A view from the back seat of a jeep, looking over the front dash and hood at two men walking in front of the vehicle. Both wear white hats, with the closer wearing a matching white jacket and light khaki pants, and the further wearing a dark tan jacket and white pants. They are looking at tracks in the dirt road in front of the jeep, with the furthest one pointing at the ground. In the background, the light brown grass and brush on either side of the dirt road gives way to a thick line of trees and underbrush in vivid colors of green and orange, with a cloudless light blue sky overhead deepening to a dark blue at the top of the photo.
Adventurous

Ten Ideas to Jumpstart Your Adventure Travel Planning

Beth stands in front of a safari jeep with the Mohlabetsi Lodge logo emblazoned on the door.  Beth is wearing a dark green hat, a long-sleeve light brown cardigan, a light khaki long-sleeve shirt whose sleeves extend to cover her wrists and the back of her hands, a pair of light brown pants that match the color of her cardigan, and a pair of dark brown boots.  Her accessories include large glasses, a chain pendant extending to a gemstone on her chest, and numerous rings on her fingers.  Beth stands looking to the left, with one hand on her hip and the other by her side.  Scrub brush is visible in front and behind Beth, surrounding the brown dirt on which she stands, with a line of trees visible in the background below a blue sky above.  The text "Ten Ideas to Jumpstart Your Adventure Travel" appears above the photo.

Are you excited to dip your toes in the adventurous waters? Adventure travel can feel intimidating at first if you mainly presume social media and see the more extreme side of this travel type. But don’t let that stop you. Whether you’re a thrill seeker or someone who is looking to experience something totally new, adventure travel is for absolutely everyone. 

Adventure travel will push you outside of your comfort zone and allow you to challenge yourself while experiencing new places and cultures and regions of the world. Read all about it in my Beginner’s Guide to Adventure Travel.

Here are ten ideas to help jumpstart your adventure travel planning:


Road Trip Across America

The United States offers a wide variety of natural beauty combined with ample highways that can take you on adventures all across the world’s third largest country. From mountains to beaches and Tex-Mex to the Chicago-style hot dog, you’ll have many trips worth of adventures to plan with each turn keeping you on your toes.


Go on an African Safari

This is a big ticket adventure item but also such a once in a lifetime experience. What an opportunity to see some of the world’s most beautiful animals in their natural habitats. No two safaris are the same, either, so you never know exactly what you’ll be able to see on your safari adventure, but I promise it will be worth your while. If you head to South Africa, you can see the Big Five.


Go Dogsledding

Whether it’s Iceland, Greenland, Canada, or Alaska, dogsledding is a thrilling opportunity to blend an authentic Arctic experience with absolutely stunning visuals. Even in heavy snowfall, the beauty of the dogsledding experience makes the cold more than worth it. Plus, it’s a lot faster than a walking tour.


Explore the Galapagos

If nature adventure travel is your thing, and you absolutely love animals, there may be no better place on Earth for close encounters with wildlife than the Galapagos Islands. Only five weeks exploring the Galapagos inspired Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. Just think what it might inspire in you.


Take the Family to Isengard

Enter the Lord of the Rings as you explore the North and South islands of New Zealand. From the rolling green hills of the Shire to the crags of Mount Doom to the dense forest of Rivendell, you will be surrounded with adventures and more than enough beauty. Give yourself a couple weeks and you can hit quite a few filming locations and so much more. There is a ferry that connects the two islands so you can cross the Cook Strait, and it takes about 3.5 hours. Oh, and you can visit the jeweler who made The One Ring.


See Temples in Bali

Indonesia is a beautiful country full of rich culture and delicious food. The island of Bali is one of more than 17,000 islands in the Indonesian archipelago. It is a tropical island with repeated volcanic eruptions throughout history that is located very close to the equator. What does this mean? Really high biodiversity and picture-perfect landscapes. Bali is known as the island of a thousand temples, but it actually has somewhere around 20,000. But who’s counting?


Hike to Machu Picchu

There are levels to this adventure. If you are a beginner hiker, you can train from Cusco or Urubamba to Aguas Calientes and then take a 90 minute hike to Machu Picchu. The Classic Inca Trail route is a 3 to 5 day hike, depending on skill and fitness level, and on average, it takes 4 days and 3 nights to reach Machu Picchu. There are also options in-between these two I’ve mentioned. Choose the best option for you.


Visit UNESCO Sites in Italy

We all know Italy is home to some really delicious food, but did you know this country also houses the largest number of UNESCO world heritage sites in the world. Yup, 58 as of 2022. From the archaeological area of Pompei to the Amalfi Coast, it would take you years of adventuring to experience it all. World heritage sites carry cultural, historical, or scientific significance and are thought to have substantial value to humanity. Not a bad adventure travel opportunity. 


Cruise the Caribbean

If cruise ships seem overwhelming, start with a relaxing cruise to the beaches of the Caribbean. Cruises are generally all-inclusive and afford you the opportunity to adventure travel with a little less stress and pressure. Pick an itinerary that interests you and then get to explore a few new countries. All the while, you have unlimited food and housekeeping tending to your cabin. A pretty cozy adventure if you ask me. 


Visit All the Disney Parks in the World

Do you love theme parks? You know I do. Make it a bucket list adventure to visit all of the Disney parks in the world. As of 2022, the parks available to visit include: Disneyland and California Adventure in California, Walt Disney World in Orlando (which includes Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT), Hong Kong Disneyland, Shanghai Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disneyland, and the DisneySea in Japan. Every park offers you something special and unique and no two parks are the same.


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