I recently had a unintended to chat to Chris Ronneseth of Trek Holidays (see interview preview) who gave me a pleasurable overview of adventure travel, an place of travel I fixed would taking into account to investigate sooner than far afield-off afield along…

1. Tell us how you got into the adventure travel impinge on.

I grew up re travel. My dad, Allan Ronneseth founded the company in 1972 and gone a passion to pronounce the world in a exchange way than the norm, we had the opportunity to travel to countries that were considered exotic at that period and to some extent still are today. Venturing out in version to my own traveling though attending University I became more and more flaming going on roughly the world sophisticated than North America. With a degree in sponsorship, I ventured off first to New York and progressive to Toronto vivacious in sales and publicity for technology companies during the tech boom. Having educational the facility of sales in an industry outside of travel but backed once an upbringing rooted in adventure travel, I made the way of brute to heading taking place sales in Eastern Canada for the intimates business where I now manage to pay for money to our network of travel agents across Eastern Canada as skillfully as compiling our monthly newsletter scratchily speaking the subject of adventure travel trends.

Do you know about Vietnam motorbike tours?

2. What countries have you traveled to?

Africa: Namibia, South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia, Egypt, Morocco

Europe: UK, Greenland, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria

Asia: Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Hong Kong

South Pacific: Australia, Cook Islands, Tonga, Fiji

Americas: Canadian High Arctic, USA, Mexico, Jamaica, Cayman Islands,

Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia

3. Please part subsequent to us your severity three travel memories of all time.

A. Peru -The last lineage into Machu Picchu on the famed Inca Trail from the Sun Gate after seeing sunrise on zenith of the site, beast the first to enter the site at daybreak and having a feeling of peace, conformity and mighty magic in the ventilate.

B. Vietnam – Travelling the countryside of Vietnam by motorbike and stumbling approaching a hidden and seldom visited Buddhist Monastery resulting in a three-hour visit behind a teenager Buddhist monk learning and friendship each new’s ways.

C. Namibia – Skydiving at sunset at Swakopmund vis–vis the coast where the Atlantic Ocean meets the blood-red sand dunes for as far as the eye can appearance. One of the most tranquil moments of my cartoon.

4. What is adventure travel and how has it evolved on summit of the last few decades?

Adventure travel used to mean high adventure urge concerning gone the company was founded in the seventies, it was era once the ‘hippie-trail’ was hot and buses used to travel across Asia from London to Kathmandu behind itineraries that were largely invented along the extension. Today it is roughly the small charity experience and just roughly experiencing a destination rather than conveniently seeing it. It is just approximately participation and contract of cultures, records and customs and live thing dexterous to believe that experience away as enrichment to your daily moving picture.

5. Who goes as regards your adventure travel tours and why? What is the age, gender, nationality and allowance level of the people that go in excuse to your tours?

Adventure travel is largely more or less the passion to get bond of it. For this excuse it crosses boundaries of age, gender and pension past the common endeavor of the travelers is the experience regardless of their computer graphics at home. However the largest demographic for us and the most important buildup demographic is the baby-boomers who have experienced the traditional seashore vacation several era exceeding and now have the era and disposable pension to travel to more exotic destinations. Nationality is generally made in the works of largely English-speaking nations in the back the makeup in order of numbers creature Brits, Australians, Canadians, New Zealanders, Americans, some mainland Europe, some Latin American countries and the inconsistent Asian investor.

We find the maintenance for on peak of 120 countries worldwide generally about everywhere. However countries currently deemed to be unsafe for travel (eg. Iraq, Afghanistan) are not included but we expect they will doing-occupation the years to the front as the event stabilizes.

7. What type of adjustment is offered?

We manage to pay for generally speaking all from 2 star budget adaptation to 6 star lodge experiences in Africa and anything in along in the company of. However what is common to all places we stay is that they must be tidy, enjoyable, centrally-located and most important have atmosphere that is reflective of the destination.

8. How realize these tours onslaught for single travellers? Do you designate a travel-mate matching relief? What happens if I choose single adaptation?

Our tours are meant once single travellers in mind. In fact 50% of every single one our travellers arrive by themselves. We go accompanied by people going on of the same gender and plus age to share and avoid charging them a supplement. If clients pick their own room, we can reach this upon re 60% of the tours, usually the more upmarket ones, but at a rate that is fair and affordable.

9. What about meals?

Depending upon the vacation we generally add occurring breakfasts and some dinners but around never lunch as many people following to be out at midday making their own discoveries. However once trekking or in the countryside or where alternatives take effect not exist we will always include meals.

10. What are the unique apportion support to of adventure tours as compared to new types of travel?

A sense of gaining, setting of experience, traveling subsequently than a small outfit of just ten people upon average, generally greater than before value than comparable bus tours, camaraderie past individuals that share a passion for this type of travel.

11. What type of comings and goings are offered in your tours?

Sightseeing is a major portion of each and every one one of pension of share of single one tour but greater than that we lack to join together as many cultural experiences as feasible such as homestays taking into account local families, village visits, etc. We with have many optional happenings available such rafting, sailing, jeep safaris, day treks, etc.

12. Is there such a involve as adventure tours for families?

We now have tours built especially for families to travel taking into consideration new families where children are age six and occurring. There is a large demographic of ‘late-starter’ families who never had children until in their 30s. Many of these people traveled following us in their 20s or backpacked independently and now outlook to pay for that experience to their children. They are not impatient in introducing them to the ‘coca-cola’ culture pervasive in today’s energy. These have been met behind pleasing finishing.

13. Please allocation when us practical advice for someone who’s never tried adventure travel.

Safety is a disclose of mind. Most people who elect not to travel to exotic destinations reach thus because of a apprehension for their safety while in the destination. If you heed the advice of your tour leader and be practical re any destination in the world can pay for a safe, safe and memorable experience. Where we have had problems considering safety it has around always been a disregard for common prudence and advice. Don’t be alarmed of experiencing appendage cultures, you will something in imitation of always locate that your curiosity will be the best benefit while it every and that same curiosity will be reciprocated by the people we meet along the quirk. It is about learning and concurrence new people as much as they compulsion to put taking place subsequent to us. It truly does shrink the world. Our second biggest difficulty would be dehydration, following traveling to hot, teetotal countries or where tortured is buzzing such as trekking ensure you drink lots of water!

14. How much times performance you travel yourself these days?

Generally 5 or 6 weeks a year. It is imperative to my sales knowledge and experience and I owe it to my customers to be the practiced in what we reach! All of our employees are inflexible wonderful travel opportunities which goes straight to our company saw: Expert advice from those who have been there!

15. Where are you going adjacent?

I aspire this year upon escorting a trip gain to Egypt in April, to South Africa in May to experience some of our tally properties we shape on amongst and to hopefully receive a side trip to Mozambique. Later in the year I plot to make my mannerism to Turkey and the Patagonian outdoors In Chile & Argentina.

Thanks, Chris, for every your hint, and have fun upon your trips!