Adventure Travel - Adventure Travel information for the traveler

Welcome to CaribbeanLime Adventure Travel Tips! Adventure travel can take many shapes daring and intense, you can kayaking down a raging river, climbing up a sheer cliff, soaring without an engine above rugged terrain. Or it can be peaceful and solitary: hiking the Appalachian Trail;

fly-fishing in a pristine stream; holing up in a remote cabin. Here are some tips and suggestions for planning your next travel adventure.

Do Your Research
For your Adventure travel you requires a great deal of preparation, including a knowledge of necessary vaccinations, proper equipment, a knowledge of climate and likely weather, anticipation of potentially insurmountable language barriers, the need for cash in cash economies far from the nearest ATM, and the ability to adapt to anything that comes your way.

Also, if you decide to hire a guide or adventure travel specialists (known as "outfitters" in the industry parlance), make sure they are reputable, experienced, and financially solvent. It's one thing to take a poorly-run bus tour through Philadelphia, another entirely to trust your life to a shady whitewater rafting shyster.

Buy the Right Gear
Waterproof or water-repellent? Airtight or breathable? Or just a simple jacket? Fleece or wool?

See Altrec.com for Free Shipping on orders over $45 and North Face products at Altrec.com for some help.

Get in shape before you go
Your adventure may take you far from anywhere someone can hail you a cab when you're tired; you'd best be in good enough shape to drag yourself to safety if necessary. Though you'll be sure to get in shape once you start traveling, the smart traveler leaves home already tuned up. You'll have a safer and a much less painful experience.

You Should Check and Re-Check Your Equipment
It's been a year since you even touched tent, or the bicycle, or your hiking boots; of course they're still in good shape, right? Not always. Moisture damage, damage in storage, or previously unnoticed problems could ruin a trip. Always check your equipment, preferably several days before you leave, so you can repair or replace any worn or broken items.

Test and Break in Your New Gear
Never set up the new tent? You'll want to set it up before you leave, in broad daylight, so you know how to do it should you have to set up at night by the light of a small fire or flashlight. This goes for any equipment that is unfamiliar to you, or that requires considerable or careful assembly.

Additionally, you might find that a tent that looked so roomy in the catalogue won't do the job in real life. Be sure to test all new equipment.

Have a new pair of boots? They'll look great on the first day of your trip, but your feet might not look so good at the end of the day, as stiff boots give you callouses and blisters that could hobble a camel. Make sure you break in any gear that could cause this sort of problem.

Hire an Outfitter
As we mention above, "outfitter" is adventure travel parlance for a guide, specialist, or travel company. Sometimes the best way to get away from it all, and get away from people, is to hire someone to take you there. And don't be embarrassed that you seek assistance - folks hire outfitters for everything from a paddle on a local lake to an ascent of Mount Everest. As we mention above, make sure you do your homework before settling on an outfitter.

Safety and Health
The lack of facilities, remote locations, much deeper language barriers, and physical hazards significantly increase the risks inherent in adventure travel. For many adventurers, this uncertainty, and the self-reliance it requires, is part of the appeal. Following are some tips and resources for prevention and treatment of adventure travel mishaps and maladies.

Know the Risks
Study your destination thoroughly. You need to know what type of terrain, weather, obstacles, wildlife, and food and water supplies will be available. If you are traveling with an outfitter, make sure they know their turf cold; ask questions, make sure they've done this trip themselves. Pay attention to the State Department Advisories, much adventure travel takes place in regions where there may be political unrest, health risks, or other avoidable hazards.

Be sure to visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Get the Shots
See Infectious Diseases and Immunizations for more.

Bring Your Own Meds
Don't count on the small trailhead town to have a fully stocked pharmacy. Fill any necessary prescriptions at home, and pack enough to get your through the trip.

If you anticipate needing to fill prescriptions overseas, you should investigate the foreign names for your medications. See our guide to medications for more information.

Gear
As craftsmen say, there's no substitute for the right tool. When it comes to adventure travel, there's no substitute for the right gear. Try Altrec.com for a great selection of outdoor equipment.

Spend time (and, unfortunately, money) on getting the right gear, in the right size, for your specific trip. Are you heading for the rainforest? Make sure boots, tents, and other items are waterproof. Heading for the tropics? To pack nothing but black corduroy long pants wouldn't be the call. Not going to be able to pack bottled water? You'll need to boil water - a healthy stash of weatherproof matches will be essential.

Proper outfitting is not to be taken lightly.

Water
As the supply of potable water in the wild becomes almost nonexistent, packing bottled water may be your best safeguard. If that is impossible or supplies are running low, a pot and a supply of matches is your best cover here; boiling is the simplest and best way to purify water.

Note also that when you wash your hands in contaminated water, the contaminants can find their way into your system when you handle food, rub your eyes, etc.

The same precautions apply to ice; freezing water does not kill most bacteria.

Eating Habits
Wean yourself from dependencies before you travel - withdrawal on the trail isn't fun.

Many full-service outfitters will brew up coffee each morning, but the 32 oz. Magnum might be hard to come by. And if you're a five-cup-a-day type, you'll soon find your caffeine addiction nagging at your stamina and well-being; headaches and other withdrawal symptoms are not uncommon.

As your trip approaches, wean yourself slightly from the habits that are as much addictions as creature comforts.

Also, a giant meal right before a long hike may be ill-advised. On the other hand, attacking a technical climb on a completely empty stomach might wither your resolve and strength.

Time your meals to the demands of your travel, and not the other way around. A reliable approach is to eat several smaller meals throughout the day.

CPR and First Aid
Many leisure travelers take first aid cautions with a grain of salt; few will venture too far from the waiting room of a competent physician.

Adventure travelers, however, need to be prepared to attend not only to their own ailments, but quite possibly to those of others as well. When there's no doctor in the house, near the house -- heck, when there's no house -- you may find yourself in the role of patient, physician, or even both at the same time.

CPR
You'll find that a regularly updated CPR certification will come in handy on your front porch as much as it will in the outback; it's just that in the outback, 911 doesn't produce an ambulance in seconds.

You may be in a position to save someone's life; CPR certification is more than a good idea.

First Aid
Some ability with a needle and thread, bandages and tape, splints, and the like will come in handy, but there are three essential skills you'll need:

1) Stop the bleeding
2) Clean and protect the wound.
3) Clear the airway.

For more on treating common travel diseases and ailments, see Lonely Planet's Health - Infections & Diseases.

Fatigue
The difference between exercising for 90 minutes before or after work to get in shape for an adventure trip, and the 24 hour/day reality of the adventure itself, catches many a fit traveler off-guard. Fatigue is a common cause of the kinds of small mistakes and that can cause injuries, misjudgments, disorientation, and plain old crankiness.

- Don't frontload your trip too much. That is, don't plan to cover too much ground in the early going so you are exhausted late in the trip when you most need some bursts of stamina and clear thinking.
- On the other hand, don't expect to play catch up late in your trip when you are most tired. Solid planning helps here.
- Schedule recovery days when you are not aggressively on the move. These days can also help you catch up if you fall behind your itinerary.
- Tend to small wounds and aches early on. Tiny abrasions and pains can worsen quickly if left unattended.

Animal-Proof Your Camp
Some excellent resources on keeping critters from gobbling your stuff (and maybe from getting cozier than any of us would want): Altrec.com - Animal Proof Camps

Lonely Planet's Cuts, Bites, and Stings.

Secure Your Valuables
Whether in the office parking lot, or on the mountain, theft is a risk that cannot be ignored. Most modern backpacks and travel apparel have secret compartments, and waist packs that never leave you work as well.

Carry Contact Numbers
You should have emergency numbers and contacts on your person, and someone in your traveling party should know where to find them. Also, it doesn't hurt to carry contact numbers for local police and hospitals or medical outposts.

If you think you may want the comfort of knowing a reputable doctor is available nearby, a service called Highway to Health has established a network of doctors worldwide that are accessible to members.

Medical Kit
Click here to visit Magellans.com for a compact but complete medical kit. Even when traveling with an outfitter, it might be a good idea to travel with your own kit. If you are separated from your group, or have ailments you can treat yourself, it could be very valuable.

Don't Count on the Cell Phone
You'll be surprised at the reach of many cell phones when you just want to share a moment with a friend back home, but disappointed when you really need one.

If you are traveling in a group that might easily be split up, as when whitewater rafting, for example, walkie-talkies with sufficient range might be a good idea.

Choose a Reputable Outfitter; Ask Questions
Even the most competent adventure travel outfitters sometimes have troubles. The mix of unprepared, uneducated travelers and even a slightly sloppy outfitter can cause dire results. Choose your outfitter carefully, and be sure to ask lots of questions about the trip - the same questions you'd want to know if you were going to be traveling completely alone.

Some Essential Resources
There are several additional useful resources, linked for your convenience:
- Health & Safety
- Packing & Accessories
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