Articles tagged “adventure travel”

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British adventurer plans to circumnavigate the globe in a wheelchair

by Kraig Becker on

British adventurer Andy Campbell isn’t big on making excuses, or letting a little thing like the fact that he can’t walk, get in the way of chasing his dreams. Eight years ago he fell while rock climbing, injuring his back and confining him to a wheelchair. Despite that horrible injury however, he continues to climb, ski, kayak, paraglide, and even scuba dive. And later this year, he intends to set out on his greatest adventure yet – a circumnavigation of the planet under his own power.

In June, Andy will depart from London and begin a 30,000 mile, 2-year long, journey that will begin with him crossing Europe and Asia in his wheelchair, paraglider, and kayak. Upon reaching the Pacific Ocean, he will then hop a flight to North America, and continue the expedition by traveling from Alaska to the southernmost tip of South America. Along the way, he intends to kayak the Missouri and Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico, and roll his specially designed wheelchair along the Pan-American Highway.

While the trip will certainly be its own reward, Campbell has other aspirations in mind as well. He hopes to raise as much as much as £1 million (roughly $1.54 million) for his fledgling Chutkara Initiative. This new charity is hoping to fund purchases of outdoor gear for disabled athletes who may not normally be able to afford those items themselves. For instance, an off-road wheelchair can cost as much as £2000 ($3085), while an adaptive climbing harness will run £900, or about $1388. By helping to provide that gear for the disabled, Any hopes to inspire them to get outside and experience their own adventures.

Campbell has been training for this challenge for awhile, and will be as physically fit as possible once the journey begins in a few months time. He’ll also be joined by a two-person support crew who will assist him as needed along the way and ensure that he safely makes it across some of the more challenging regions he’ll be traveling through.

This is a pretty inspiring endeavor and it should be interesting to follow his progress once he gets going.

Video: Around the world in five minutes

by Kraig Becker on

Who amongst us hasn’t dreamed of taking a year off to travel around the world? That’s exactly what photographer Kien Lam did in 2011, spending 343 days exploring 17 different countries. In the process, he managed to take 6237 photos, and when he got home, he compiled them all into one amazing video. The beautiful, inspiring, results of his work can be found below. Before watching however, be warned. Upon conclusion of the video, you may immediately start looking for your next adventure. Enjoy!


10 travel resolutions to make in 2012

by Jessica Festa on

It’s the beginning of a new year and the time when people start thinking of ways to improve themselves in 2012. Instead of just focusing on how to make yourself better, why not think about ways to make your travels more worthwhile? Here are 10 travel resolutions to make this year.

Go green

Eco-tourism is a hot topic in the world of travel right now, and for good reason. There are myriad global issues facing the planet right now, from climate change to resource depletion to land pollution and damaged ecosystems. Instead of just wandering through a region and potentially having a negative impact on the land, educate yourself a bit and participate in environmentally-friendly travel. There are tons of Eco-friendly accommodations, tours, and even entire cities, such as the new Yoyogi Village in Japan. Find a destination and try to educate yourself on how to travel while leaving as small a carbon footprint as possible.Learn a new language

Instead of using obscure gestures and stuttering your way through a translation dictionary, why not take the time to actually learn a new language? Going to Spain? Take a cultural immersion class and learn Spanish. Taking a trip to Ghana? You’ll feel a lot more comfortable interacting with Ghanians if you can speak Twi. Locals respect you more when you speak their language, and it opens up the chance to have more meaningful interactions.

Knock something off your bucket list

Most people have bucket lists, even if they only exist in their minds. “I would love to go skydiving one day” or “I wish I could take a trip to see the Colosseum and learn about Roman history”. What are you waiting for? This year, instead of just letting that bucket list grow, why not scratch some things off. Don’t let work and family hold you back but instead, use your vacation days and include your family in your plans. Also, certain activities, like extreme sports or taking a romantic getaway, don’t always require long-distance travel.

Visit an endangered site

Don’t expect sites like the Belize Barrier Reef, the Tropical Rainforest in Honduras, or the crystal glaciers of the Swiss Alps to be around forever. If you want to see them, go now before it’s too late. Just recently, in October 2011, the beloved Cinque Terre in Italy was damaged by flash floods and landslides, and while it is currently being rebuilt at a swift pace, it is a good example of the unexpected disasters that can happen. You can also check out the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites that are in danger to learn more.

Volunteer abroad

I’m a big fan of volunteering abroad for many reasons. For one, you get to help people in need as well as support a cause you’re passionate about. Moreover, it gives you a unique perspective into the culture, especially since many times you get the chance to live with locals. Each time I’ve volunteered abroad, I’ve used International Volunteer Headquarters as a middle man and found them extremely reliable and affordable. You can also contact NGO’s abroad directly using SE7EN or go on a trip with an international volunteer organization from your home city that plans trips abroad, for example, Habitat for Humanity or UNICEF.

Go out of your comfort zone

You can learn a lot about yourself and what you’re capable of when you try something that’s out of your comfort zone. Are you afraid of heights? Try bungy jumping. Scared to visit a city where you don’t speak the local language? Buy a plane ticket to Brazil (unless you speak Portuguese…then buy a ticket to China). Think you can’t handle the “strange” foods in Asia or Africa? Go there and eat as many new dishes as possible. It may sound crazy, but it’s really inspirational when you realize you can handle uncomfortable situations, as well as eye-opening to people, places, and situations you may never have experienced. I am actually terrified of heights, and when I was in Australia my friends made me go bungy jumping. Literally, they pulled me screaming and crying. While the jump itself was terrifying, I also realized it was a lot of fun. By the end of that year, I’d gone bungy jumping (again), skydiving, and cliff diving, all things that I didn’t think I would ever do but now love.

Take a staycation

By taking a staycation, you can actually add to your vacation time. Instead of waiting until you’ve saved up enough money for a plane ticket somewhere far, you can enjoy a budget-friendly trip for the weekend. Not only that, but it can help you experience your own city and nearby towns, places that often have a lot to offer but many people take for granted. For example, while I often try to hike as much as possible while traveling, I barely go outside when I’m home. Last summer, I decided to change that and began going on local hiking trips around my home state of New York. It’s not only helped me make new friends, but has also helped me to explore a lot of areas that I didn’t even know existed.

Turn off the technology

Thinking about it, this could actually go under “Get out of your comfort zone”. People are literally addicted to technology nowadays. Not that it’s their fault, it’s the world we live in. Business is conducted via Skype and teleconferencing, singles meet their future spouses online, and people post their entire lives on social media. However, turning off your smartphone, ditching your laptop, and turning off the TV can be a really powerful experience. You will learn about a city in a deeper way, without distractions, and will be able to focus on exploration instead of wondering who texted you in the last five minutes. If it’s something you could lose your job over, try doing it for just a day, or even a few hours, and learn what it feels like to be completely disconnected from the rest of the world while being in tune with yourself.

Stop being cheap

There’s a difference between being budget-conscious and cheap. You don’t need to stay in a 5-star hotel to have a great trip, however, you do need to experience the culture, and that means spending a little cash. If there’s something you want to do or see remember that you’re only a visitor in the city, meaning you only have limited time to see the sites. Don’t let cash, or lack of, ruin your entire trip. If you’re really having issues with money but still want to travel, visit a budget-friendly destination, like Thailand or Ghana, and help stretch your dollar further. When traveling through Germany, I was with a girl who was so cheap she would literally hoard bread from the hostel breakfast and eat it for the entire day, and wouldn’t enter anything, a church, castle, museum, or park, if there was any kind of charge. In the beginning I felt bad leaving her, but eventually decided that just because she didn’t want to spend money didn’t mean that I should miss out on great food and interesting museums. We ended up parting ways, and I ended up having a more worthwhile experience.

Attend a major festival

Burning Man, the Full Moon Party, the New York Film Festival, Calgary Stampede, the Winter Music Conference. Whatever you’re into, find a festival that celebrates it and go. I’ve gotten to attend numerous festivals, from Mardi Gras in Sydney to Carnival in Sitges to Crankworks in Whistler, and they’ve all allowed me to be part of enormous celebrations. You meet all kinds of interesting people and get to attend something that people fly from all over the world to attend, sometimes returning year after year. This year, add being a part of something really big to your to-do list.

Antarctic survey finds diversity of life under the ice

by Kraig Becker on

The icy cold waters of the Southern Ocean are not a place you would expect to find a variety of aquatic species living and thriving, but that is exactly what a team of scientists discovered recently while conducting an underwater survey of the Antarctic. The expedition, which was a joint effort by Oxford University, the University of South Hampton, and the British Antarctic Survey, sent a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) under the ice for the first time, where it made some astounding discoveries.

Researchers piloted the ROV under Antarctica’s East Scotia Ridge to plumb the depths of the Southern Ocean, where they found a large number of hydrothermal vents. Those vents are actually cracks in the surface of the Earth through which heated water is released into the sea. In some instances, the temperature of that water can exceed 700 degrees Fahrenheit, which makes it possible for a number of unique animal species to survive in a part of the world that is usually inhospitable to most creatures.

Among the discoveries were a new species of yeti crabs that congregate in large numbers along the vents. In some extreme cases, there were as many as 600 of the crabs within a single square meter of space. Patrolling the periphery of these vast colonies was a never-before-seen species of starfish, with seven points no less, that preyed upon the crabs. An as yet unidentified pale octopus was also spotted along the ocean floor, as were a variety of new barnacle and sea anemone species as well.

These latest discoveries underscore just how much we still have to learn about the Earth’s oceans, where it seems life continually finds a way to prosper, despite some very challenging conditions. Reading about these creatures makes me wonder what else is still out there, waiting for us to discover it.

[Photo credit: British Antarctic Survey]

Adventure Vacation Guide 2012: Queenstown, New Zealand

by Kyle Ellison on

Just as I mentioned in the Adventure Vacation Guide to Chamonix, France, what separates an adventure destination from an adventure capital is the ability to get an adrenaline rush for all 365 days of the year. Although Queenstown may be closer to the South Pole than the Equator, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t adventure activities perfectly suited for every season of the year.

Also, as an added bonus, under the country’s traveler-friendly Adventure Compensation Corporation program (ACC), many travelers to New Zealand are actually covered for any medical costs they may incur while inside of the country. Seriously. I’m not making this up. You hurt yourself, you’re covered. End of story.

So now that you know that you’re covered in the extremely unlikely event of an accident, what sort of adventures can you sniff out in Queenstown? How about throwing yourself off the Kawarau bridge at the AJ Hackett bungy center, the original bungy operation in New Zealand? Or maybe take a jet boat ride through canyons which are way too narrow at speeds which are way too fast?

Extreme sports aside, Queenstown is also within striking distance of Fiordland, the protected and mountainous region which is home to such treks as the Milford Track and the Routeborn Track, a trail which was recently chosen as one of the top ten treks in the world by Lonely Planet.

In the winter months, The Remarkables ski area stoically lurks on the craggy peaks that form the backdrop to the town, the Southern Alps providing some of the best skiing opportunities in the Southern Hemisphere. Lastly, with the New Zealand dollar currently holding steady at $.75 to the US dollar, it’s also a somewhat a cheap way to get your thrills in 2012.

[flickr image via Or Hiltch]