Last night I made my debut as a travel correspondent on our local radio station, Radio Verulam. It was an enjoyable experience, and one I will look forward to repeating each month. At one point Danny Smith, the presenter of the Evening Show, asked me whether the tips I will give will be just for those travelling to exotic places or for everyone going on holiday, and this got me thinking. Just how different is adventure travel to the mainstream tourism that the majority of the population indulge in?
On the face of it, the two couldn’t be more different. At last weekend’s Adventure Travel Show in London, I spoke with three companies who are taking clients to Afghanistan, and one going to Iraq. I met another guy who takes people on wild river trips in some of the more remote parts of the world. By anyone’s measure these are adventure holidays. How can these trips bear any resemblance to a bucket and spade trip to a Spanish or Greek resort?
If I stop to ask myself why I travel and what I get out of it, I wonder if my reasons are familiar to others:
1. A sense of relaxation. While travelling through unknown areas and on an open itinerary might create its own stresses, for me these uncertainties are enjoyable and, in their own way, relaxing. The concern while standing by the side of a Cambodian road and wondering if a bus is going to turn up is a very different pressure to that of waiting for a client to respond to a proposal or chasing them for payment.
2. A feeling of adventure. That excitement of arriving somewhere new, of seeing something I’ve only read about previously, of hearing a different language and experiencing a new culture, is a major motivation to travel. But we all have differing levels to which we want to experience that feeling. For some, just arriving in a country and being there, even if within the safe confines of a resort, provides enough adventure to satisfy their curiosity.
3. A break from routine. Wherever we go and for whatever reasons, this is an almost universal reason to take a holiday or go travelling. Be it a mundane job or the routine of constantly replying to emails and phone calls, a trip away offers a temporary escape from the humdrum of everyday life.
4. Living out a part of our dreams. Again, whatever type of holiday we take, the chances are that we will have planned it and looked forward to it for several months. It will have existed as a happy mental picture of our future for long before we actually set off to reach our destination.
5. Creating stories to tell later. All of us have moments on our travels and vacations that we enjoy recounting to friends and family. Whether it is a scary border crossing in Africa or throwing the towels of the early-rising Germans into the pool when they aren’t looking, a holiday gives us the material to impress/entertain/bore to tears those who didn’t make the trip with us.
Our destinations may differ wildly and our modes of transport can be poles apart. But at the most basic level, maybe the similarities between the most adventurous and the most timid travellers are more striking than we first assume.
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Thanks, I found it kind of fun to think about this topic. To elaborate on your point 3 a bit for myself, I find the ongoing stimulation of travel exciting and when away from home, there is a temporary break from all the responsibility that goes along with home ownership, etc.
Thanks Carol. I agree, and can’t imagine many people who don’t miss those day to day responbilities you mention. Although nowadays with the ease of email access it is harder to actually escape any shocks at home that would otherwise have waited happily until our return.
Way cool – congrats on the media premier
And I would definitely agree with all of your reasons. Me too!
Travel is a state of mind and the destination sometimes does not matter.
Great point. I honestly think there’s a lot of ego that goes into travel and you’ve got to avoid coming across as superior when you talk of exotic travels.
In terms of the difference in group travel, I really think it’s just financial. Most folks would love to go on a $10,000 Tibet luxury hike, but can’t afford it and opt for the much less expensive options, through someone like Gate 1.
Great points. Look forward to continued insight!
Thanks Garrett. Exactly what I want to avoid (superiority pereceptions). Like you say, it’s easy to do and will try and focus on the common features of travel that apply regardless of holiday type. Yes, for some cost is a factor in booking group vs independent travel. For others its a straightforward preference (I would usually choose to travel alone ahead of the group tour regardless of cost).
Fascinating subject, and one I’m very interested in. Even within those two categories of travelers there are so many different ‘subtypes’, and we can easily get bogged down with categorizing the categories. The beautiful thing about traveling is that, no matter how big our budget or how ‘exotic; our destination, we all have that willingness, that drive, to step out of the familiar and into the foreign. I love how you’ve gotten down to the root of what motivates many of us, no matter what our style of travel. Thanks for the great post!
I agree – motivations are similar. I’ve enjoyed adventure trips as much as a trip to a more visited destination. Its all about the reasons you gave – we all need an escape sometimes….
Thanks JR and Explorer Dad for your valuable comments. Everyone does need their escape, and how they choose to do it should be their choice and should be respected by others.