Types of Holidays for Adventure Seekers
Modern travel offers innumerable options for outdoorsy people who are looking for adventure, excitement, freedom or off-the-beaten-track experiences. Adventure travel can’t be defined in one sentence. It comprises fast travel, slow travel, active travel, immersion travel, extreme budget travel… the list is virtually endless. Let’s talk about a few popular types of holidays for adventure seekers.
Cycling Holidays
Cycling holidays are only for the active traveller. They require at least basic preparation and fitness and can at times be really challenging. You will have to cope with bad weather, punctures and sometimes horrible roads. However, the big advantage of this kind of slow travel is that you are your own boss, so to speak. You move through landscapes at your own pace, which allows you to take everything in better and experience every single aspect of a country or region. You will feel, smell, hear and see it in a way that would otherwise be impossible.
Carry-on Only Backpacking Trip
Travelling with only a carry-on bag is the way to go for extreme budget adventurers. Carry-on weight is usually around 10 kg, which really isn’t that much. It requires that you only take the uttermost necessary things with you. This certainly can be a challenge, but if you are up for it, it will be extremely worth it. You won’t have to worry about what to wear – you won’t have many choices – or about losing something. It is the perfect example of how to exchange materialism for freedom.
Long-Distance Hiking
This type of adventure travel lets you experience your surroundings at the slowest pace possible: powered by your own legs. There are long-distance hikes that can be completed in less than a week, but others may take several months, if not years. There is no better way to experience and get to know a certain place than to walk through it and interact with the locals. It is, however, a challenging way of travelling, as hikers need to carry all their belongings on their backs.
Road Trip Living Out of a Van
This is a very popular way of travelling in the classic road trip countries – think the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Those places are made for road trips. Buying a van and transforming it into a small movable house can be a challenge, but it is definitely rewarding too. Most rental vans are already equipped with a bed and cooking materials. This type of travel gives you tremendous freedom; you can go wherever you want, stop whenever you want, cook your own food and sleep in your van. It saves you lots of money in the end as well. Make sure you get a mechanical warranty. If you have the budget, there are also sorts of vans that offer fuel efficiency, such as this SWB Van from Ford. Modifying your own van is the ultimate way to do this trip. Alternatively, classic vans like the one pictured below hold huge appeal for lots of people (including me).
Extreme Sports
Participating in extreme sports is not in fact a way of travelling; it is rather a name for activities in which adventure-minded people may take part. For these people those types of sports are the sole purpose of travelling in the first place, so it is allowed to include them here. From white water rafting and zip-lining to downhill mountain biking, bungee jumping and paragliding, extreme sports can mean many things.
