used to. More active, they seek new and different experiences, often with a strong and healthy element of the unknown. Ultimately adventure travel is anything you want it to be, that suits you, that involves an adventure in your world. At the top end of the scale, there are usually inherent risks, and they can present themselves in a diverse number of ways. It doesn’t mean danger to life!

Some obvious examples of adventure travel are the bucket list events such as trekking to Everest Base Camp or cycling the Kilimanjaro – Ngorongoro Crater route. Both are physically demanding, have an element of the unknown and the former certainly has a good dose of inherent risk (high altitude). Go straight to our flexible examples of adventure travel in Tanzania and Nepal.

Age should not be a barrier when considering adventure travel provided you are well and fit enough to do what is intended. The more mature traveller can often have more time and different requirements. We can adapt and adjust to whatever is requested provided it’s possible.

Adventure travel has changed – make it your own

Adventure out on the Sri Lanka train network

Remote family adventures – Sahara

Hire a tuk-tuk in India or Sri Lanka

Imagine yourself in India or Sri Lanka exploring different parts of the country using different modes of transport such as their famous extensive rail networks. This would certainly be adventurous I can assure you. It doesn’t involve any trekking or any other arduous physical activity but does place you in situations that may need some improvisation! Add a few days in a hired tuk-tuk (yes, you can hire them) zooming around the local countryside staying where ever you like, and eh voila, you have a seriously fun adventure.

Adventure travel can, and usually does, take place within an itinerary but with the inherent flexibility for changes and adjustments should they be necessary. For example, all trekking itineraries usually have a start and finish day and locations. If something has to change due to injury or weather delays, what happens within that time period may need to change. Take Louisa Pearce’s epic Sahara in a Wheelchair world record attempt in 2016. Given it had never been done before, we were literally taking it day-by-day.

In my own experiences, some of the most memorable adventures are those where something has not quite gone to plan! A forced change heightens the human senses. Your mind suddenly becomes alive and the adventure is enhanced.

Very Special Adventures

We can arrange for you to be in a very special place, on a specific date for your anniversary, birthday or even a planned proposal!
We’ve had a proposal at Everest Base Camp already!
The vast majority of our adventures will depart with just two people, thus allowing clients to adjust the itinerary to suit exactly what you need, or want (always within reason!). email us directly about your intended trip.

Embrace Adventure Travel

For some, the very word ‘adventure travel’ conjures up stuff in their minds they perhaps don’t want to enter into. It’s classic fear of the unknown. No one knows your boundaries as you do. Simply stay within them or seek assurances on safety, support or backup issues. Some examples are to keep treks short, use day walks, and stay below a specific altitude.

Camels can carry people in the Sahara if needed, as can mules or donkeys in Nepal. We have e-bikes in Tanzania that can take the pressure off hard cycling, and the 4×4 support vehicle can relieve pressure even more if needed. Knowing there is a backup is always comforting.

Remember, this is all happening within a safety net. Responsible facilitators will know what the risks are, and will have a safety plan in place, however basic that may be. Guides know where to get help.

Think outside the box

Make journeys part of the adventure, and they should be. If you have a 2-week trip window in Nepal for example, and your itinerary is just 11 days, use the 3 or 4 days elsewhere. Try flying back via Delhi and stay there for a few nights (see multi-city flights below).

Going to Morocco? – Try flying there, train back. Given the Mediterranean is in the way, we decided once to fly back from Marrakech to Barcelona and catch the overnight train to Paris, and the Eurostar to London from there. You could also decide to stay overnight in either Barcelona or Paris, or both cities. Or fly to Milan, stay overnight, and catch the super fast train back from there – it’s a great journey. It goes into Paris (day journey), Eurostar from there. Alternatively, fly back via somewhere like Malta and spend a few days with even more sunshine! Seat61 is a superb website to explore rail travel.

In some parts of India (Kerala for example) you could even decide to hire your own tuk-tuk (or motorbikes, or scooters) for a few days and head off towards the tea-plantations staying (and eating) where ever you wished. What’s to stop you? Just your imagination.

Multi-City Flights. Many people think using multi-city flights is way more expensive than a return. Logic says they are but in most cases the price difference is minimal.
What is a multi-city flight? If your prime destination was Nepal for example, the obvious initial choice is to buy a return flight LONDON – KATHMANDU – LONDON. A multi-city flight could include a return via DELHI, so your flight itinerary could be purchased as LONDON – KATHMANDU – DELHI – LONDON. Multi-city flight itineraries open up a huge array of opportunities and adventures. The price of those two sets of flights is almost identical. This can be replicated in many places around the world.

How We Can Help You

Depart when YOU want to depart. You don’t have to use our published dates.
Go as a couple or small group. You don’t have to be part of a larger group.
Adjust the itinerary to suit (if possible).
Extend your trip beyond our itinerary if you want. You don’t have to book everything through us, as much as we would like you to!
Change some elements of the itinerary if you wish, we can advise.
Book whatever airline you wish, with departure times that suit you. We can help with advice.

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Some great examples of bespoke, and adjustable adventure travel itineraries

Tanzania

Spend some time trekking or cycling, or a mix of both. These don’t have to be full-on treks or cycles, we can adjust to suit.
One or two day safaris (it’s all you may need) with a luxury lodge in between.
Maybe stay at a Maasai lodge for a night.
Zanzibar – take a 1hr domestic flight to Zanzibar for some white sand Indian Ocean relaxation.
A great trip, so flexible, and covers so much ground.

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Tanzanian adventure travel
Optional trekking

At least 1-day on safari
is a must!

Zanzibar – just 1 hr away
Indian Ocean relaxation

Nepal

Choose a specific trek or perhaps a series of day walks. This can be done from Kathmandu or Pokhara, or a mix of both (the latter is more suitable). Day walks avoid any altitude issues.
A Royal Enfield around Kathmandu! Some sightseeing in Kathmandu is a must, and if you’re up for it, we can always arrange a trip around the city on the back of a Royal Enfield motorbike! Letting an experienced rider take you through the streets is quite an experience!
Spend some time in Pokhara. It’s a great place to relax with the lake and there are plenty of other activities to occupy you. Mountain biking, paragliding and much more.
From Kathmandu, it’s less than a 90 min flight to either Bhutan or India (Delhi) to further explore the area. This opens up a huge array of other adventures.

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