A HISTORY OF VACATIONS
Are We There Yet?
Volume I Issue 16
The Evolution of the Reason for Vacations
We have moved beyond the earliest reasons for vacations, when the populace tried to justify taking time off from work getaways, into some more current reasons that vacations are taken. One of these newer reasons we will call “Adventure Vacations”. They can be for a weekend or an entire summer, depending on the adventure activity, and the destination is as important as the activity.
In short, an adventure vacation is a type of tourism, involving exploration or travel to remote, exotic and possibly hostile areas. Adventure tourism is rapidly growing in popularity, as tourists seek different kinds of vacations. According to the U.S. based Adventure Travel Trade Association, adventure travel may be any tourist activity, including two of the following three components: a physical activity, a cultural exchange or interaction and engagement with nature.
Adventure tourism gains much of its excitement by allowing its participants to step outside of their comfort zone. This may be from experiencing culture shock or through the performance of acts that require significant effort and involve some degree of risk (real or perceived) and/or physical danger. This may include activities such as mountaineering, trekking, bungee jumping, mountain biking, rafting, zip-lining and rock climbing. Some obscure forms of adventure travel include disaster and ghetto tourism (covered later). Other rising forms of adventure travel include social and jungle tourism.
Access to inexpensive consumer technology, with respect to Global Positioning Systems, social networking, photography and “flashpacking” have increased the worldwide interest in adventure travel. The interest in independent adventure travel has also increased as more specialist travel websites emerge offering previously niche locations and sports.
If the term flashpacking is new to you, it’s new to the genre also. It is the 21st century’s answer to backpacking and turns the whole meaning and purpose of backpacking upside down. We will explain flashpacking in our next issue.
Adventure recreation refers to active and outdoor activities such as backpacking (wilderness), rafting, climbing, and outdoor survival. A few universities give degrees in adventure recreation, which aim to teach graduates how to run a “vacation package” business in the field of adventure recreation. Along with hands-on training on activities included in adventure recreation, basic courses needed for any business, such as accounting, are required to obtain a degree. Some adventure recreation businesses cater to tourists, while others, such as indoor rock climbing, appeal to people wanting to be active on a regular basis. And, depending on the activity and the people involved, some can involve the whole family and some just an individual or couple.
In contemporary society, the term outdoor adventure generally implies an educational or recreational activity that is exciting and physically challenging. Adventure recreation can be any number of leisure pursuits, which provide exposure to physical danger.
University Outdoor Recreation programs are becoming more popular in the United States. Universities often offer indoor rock climbing walls, equipment rental, ropes courses and trip programming.
Here are some examples of Adventure Vacations:
Hang Gliding, Jungle tourism, Mountain biking, Mountaineering, Outdoor education, Parachuting, Paragliding, Rafting, River trekking, Travel journal, Travel documentary and Urban exploration.
Of course, what is an adventure to some may be too mild for others and vice versa. Only YOU know if climbing that mountain scares you or gives you a thrill.
We will continue next issue on more Educational Reasons for Vacations.
For all of the articles on The History Of Vacations visit
httpss://rooms101.com/vacation/history-of-vacations
