Vacations For the Adventurous

When you think about vacation, what comes to mind? Paris? Disneyworld? Maybe even a cruise?

Or do you think about white-water rafting in the foothills of the Himalayas, hiking through the penguin breeding grounds of Antarctica, taking a trip into outer space with Russian astronauts, or diving for sunken gold in the West Indies?

Travelling and vacationing have gotten increasingly exciting and exotic during the 20th century; this is really a throwback to the European adventurers of a hundred or more years ago. Remember the stories about British aristocrats who travelled to the wilds of Africa, or the wildly exciting (at the time) Around the World in Eighty Days, by Jules Verne? It seems that people of all eras crave adventure, excitement, even danger, and if they don't get it in their ordinary lives, they seek it in other ways.

Fortunately for us, there are a number of travel agencies who design adventures of just this type.

Travel Fantasies

Many people have a dream vacation. For some, it's to sail around the world. For others, it's less time-consuming: climbing Mount Everest, walking the length of the Great Wall of China, or exploring deep into the Amazonian jungle to meet unspoiled aboriginal tribes.

First, realize this: your dream vacation doesn't have to be a dream. With proper planning and the right information, you can take the vacation you've always wanted to have.

Second, get real about your travel fantasy. Start planning now. Find out everything you can about how to do it, and locate and contact a travel agency you think might be able to help you plan it.

Below are some suggestions that can help.

Adventure Vacations

In the 1990s, it was ecotourism. Today, adventure vacations are the hottest new thing, allowing you to participate in the adventure of your dreams. Have you always wanted to try HALO skydiving? With Incredible Adventures, you can dive from 30,000 feet with an experienced trainer. Or you can fly a real Russian MiG. Or you can train for a variety of special ops – not real combat, but the same realistic combat simulations the US military goes through.

For something a little wilder – bear hunting in Canada and Alaska, hot-air ballooning through wild parts of the Earth, sled-dog racing, or hiking through the Himalayas – you can check out Planet Charter. Their website's not very brows able, so you really need to know what you're looking for; but they offer some unique vacations among the many mundane ones.

Sexual Adventure Vacations

Maybe this isn't the kind of physical vacation you were hoping for. Maybe you want to try sex on the beach with your significant other, but without the danger and embarrassment of getting arrested. Or maybe you want to check out some of the more sexually permissive parts of the world.

This is not the sort of vacation you walk into your average vacation planner's office to request. Nor is it the sort of vacation that's easy to research yourself. For your protection, and for access to the best places and experiences, you should hire a professional to help you plan this.

That said, there are three basic types of sexual adventures you can try out: those designed for couples, those designed for single people, and those designed for singles that provide you with an escort. Of the three, beware mostly of the last; tricky language in contracts that differs from the language used in the ad may cheat you of your desired experience.

Some other things to be wary of: underage sex is illegal almost everywhere, and you should always assume "underage" to mean 18 and under. Few experiences that promise underage sex are legitimate and safe, and none that I know of are legal – this includes Thailand. You should also consistently practice safe sex. Legal sex workers are supposed to be free of disease, but if she (or he) agrees to skip the condom with you, you're not the only one.

If you're an adventurous person, you'll find the most pleasure in traveling alone. This leaves you free to sample anything you like, wherever you go.

For some serious information on sexual vacationing from simple nudity to the spicier adventures, try Traveller’s Digest; their Erotic Vacations section has some good links and some honest advice.

Dangerous Fun

Maybe even the extreme vacations above aren't enough for your adrenaline-junky dreams. Are you one of those with the desire and the means to try an outer-space vacation, like those offered by Space Adventures? The US government is taking space tourism so seriously they recently passed regulations controlling safety and restricting passengers on proposed space flights. In a few years, it may be realistically within the means of an ordinary person.

Extreme thrills come from more earthly places, too. You'll find danger and challenge in white-water rafting expeditions in the Appalachians or Himalayas. You can swim with sharks through a number of adventure travel companies. Or you can -explore the depths of the ocean in a three person submarine diving to 800 feet in the Cayman Islands. Name your thrill; you'll find it.

Eco-vacationing

Ecotourism is travelling to unspoiled parts of the world to enjoy the unique natural environment. Because the main thing that spoils these parts of the world is tourism, you'll find good eco-vacations to be strictly controlled by the host country, and thus they tend to be a little more expensive than other vacations.

If you're interested in travelling to National Geographic corners of the world, like the uninhabited Galapagos or the lightly-inhabited Seychelles, you can find dozens of companies ready to arrange your vacation for you. You'll go in small groups, so no worries about crowds.

Watching for Scams and Avoidable Hazards

Unfortunately, because adventure travel of all sorts sometimes requires you to use smaller, foreign, or little-known resorts, travel agents, and guides, you're likely to occasionally find scams, some of which can put you in physical danger. To avoid being the victim of this, do these things: