All travel is adventure, but when the purpose of traveling is the adventure that awaits you at your destination, it becomes an adventure travel.
Maybe it’s your “wish list”. Maybe it’s boredom. Maybe you just need the adrenaline rush. Whatever the reason, adventure travel has expanded far beyond the confines of the tired old safari vacations of yesteryear. There is now a plethora of things to do on your vacation, none of which includes relaxing!
Let me give you some examples. Mountaineering, rafting, skydiving, bungee jumping, zip line tours, Machu Picchu trekking, hot air balloon rides, dog sledding and suborbital spaceflight just to name a few.
Yes, I said space travel! Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic is leading the way with suborbital flights already being tested. There are other players. SapceX and Bigelow Aerospace are two well-known companies working on commercial spaceflight, and there are others with projects in various stages of development.
So did this all start with the timeless African Safari, or do the roots run even deeper? Frankly, not much has been written on the subject. I will resist the temptation to say that it all began with Alexander the Great’s journey to Siwa, Egypt in 331 BC to consult the Oracle of Amun. That’s too easy!
Let’s focus on the term in its modern context. Many credit the early impulses for adventure travel to Grand Circle Travel, when in 1958 they offered travel services geared toward older Americans interested in discovering first-hand the local peoples and cultures. It wasn’t terribly adventurous on the surface, but it was a case of traveling for the adventure that awaited at your destination. Remember our definition!
Richard Bangs, Yahoo’s adventure guru, probably has the best understanding of the concept of adventure travel as defined here. I am in no way affiliated with him and have nothing to gain from giving him a plug, but I must admit that his adventure travel articles are top notch entertainment.
According to Richard Bangs’ New York Times article on the history of adventure travel, it all started with expeditionary traders, various accidental discoveries, Leif Ericson, Columbus’s discovery of North America, etc. Bangs’ position is that modern adventure travel began about 35 years ago. I’m not so sure I agree with that. There is so little research on the subject that it is difficult to make or defend any argument.
There is only one indisputable fact. Adventure travel is here, it’s growing, and it’s a multi-billion dollar business.
The baby boomer generation is reaching retirement age. They are healthier and more vigorous than the retirees of past generations. They seek a lifestyle that maintains that health and vigour. Adventure vacations fit that niche perfectly.
Countless Internet travel sites are catering to these boomers and capturing their share of this growing market. If you are interested in an adventure vacation, first take a trip through the virtual world. See what’s available, see what interests you, and pack your bags, parachute, or dog sled!