I love adventure travel, but my experience is that the more adventurous the destination, the more planning it requires. When I was young and a newbie, I dared to travel without planning to destinations where I had to climb sheer mountain slopes, snorkel or scuba dive, or explore dense jungles. But today as an experienced traveler, I realize that if I plan well, I can enjoy the best adventure travel.
1. Increase Your Stamina
Exercise is fun and it prepares your body for adventures. Even I was not a big fan of exercising. But once while climbing the Timpanogos Glacier in Utah, my leg muscle ached and I decided to start a serious workout. I took the help of my fitness expert friend, Tom Miller, right after I returned.
As climbing is my main passion, I started with step-ups. Step-ups make you quick and enable you to have a higher vertical jump, but they’ll also increase your overall body strength. I benefited when I climbed the glaciers in Mongolia including the largest Potanin Glacier in the Altai Tavan Bogd National Park which I thoroughly enjoyed because of the strength I acquired.
Then I started practicing running (good for hiking), shoulder exercises (good for paddling), and underwater swimming (for snorkeling and scuba diving).
I also started healthy eating which helped increase my strength further. I totally cut down on junk food and started natural foods like raw salads, fruits, nuts, and proteins in lean meat, eggs, cheese, and milk.
I’m glad that my entire family follows a healthy eating and exercise routine and we thoroughly enjoy our family tours.
2. Learn Everything Possible about Your Destination
As another step towards preparing for adventure travel, I’ll advise all to collect as much information about your destination as possible, so you get an idea of what to carry and whom to approach for a fun tour.
Besides reading guidebooks, visit the destination’s official tourism site and join good travel forums like Lonely Planet Thorn Tree, BootsnAll Travel Community, and IgoUgo. Don’t forget to consult your friends and family who might have visited that destination. These are the best sources that will keep you informed.
When my wife Ernita and I planned a scuba diving trip in Malaysia, we could choose the best sites like Sipadan Island, Lankayan Island, and Redang Island could find the best resorts there and could approach the best tour providers, just because we were well informed about our destination thoroughly. Needless to say that it was a heavenly experience!
3. Check Weather Conditions
Although unexpected rains or snowfall are pleasant, checking the weather forecast of your destination is worth. When you know there are predictions about heavy rains or storms or snowfall, you can be prepared with appropriate gear to protect yourself.
4. Carry the Essentials
Adventure trips are of so many types like mountaineering, water sports, white water rafting, snorkeling and scuba diving, paragliding, and so on. Each of these demands a different set of essentials. Sometimes you get providers who arrange these activities for you. They provide you with all the gear and you hardly have to worry about anything. However, sometimes you have to arrange the trip on your own. In that case, you ought to collect information about the necessary items you should carry.
Some basic items you may need on any trip are sunscreen, sunglasses, a wide-brimmed hat, bug repellent, a first-aid kit, lamp, fire-starter, utility knife and area map.
5. Make Your Clothes and Shoes Travel-ready
I have a very painful experience with shoe bites! Break in your shoes, not only if they’re new but also if they’re old but you haven’t used them for weeks or months.
Take some precautions with clothes. Make sure the clothes you plan to carry for the travel are not too tight and wouldn’t tear at the seams. Neither should they be too loose so as to keep slipping.
Plan your adventure travel well and share your experiences about whether it was helpful or not. Bon voyage!
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