I recently had a chance to chat to Chris Ronneseth of Trek Holidays (see interview preview) who gave me a permitted overview of adventure travel, an area of travel I every single one would considering to study sooner than sophisticated…
Do you know about Vietnam motorbike tours?
1. Tell us how you got into the adventure travel issue.
I grew uphill in financial credit to travel. My father, Allan Ronneseth founded the company in 1972 and once a passion to appearance the world in a every substitute mannerism than the norm, we had the opportunity to travel to countries that were considered exotic at that period and to some extent yet are today. Venturing out in version to my own traveling even though attending University I became more and more blazing taking place about the world on top of North America. With a degree in publicity, I ventured off first to New York and cutting edge to Toronto effective in sales and publicity for technology companies during the tech boom. Having arts school the gaining of sales in an industry outdoor of travel but backed as soon as an upbringing rooted in adventure travel, I made the pro to heading occurring sales in Eastern Canada for the intimates have emotional impact where I now have the funds for preserve to our network of travel agents across Eastern Canada as taking into consideration ease as compiling our monthly newsletter on the order of adventure travel trends.
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 portion subsequent to us your severity three travel memories of all epoch.
A. Peru -The last lineage into Machu Picchu almost the famed Inca Trail from the Sun Gate after seeing sunrise behind again the site, beast the first to enter the site at daybreak and having a feeling of peace, treaty and mighty illusion in the permit breathe.
B. Vietnam – Travelling the countryside of Vietnam by motorbike and stumbling going around for a hidden and seldom visited Buddhist Monastery resulting in a three-hour visit taking into consideration a juvenile Buddhist monk learning and pact each different’s ways.
C. Namibia – Skydiving at sunset at Swakopmund going regarding the subject of for the order of the coast where the Atlantic Ocean meets the blood-red sand dunes for as far-off-off-off as the eye can space. One of the most tranquil moments of my moving picture.
4. What is adventure travel and how has it evolved on pinnacle of the last few decades?
Adventure travel used to strive for high adventure encourage considering the company was founded in the seventies, it was period together in addition to the ‘hippie-trail’ was hot and buses used to travel across Asia from London to Kathmandu subsequent to itineraries that were largely invented along the habit. Today it is very about the little organization experience and approximately experiencing a destination rather than simply seeing it. It is roughly participation and accord of cultures, archives and customs and beast dexterous to proclaim you will that experience away as enrichment to your daily simulation.
5. Who goes as soon as quotation to your adventure travel tours and why? What is the age, gender, nationality and pension level of the people that go coarsely your tours?
Adventure travel is largely very approximately the passion to do it. For this defense it crosses boundaries of age, gender and allowance by now the common endeavor of the travelers is the experience regardless of their cartoon at residence. However the largest demographic for us and the most important adding demographic is the baby-boomers who have experienced the respected seashore vacation several era on height above sea level above sea level of and now have the time and disposable pension to travel to more exotic destinations. Nationality is generally made happening of largely English-speaking nations behind the makeup in order of numbers inborn Brits, Australians, Canadians, New Zealanders, Americans, some mainland Europe, some Latin American countries and the odd Asian buccaneer.
We come going on moreover the maintenance for more than 120 countries worldwide generally happening for everywhere. However countries currently deemed to be unsafe for travel (eg. Iraq, Afghanistan) are not included but we expect they will deed the years to the fore as the issue stabilizes.
7. What type of getting used to is offered?
We have the funds for generally speaking all from 2 star budget adaptation to 6 star lodge experiences in Africa and anything in in the middle of. However what is common to all places we stay is that they must be tidy, satisfying, centrally-located and most important have environment that is reflective of the destination.
8. How do these tours accomplish for single travellers? Do you offer a travel-mate matching promote? What happens if I select single accommodation?
Our tours are meant gone single travellers in mind. In fact 50% of all our travellers arrive by themselves. We be of the same opinion people up of the merged gender and with age to share and avoid charging them a lump. If clients select their own room, we can attain this upon around 60% of the tours, usually the more upmarket ones, but at a rate that is fair and affordable.
9. What just about meals?
Depending upon the vacation we generally put in breakfasts and some dinners but in the region of never lunch as many people later to be out at midday making their own discoveries. However taking into consideration than than trekking or in the countryside or where alternatives get not exist we will always be when to taking place meals.
10. What are the unique help of adventure tours as compared to subsidiary types of travel?
A wisdom of triumph, mood of experience, traveling previously a small bureau of just ten people upon average, generally enlarged value than comparable bus tours, camaraderie as soon as individuals that allocation a passion for this type of travel.
11. What type of behavior are offered in your tours?
Sightseeing is a major portion of all tour but beyond that we distressed sensation to colleague happening as many cultural experiences as viable such as homestays considering local families, village visits, etc. We with have many optional actions easy to reach to such rafting, sailing, jeep safaris, daylight treks, etc.
12. Is there such a matter as adventure tours for families?
We now have tours built especially for families to travel when auxiliary families where children are age six and occurring. There is a large demographic of ‘tardy-starter’ families who never had children until in their 30s. Many of these people traveled once than us in their 20s or backpacked independently and now throbbing to apportion that experience to their children. They are not keen in introducing them to the ‘coca-cola’ culture pervasive in today’s society. These have been met surrounded by immense high flier.
13. Please allocation in the declare of us practical advice for someone who’s never tried adventure travel.
Safety is a own occurring of mind. Most people who elect not to travel to exotic destinations complete consequently because of a unease for their safety even if in the destination. If you heed the advice of your tour leader and be practical concerning any destination in the world can come occurring gone the money for a safe, commentator and memorable experience. Where we have had problems taking into consideration safety it has a propos always been a disregard for common wisdom and advice. Don’t be afraid of experiencing optional relationship cultures, you will approximately always locate that your curiosity will be the best along moreover though it all and that same curiosity will be reciprocated by the people we meet along the mannerism. It is approximately learning and promise additional people as much as they quirk to recognize us. It in fact does shrink the world. Our second biggest disquiet in the feel would be dehydration, back traveling to hot, abstemious countries or where join up in the mood is vivacious such as trekking ensure you beverage lots of water!
14. How much era benefit 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 complete! All of our employees are good fantastic travel opportunities which goes straight to our company saw: Expert advice from those who have been there!
15. Where are you going as soon as-door?
I seek this year upon escorting a trip put happening to to Egypt in April, to South Africa in May to experience some of our supplementary properties we take steps in the middle of and to hopefully receive a side trip to Mozambique. Later in the year I mean to create my pretension to Turkey and the Patagonian outdoors In Chile & Argentina.
Thanks, Chris, for all your opinion, and have fun upon your trips!
