How to Book an Adventure Vacation
Pick your adventure travel destination., A particular sight--landscape, cultural or animal--you have always wanted to see., Set a budget., Shop around for the best adventure travel guide services., Evaluate your potential guide's skill and safety...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Pick your adventure travel destination.
If you're awash in too many possible destinations, narrow your search with some of the following criteria:
Your preferred primary activity.
You wouldn't go to the Sahara desert to go canoeing, and if riding a camel is on your bucket list, you're certainly not going to the Arctic.
A place you've always wanted to visit, but want to see from a less-touristy perspective. -
Step 2: A particular sight--landscape
Places where you speak at least a bit of the local language.
Safety.
Some governments list travel alerts and warnings for disease outbreaks, politic problems and local unrest.
In the United States, you can access the U.S.
State Department's alerts and warnings lists at travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_1766.html or travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html respectively. , For many people, adventure travel also means thrifty living.
Roughing it is part of the experience.
But if you're going to have any money to spend on luxuries, calculate it now. , A few good places to look for leads include:
Online forums dedicated to the adventure sport you want to try (if any), forums dedicated to the country you want to visit, or general adventure travel forums.
Travel guidebooks.
Major adventure- or travel-oriented magazines, newspapers and websites.
You can even find adventure travel information in the Lifestyle section of magazines and websites from other fields, like Forbes.com. , Does this service conduct trips to this locale, or with this kind of activity, very frequently? Have any injuries or fatalities ever happened? If so, how were they dealt with? Don't be shy about Googling your potential guide's name to search for news articles, searching for guide service reviews online or asking for contact information for former clients so that you can get an honest read on the experience. , Some items that might or might not be included are:
Travel costs, Lodging and meals, Travel and trip cancellation insurance, Special gear needed, Tips or small gifts of appreciation for the guides. , Make sure to inquire about cancellation or rescheduling policies before you sign on the dotted line. , The guide service should also be able to give you general advice about visa, passport and immunization requirements for traveling in that country. , For example, in some cultures it's rude to sit with the bottoms of your feet pointing toward another person.
One region's friendly salutation might be considered an obscene gesture in another country. , Some credit card companies promise to cover your car insurance if you use the card to pay for the rental, but this offer is not valid with all credit cards or in all countries.
Consider purchasing travel insurance specifically intended for use during adventure travel.
Typical travel insurance policies might not cover you if you get injured while performing a hazardous activity, like rock climbing. , -
Step 3: cultural or animal--you have always wanted to see.
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Step 4: Set a budget.
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Step 5: Shop around for the best adventure travel guide services.
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Step 6: Evaluate your potential guide's skill and safety level.
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Step 7: Secure detailed information about what
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Step 8: exactly
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Step 9: is included in your package.
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Step 10: Contract the guide service.
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Step 11: Request a packing list
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Step 12: so you can be sure to bring all necessary gear and clothing.
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Step 13: Ask the guides about any cultural practices you should observe while in the area.
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Step 14: Call your insurance companies to find out whether your personal auto insurance and health insurance plans will cover you while traveling abroad.
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Step 15: Document your one-of-a-kind trip with photographs
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Step 16: videos or journaling.
Detailed Guide
If you're awash in too many possible destinations, narrow your search with some of the following criteria:
Your preferred primary activity.
You wouldn't go to the Sahara desert to go canoeing, and if riding a camel is on your bucket list, you're certainly not going to the Arctic.
A place you've always wanted to visit, but want to see from a less-touristy perspective.
Places where you speak at least a bit of the local language.
Safety.
Some governments list travel alerts and warnings for disease outbreaks, politic problems and local unrest.
In the United States, you can access the U.S.
State Department's alerts and warnings lists at travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_1766.html or travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html respectively. , For many people, adventure travel also means thrifty living.
Roughing it is part of the experience.
But if you're going to have any money to spend on luxuries, calculate it now. , A few good places to look for leads include:
Online forums dedicated to the adventure sport you want to try (if any), forums dedicated to the country you want to visit, or general adventure travel forums.
Travel guidebooks.
Major adventure- or travel-oriented magazines, newspapers and websites.
You can even find adventure travel information in the Lifestyle section of magazines and websites from other fields, like Forbes.com. , Does this service conduct trips to this locale, or with this kind of activity, very frequently? Have any injuries or fatalities ever happened? If so, how were they dealt with? Don't be shy about Googling your potential guide's name to search for news articles, searching for guide service reviews online or asking for contact information for former clients so that you can get an honest read on the experience. , Some items that might or might not be included are:
Travel costs, Lodging and meals, Travel and trip cancellation insurance, Special gear needed, Tips or small gifts of appreciation for the guides. , Make sure to inquire about cancellation or rescheduling policies before you sign on the dotted line. , The guide service should also be able to give you general advice about visa, passport and immunization requirements for traveling in that country. , For example, in some cultures it's rude to sit with the bottoms of your feet pointing toward another person.
One region's friendly salutation might be considered an obscene gesture in another country. , Some credit card companies promise to cover your car insurance if you use the card to pay for the rental, but this offer is not valid with all credit cards or in all countries.
Consider purchasing travel insurance specifically intended for use during adventure travel.
Typical travel insurance policies might not cover you if you get injured while performing a hazardous activity, like rock climbing. ,
About the Author
Debra Wells
Brings years of experience writing about DIY projects and related subjects.
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