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Adventure travel is a type oftourism, involvingexploration ortravel with a certain degree of risk (real or perceived), and which may require special skills and physical exertion. In the United States, adventure tourism has seen growth in late 20th and early 21st century as tourists seek out-of-the-ordinary or "roads less traveled" vacations, but lack of a clearoperational definition has hampered measurement of market size and growth. According to the U.S.-based Adventure Travel Trade Association, adventure travel may be any tourist activity that includes physical activity, acultural exchange, and connection with outdoor activities andnature.[1]
Adventure tourists may have the motivation to achievemental states characterized asrush orflow,[2] resulting from stepping outside theircomfort zone. This may be from experiencingculture shock or by performing acts requiring significant effort and involve some degree of risk, real or perceived, or physical danger. This may include activities such asmountaineering,trekking,bungee jumping,mountain biking,cycling,canoeing,scuba diving,rafting,kayaking,zip-lining,paragliding,hiking,exploring,Geocaching,canyoneering,river trekking,sandboarding,caving androck climbing.[3] Some obscure forms of adventure travel includedisaster andghetto tourism.[4] Other rising forms of adventure travel includesocial andjungle tourism.
Access to inexpensive consumer technology, with respect toGlobal Positioning Systems,flashpacking,social networking andphotography, have increased the worldwide interest in adventure travel. The interest in independent adventure travel has also increased as more specialist travel websites emerge offering previously niche locations and sports.
Adventure sports tourism has traditionally been dominated by men. Although women's participation has grown, the gender gap is still pronounced in terms of quantitative engagement in these forms of sport tourism. Yet, in competitive adventure sport tourism, the success rate of females is currently higher than that of males[5]
Since ancient times, humans have traveled in search forfood andskills of survival, but have also engaged in adventurous travel, in explorations ofsea lanes, a destination, or even a new country.
Adventurer travelers began to push to the limits, with the mountaineering ofMatterhorn in 1865 and theriver rafting on theColorado River in 1869. Shortly after, two key institutions were formed, including theNational Geographic Society and theExplorers Club, which continue to support adventure travel.
At the end of World War II, modern adventure began to take off, with the1950 French Annapurna expedition and the1953 British Mount Everest expedition. Today, it remains a niche of travel and a fast-changing sector with new variants of activities for a travel experience.
There is a trend for developing tourism specifically for the disabled. Adventure travel for the disabled has become a US$13 billion a year industry inNorth America.[6] Some adventure travel destinations offer diverse programs and job opportunities developed specifically for thedisabled.[7]
Extreme tourism involves travel to dangerous (extreme) locations or participation in dangerous events or activities. This form of tourism can overlap withextreme sport.
Travelling to locations far away from human settlements and/or infrastructure. Could be close to big city (few hours drive) in terms of straight line distance, but reaching the location requires a long period of time and/or a large amount of effort. Self sufficiency required, as it's difficult to get timely help or rescue in an emergency.[8]
Jungle tourism is a subcategory of adventure travel defined by active multifaceted physical means of travel in the jungle regions of the earth. According to the Glossary of Tourism Terms, jungle tours have become a major component of green tourism in tropical destinations and are a relatively recent phenomenon of Western international tourism.
Overland travel or overlanding refers to an overland journey – perhaps originating with Marco Polo's first overland expedition in the 13th century from Venice to the Mongolian court ofKublai Khan. Today overlanding is a form of extended adventure holiday, embarking on a long journey, often in a group. Overland companies provide a converted truck or a bus plus a tour leader, and the group travels together overland for a period of weeks or months.
Since the 1960s overlanding has been a popular means of travel between destinations acrossAfrica,Europe,Asia (particularlyIndia), the Americas and Australia. The "Hippie trail" of the 60s and 70s saw thousands of young westerners travelling through the Middle East to India and Nepal. Many of the older traditional routes are still active, along with newer routes like Iceland to South Africa overland and Central Asian post soviet states.
Scuba diving is a sport in which participants explore underwater places while inhaling compressed air from tanks. Scuba diving is most popular in locations with tropical coral reefs, but it may be found in almost any location with water.
Popular destinations:
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