While I'm headed out on my first trip of the new year (As I write this I'm on the free WiFi in the Denver Airport!) I wanted to share a story I wrote for Gadling today suggesting 10 Great Adventure Travel Destinations for the year ahead.
I wrote a similar post last year, but I took a bit of a different approach while creating this list. My selections for 2010 were knocked a bit for being a little on the safe side, with a number of the destinations named being considered too obvious. Those places included destinations like Nepal, Peru, and even Antarctica. So this year, I tried to stray away from those more obvious choices for adventure travelers and suggest a few that are more off the radar. Hopefully some of the picks surprise you or inspire you to visit them yourself.
Amongst my choices this year is the U.S., which seldom gets any attention as an adventure travel destination, but with the economy still limping along, it remains a great choice for domestic travelers, and a fantastic option for those coming from abroad. The country is so big that you can literally find a fantastic place to do all of your favorite outdoor adventure activities, and quite often you won't have to even go all that far to do so. The U.S. has it all, including great paddling, mountaineering, rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking, and more. Plus, there is plenty of wildlife to see, in the right areas, and the scenery is as breathtaking as anywhere on the planet. Sometimes those of us that live here lose sight of that fact in our eagerness to visit some other far flung place.
But never fear, there are plenty of other far flung places on the list. I suggested trekking in Ethiopia, sea kayaking in Croatia and climbing in Argentina, amongst others. I tried to find places that offered great representation for a variety of regions, and in the end, there were still more places that I wanted to add. Places like Columbia, which is a truly great up and coming destination that you'll want to visit before the rest of the world discovers how much it is improved for travelers. I guess those places left off the list will have to wait until 2012 to get some love.
For many readers, I'm sure this list is fairly passe, but we all define what "adventure" means to us in different ways. I tried to keep that in mind as I wrote the article as well, realizing that not everyone wants to trek for days on end in the mountains on their vacation, but still want an "adventure" as it pertains to them.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the list. I know that there are plenty of additions to be made, and of course I always welcome your suggestions. Enjoy!