“‘Adventure travel’ is a term I’m not entirely fond of, but I suppose we need it to distinguish modern modes of travel from those that entail some risk and hardship. By that definition, the act of getting from Point A to Point B on land or sea was an adventure for all travelers before the inventions of the steamship, the automobile, and the passenger plane, before there was a multibillion dollar tourist industry to make even remote corners of the world accessible and comfortable, before the United States was spanned by interstate highways with convenient rest stops, motorist call-boxes, and franchise eateries offering high-fat ‘Happy Meals.’”
–Philip Caputo, In the Shadows of the Morning (2002)
October 19th, 2009 at 11:18 am
Interesting take on adventure travel. Getting from Point A to Point B by land, air, or sea is an adventure, especially when you get stuck in rush hour traffic! Thanks to bunging jumping, zip lines, white water rafting, safari trips, hot air balloon rides, and other “thrilling” activities , adventure travel has taken on a whole new meaning.
October 20th, 2009 at 1:03 am
And the whole quote isn’t yours Rolf…but I’m curious where it comes from…. Your thoughts on the whole topic???
October 24th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
My traveling in an RV in North America is not Adventure Travel. However, that is the reading genre that I read most regularly. That genre gives me the opportunity to travel the world vicariously with the low budget traveler, hanging out with locals, learning the language, eating the street vendor foods, sleeping with bed bugs, facing a multitude of unidentifiable diseases, learning about the local culture. THAT is adventure travel.