Adventure travel is becoming more popular all the time. It can be very expensive, though, and even a bit too dangerous for some of us. It doesn’t have to either, though. Here are a few ideas for small adventures you can afford. They are followed by a definition of adventure that will help you add your own to the list. Try treasure hunting. Rent or buy a metal detector and spend a relaxing but interesting weekend finding coins, jewelry and who-knows-what in the sand at the beach. No beach nearby? Look up the historical records for your town, to see where old picnic grounds were. Treasure hunters regularly find old coins at places like these. Take climbing lessons. Whether this is on Mount Ranier in Washington, or Mount Washington in New Hampshire, it’s sure to be an adventure. At least it will be more exciting than my trip up a local sledding hill with my ice-axe and crampons. Travel form monastery to monastery. Make it a spiritual adventure or just relax. Most monasteries take in visitors, and usually have reasonably priced accommodations. The Buddhist ones in particular are most often in beautiful places. Do a hot springs tour. This is for those who live in the west. Get a guide to hot springs or copy directions off the internet. Bring swimming suits (optional at some, for the more adventurous), towels and a cooler full of refreshments. Want more adventure? Seek out the ones that you have to hike into the wilderness to find. The Cheapest Adventure Travel Find and summit the highest peak in your state. This might be less-than-adventurous in some states, but it will at least be an excuse to get outside and get some good exercise. Be sure to bring your camera for the summit shot. You might try the highest point in the next state over for your next adventure trip. Investigate and find the nearest hidden swimming holes. The best ones are ones that require a hike to get to. Watch for people heading down a trail with swimsuits and a cooler. Nobody hikes in swimsuit and drags a cooler into the woods, unless there is water involved. Play Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. Locate the nearest river that is large enough and has some public forest. Then build a raft from dead trees and float downstream for a day. We usually started by hiking upstream for an hour or more, so we could float back to the car. A vagabond trip. Pack enough clothing and snacks for several days and just start driving, with no destination in mind. Who knows where you’ll end up, and what you’ll discover. Pack a tent or camp in your car to keep it really affordable. That last one is a classic adventure trip in my book. Adventure is any activity you engage in that is new to you and doesn’t have a predictable outcome. It doesn’t need to be dangerous to be interesting and fun, and could even [...]
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Adventure Travel Tour Guiding Among Best Summer Jobs
Adventure travel companies are similar to land tour companies. Guides give guests the time of their lives while they are in Alaska for vacation. Seasonal work with adventure companies is available for people wanting to see the country from a slightly different angle. College students and other adventure seekers can come to Alaska and work their way across the country. Adventure travel is popular for those people that are looking for a more active type of vacation. Guests no longer want to sit on the sidelines and just observe the happenings. They want to get involved. This is where adventure touring comes into play. Adventure tours allow guests to view the unspoiled nature of Alaska. They can take a wildlife excursion to view Alaskan bears, caribou, moose, and Dall sheep. Seeing the land from a zipline is breathtaking and fun for the younger visitors to Alaska. Some adventure travel is associated with wilderness lodges. Guides lead guests on bicycle tours, hiking trips, and river rafting tours. A guide needs to be able to troubleshoot problems with equipment and medical situations during the adventure. You may be called on to take fishermen out for a day on the lake or guide a hunting party. Adventure travel companies lead all sorts of tours. Eco-friendly tours are conducted to national parks and preserves in Alaska. These tours allow guests to see the country but are more for learning about nature and its components. Tours are conducted on land and along bodies of water. Adventure travel jobs are varied. Workers can choose from several guide positions: jeep guides, nature guides, kayak guides, white water rafting guides, bus escort, bus driver, canoe guides, bicycle leader, backpacking guide, fishing guides, rock climbing, walking guides, and wildlife jobs. Depending on where you work in Alaska, you could be a skiing guide. Travel companies also need to fill office positions within the company. Tours have to be organized and the logistics of travel worked out before guests arrive for their adventure. People in these support positions work hard to see that the jobs of the others are a bit less hectic. These positions include bookkeepers, administrative assistants, and booking agents. Adventure companies associated with lodges need administrative help at the sites. These positions give seasonal workers a chance to see Alaska as well. Room and board are provided by the adventure travel company for their workers. Toru guides travel with the guests from place to place. Guides associated with adventure lodges are housed in staff quarters and provided with gourmet meals like those enjoyed by the guests. Workers can also use the facilities available to guests and enjoy adventures as a perk of their employment. When applying for job openings with an adventure travel company, play to your strengths if you can. Any experience that you have in a particular area, say fishing, white water rafting, and mountain biking, will help to acquire a guide job with an adventure company. This is not a requirement but it helps. [...]