Adventure holidays: what are they?

5 min readJul 13, 2017

The article was originally published by tauritravel.com

Adventure holidays are, by holidays which „involves some physically challenging activity such as canoeing, rock climbing, etc”(1). The other definition states that it is „a leisure activity that takes place in an unusual, exotic or remote destination and tends to be associated with high levels of involvement and activity by the participants”(2). What is Tauri Travel’s definition of this notion? Well, for us, adventure holidays can relate to all, uncommon destination, extreme activities, enjoying journey alongside with the native inhabitants of the country and more. We realise that the word „adventure” may be understood differently by every traveller, so we try to present many aspects of this kind of tourism. Undeniably, adventure should be equal to something uncommon, special, memorable and, finally, a bit crazy but still safe.

4 dimensions of adventure holidays

Dimension 1: uncommon destinations

It is hard to provide an exact definition of an uncommon destination. A perception of such a place may differ depending on where were you born. A person from Peru rather does not seem Peru as so mysterious and distant place. Conversely, if you’re European, you won’t think about Spain as uncommon destinations too. For people from the UK, countries like Ecuador or Chile may fit into the definition of the exotic place. Nevertheless, within those destinations you can visit both, iconic and completely unknown places. Mitad del Mundo may fit into the first category as it’s a very popular location. In terms of the less-known attraction, Cuicocha crater can be given. When travelling with Tauri Travel, you will, of course visit exotic destinations, however, we will also take you to less known places within those countries.

Dimension 2: sport

If you are certain that your health condition allows you to do some extreme sports, then we highly recommend trying something new! I can ensure you that adrenaline rush stays in the memory for the long period of time. Within Ecuador, you can try extreme sports in Baños and Mindo. Of course, not all people are willing or able to try new activities. Holidays may be adventurous as well if you do, for example, trekking around the lake located in the volcano (Laguna Quilotoa). Or when you are riding the bike in the location surrounded by the numerous waterfalls (Baños). Remember that sport may be an adventure which also improves your health. And, on the other hand, bad activities may cause a lot of harm. So better do not try sport irrelevant for you just to prove something. Safety and health are always the most important things.

Dimension 3: the locals

People, who choose mass tourism, often knows only those locals who work in their hotel. Meeting native inhabitants may become an adventure too as you can learn something new about different culture including their habits, standard of life, the appearance of the cities, villages and the history. Even moving by a local public transport can become a kind of adventure. Either in Puerto Lopez, Ecuadorian Jungle or in Puno you can meet autochthon societies with uncommon for Europeans culture and, very often, with a long history. For instance, near Puerto Lopez lives Salango community which roots reach back 5000 years. Direct contact with another culture is very enriching: you can feel like a true explorer when visiting people who live in accordance with nature, without computers, phones and TV.

Dimension 4 — food

Adventure holidays and food? Well, food probably was not a first thing that you thought of after you heard the term „adventure holidays”. But, the exotic meal can really provide excitement and sometimes even be a little scary to try. For example, would you be ready to eat a guinea pig? Alternatively, if you are a vegetarian, what about bananas cooked in the oven with mozzarella cheese and sugar? Or a fried banana with spinach, cottage cheese and eggs?

Are adventure holidays for a niche only?

Adventure tours are usually described as dedicated to the niche only, as they present different offers compared to mass tourism offers. For instance, in the case of the first, the accommodation may be of lower standard and, instead of relaxing on the beach for the whole tour, adventure journeys may propose to go into the jungle to see wild animals. The question is, are those tours really for a niche only? To some extent, yes — the majority of people still choose all inclusive holidays in the at least 3 stars hotels. However, alternative tours become more and more popular every year. The trend is visible and not limited to adventure holidays only as ecotours or wildlife tourism start to enjoy increased attention too. This might be a good news for local societies which often benefit from alternative forms of tourism. Or not?

Adventure holidays & responsible travelling

Responsible travelling is a term related to sustainable tourism. It is concerned with bringing some benefits to the society as well to the environment of the given destination. Adventure holidays can be associated with travelling responsibly, however, just being on an adventure does not necessarily mean that a tourist keeps in mind main aspects of sustainable tourism. For instance, he/she can choose an exotic destination, try extreme sports or eat in local restaurants, but still leave rubbish in the forest or disturb wild animals and don’t care about water usage. In the opinion of our team, adventure holidays and responsible travelling are the perfect combination. If you want to learn more, we encourage you to read our guide on responsible travelling which focuses especially on nature and animal care -> Link.

Are adventure holidays really for me?

If you are reading this article, you are somehow interested in the adventure holidays so we believe that it might be for you. This text proved that adventure holiday is a broad term. Therefore, whether you like exotic food or wild animals, this kind of tourism is for you. Or maybe you were a fan of the mass tourism so far but now you fell that it is a time to change something? Then, we encourage you to think of what would like to try the most and then, check our offers. If you need an advice, contact a member of our team via e-mail or live chat.

We invite you to visit our web page www.tauritravel.com

Adventure holidays: what are they?

Written by Tauri Travel