What the Heck is Adventure Travel? [Podcast Ep. 1]

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Dive into the exhilarating world of adventure travel with our latest podcast episode!

As you might be aware…this podcast is all about adventure! Specifically the ones you need to do before you “kick the bucket”. But before we dive in (literally cause I’m a mermaid), what the heck is adventure travel?

Join me as I unravel the mysteries of this adrenaline-fueled pursuit. And set out to discover what sets it apart from your average globetrotting escapades.

From here, we can talk about everything adventurous that you might want to put on your bucket list!

So, buckle up, because this episode is your passport to a world! Every journey is a daring expedition waiting to be conquered!

In This Episode…

• Hear definitions of what adventure travel and tourism is from different sources.
• Find out how adventure travel differs from normal tourism.
• Introduce yourself to the benefits of adventure travel.
• Get inspired by one of my favorite adventure travel quotes.

Show Resources

Travel Resources

Full Podcast Transcript (Episode 2: What is Adventure Travel?)

Hello, there! My name is Alexandra and I am an adventure travel blogger that is obsessed with helping you conquer everything on your adventure bucket list.

This show partners with my blog: thebucketlistmermaid.com which I would highly recommend checking out for more detailed adventure guides and adventure bucket lists.

Now in this show I am going to be going over many bucket list ideas so that you can be inspired, entertained, and maybe decide if it is right for you to put on your bucket list.

Before we get into all of the good stuff, I just want to make sure that we are on the same page regarding what adventure travel really is.

Now, I know that most of us know what adventure is, or else you probably wouldn’t be here. But what exactly is adventure travel and how does it differ from normal travel?

Adventure Tourism Definition

Now I’m going to hit you with some hard definitions here:

• According to Google: “…a type of tourism involving travel to remote or exotic locations in order to take part in physically challenging outdoor activities” (Google).
• “…a sustainable form of tourism that supports conservation of nature and historical resources while investing in local, community-driven economic development” (Adventure Travel Trade Association).
• “…a type of tourism, involving exploration or travel with a certain degree of risk (real or perceived), and which may require special skills and physical exertion” (Wikipedia).
• “…characterized by its ability to provide the tourist with relatively high levels of sensory stimulation, usually achieved by including physically challenging experiential components with the tourist experience” (Muller and Cleaver).
• Now my personal definition of adventure travel is “…the kind of travel that makes you feel alive, makes you feel human, and/or pushes you out of your comfort zone. It is a unique sensation between feeling at peace with the world around you yet simultaneously feeling like your heart is going to burst out of your chest” (The Bucket List Mermaid).

Adventure Travel Definitions Vs Reality

Now I did notice that after looking at all of these definitions that there is a massive focus on physicality and also outdoor.

And although I do think that the majority of adventure travel does involve outdoor and physcial activity, I do think that it is dependent on the person.

I think that adventure travel, in all reality, is travel that makes you grow as a human, reduces stress, improves your mental capacity, and just makes you a better person in general.

And I do also think that adventure travel pushes you out of your comfort zone to things that you wouldn’t be comfortable doing.

For example, if you just got your passport and you really want to take that trip abroad…that first foreign trip that you do take and you get on that airplane and you go to a different country…I think that’s adventure travel because you are pushing yourself to your limits. You are doing something that’s making you feel uncomfortable, but in the end you grow as a person.

And I think that is why adventure travel is very beautiful. Because although we try to define it, I think that it is really based on the individual and it is based off of what you need and what you need to grow.

What Makes Adventure Travel Unique

Now with that being said, I think that there are certain aspects of adventure travel that do make it very unique.

Hello, adrenaline

For example, the most stereotypical type of adventure travel: it does get your heart pumping! This is the staple of adventure! And again, this means different things for different travelers because we all have different thresholds for adventure.

I’ve been adventuring for a long time. So, I’m going to be honest: unless I’m jumping out of an airplane or something, that gets my heart pumping. But something just as simple as getting on an airplane…and that’s totally fine! And that’s the purpose of adventure travel.

Culture and History Galore

And I think there is more emphasis on culture, history, and sustainability when it comes to adventure travel. It goes past general travel. I

t really pushes you to learn about other cultures, respect other cultures, learn about history, and also gives you an appreciation for this beautiful planet that we live on.

Adventure Travel is More than a Vacay

Also, I think that this is more than a vacation. I would actually argue that adventure travel isn’t a vacation at all.

Have you ever gone on a “vacation” and then you come back and you’re like, “oh my gosh. I need a vacation from my vacation!”

Well, if you’ve thought that, odds are that you probably did adventure travel because adventure travel isn’t exactly relaxing.

It can be relaxing but I feel like every time I’ve done it, I’ve just been filling my brain with so many ideas and bettering myself and trying to absorb the world around me so much that it is a little exhausting.

However, it feeds the soul. It’s like its own form of therapy.

I think vacation – every time I’ve done it – and sat on the beach with a nice-looking mocktail…I think it’s great and I think you do need that. However, I think that sometimes it can be used as a band-aid and it can be used as a distraction from work and from our lives back home.

And then we have a tendency to go back to our normal routine and we fall straight back into that routine with no real growth or improvement on our mental health.

However, with adventure travel you are actively pushing yourself to make a difference whether it is in yourself, whether its in the world around you, weather its your mental health, or whether its something else.

But you leave that trip coming out a better person and it actually sticks with you when you return back home.

Benefits of Adventure Travel Teaser

Now I think that I am going to do an entire podcast episode just about the benefits of adventure travel. Because as I said, this isn’t just a distraction; this is you actually learning something so there are so many benefits of traveling like this.

But I’ll just give you some snippets for now just as a little teaser and to entice you to embrace the world of adventure travel.

Adventure Travel Helps you Get Fit

Number 1: increasing physical health. I know how we talked about that it doesn’t always have to be physical, but there are a lot of activities where you do use your physical health a lot.

For example, I trained for months to hike the Andes in Peru and I was totally floored with what I could push my body to do and it was this rush of achievement and accomplishment that I have never felt before.

Boosting confidence

And next, it really does boost your mental health and self confidence. I don’t know if you’ve been listening to me ramble on about adventure travel…it might be the physical activities, it might be the accomplishments, it might be getting your heart racing, or simply getting out into nature.

But this really does boost mood, it reduces stress, and it also increases your confidence and independence.

In all the times that I’ve traveled solo, I literally came back a different person because I knew that I could handle anything.

Culture Immersion

And 3: cultural awareness. There are so many opportunities within adventure travel to go out there and get to experience and get to appreciate other cultures. And it is so beyond beautiful when you talk and you learn about other people that maybe where raised differently than you.

And it’s just this really nice feeling that we are all connected but we are all different. It’s so beautiful.

Adventure Travel Brings out the Nerd in All of Us

And 4: there are so many opportunities for education.

As I said, when you are adventure traveling, you are in this destination and whether it’s wildlife, it’s nature, it’s science, it’s culture, it’s history…it is literally brimming with things for you to learn and broaden your horizons.

Traveling with Purpose

And leading into that – the next point is meaningful travel. Now I’m not saying that sipping a piña colada on the beach isn’t meaningful, but these are once-in-a-lifetime activities that will be with you until you die.

These are designed to be life changing and provide gratitude for just being on this beautiful planet and being where you are just at that moment.

Giving off Main Character Energy

And last but not least, the epic travel stories. In this show, I will be sharing with you all of my epic travel stories. And I’m going to be honest…there are a lot.

And I don’t think that I have acquired any of them just playing it safe while traveling. They are crazy, some are scary, some are epic, some are funny, but all of them were achieved by going out of my comfort zone.

And if you do adventure travel, you better be prepared to have some of these stories.

I’m talking about the stories that you tell at parties where people are like, “oh my gosh. I can’t believe you did that! How are you still alive? That is so cool! I want to do that!”

Or they just drop their jaws. You are going to be that person at that party who is sharing that epic travel story. I’m not saying that it is for the travel stories (to show off). However, naturally if you do adventure travel you are going to acquire some crazy things that you will be talking about on your death bed!

Adventure Travel Inspirational Quote

And next, I just want to share with you this beautiful quote that I found that I just absolutely love. Unfortunately, it is from an unknown author. So whomever you are…thank you!

It says:

“Adventure is the bridge between dreams and reality. When we walk across that bridge, we can explore the unknown and uncover hidden wonders. With every step, we move closer to our ambitions, passions, and goals. Adventure gives us the courage to take risks and make bold decisions – decisions that help shape our destiny.“

And I just think that is why adventure is so powerful. That’s why it’s more powerful than normal travel! This is why these once-in-a-lifetime experiences, these once-in-a-lifetime activities are things that we need to do and they drive us towards who are and checking off that bucket list and just living a full and amazing life.

Are you Ready to Become an Adventurer?!

So, I don’t know if you can tell but I’m just a little bit obsessed with adventure travel and this has manifested itself in me creating and entire bucket list blog so that I can help you conquer that bucket list and help you adventure travel.

If you do want something a little bit more tangible, I do have my blog. Again, its thebucketlistmermaid.com. On there, I have adventure guides as well as bucket lists.

On the majority of episodes, I will have show notes so that I can link resources, I can link tours for you to book, I can give you discounts. Anything really to help you check everything off of your adventure bucket list.

So whether you are a seasoned adventurer, or you are just trying adventure travel out, or you want to become an adventurer…this is the show for you! I really hope that you continue listening and we go on this bucket list journey together.

If you do like this show, I would really appreciate if you subscribed – or even better, left a review – so that I can keep bringing you free bucket list content and we can live life to the fullest one adventure at a time.

Articles Related to this Episode

• What is Adventure Travel?
• Full List of Adventure Travel Benefits
• General Travel FAQ
• More About The Bucket List Mermaid
• My Bucket List
• Must-Have Travel Resources

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