Travel activities
From Wikitravel
Contents
Many travelers seek out destinations that are particularly suited to specific activities, such as scuba diving or rock climbing. Some of these travel activities require specific gear, training, or planning to pursue, while others may be as simple as slipping into a warm spring to enjoy the soothing waters.
[edit] Camping
[edit] Backpacking
See also:
[edit] Leave-no-trace camping
Main article: Leave-no-trace camping.
[edit] Sports
[edit] Canyoning
Main article: Canyoning.
[edit] Geocaching
Geocaching [1] is a treasure-hunting game that involves the internet, GPS map co-ordinates and travel. Players report their treasure hunt activities on-line to gain credits for their finds. Many of the players place caches (treasures) in spots they are quite fond of. So hunting them down will quite often lead to exciting adventures in lesser known locations.
One object of the game is to carry treasure from one cache to the next. Some of the treasures have identification information, so their travels can be tracked on-line. To play the game you will need a GPS receiver (or a map and the orienteering skills to use it), the cache description (make a printout) and about 1 hour spare (more for a difficult cache).
Related to geocaching is the worldwide Degree Confluence Project.
[edit] Orienteering
Orienteering [2] is another popular outdoor sport. It involves using a map and terrain navigation skills to follow a course in the least time. The sport has an international following, world championships, and training programs, and takes place in beautiful and interesting locations. Orienteering meets hosted by the top clubs draw thousands of participants from around the world.
Destinations: New Mexico (near Santa Fe).
Closely related to orienteering are rogaining and adventure racing.
[edit] Golf
Main article: Golf.
Golf is a game that is variously considered a pastime, recreation, sport, profession, religion or an obsession. To some the game is more an opportunity for relaxation than sport, and many travelers roam the world looking for unique and famous golf courses on which to hone their skill.
[edit] Rock climbing
Main article: Rock climbing.
[edit] Running
Main article: Running
Running is both an activity undertaken by casual joggers wanting to stay in shape during their travels, and also by those who seek out marathons and other competitions around the world. Recently travel companies have begun offering packages for those traveling abroad for races that focus on the specific needs of the runner.
See also orienteering.
[edit] Winter activities
[edit] Alpine skiing
Main article: Alpine skiing.
Alpine skiing, also known as downhill skiing, is a popular sport involving sliding down snow-covered terrain with skis attached to each foot. Ski resorts around the world attract millions of travelers yearly.
[edit] Snowkiting
Snowkiting is "winter's newest extreme sport", requiring only the wind, a snowkite, skies or snowboard, and an attitude for fun. The sport has endless possibilities, such as backcountry skiing without a ski lift or resort - your snowkite will pull you uphill and downhill at varying speeds. Snowkites can accelerate up to 50 MPH. The lifting power of the wind will allow you to jump to distances of up to 100 feet.
When snowkiting in the backcountry be aware of avalanche danger! Always snowkite in groups, wear an avalanche beacon, dress warm, and never exceed your limits.
Snowkiting is popular in Central Utah, a region of the United States of America.
[edit] Snowmobiling
Snowmobiling is a sport involving riding over snow on a motorized vehicle. It is popular throughout the western United States of America as well as in Canada and Alaska.
[edit] Other activities
[edit] Hot air balloons
See also a List of hot air balloon festivals on Wikipedia.
Destinations: Albuquerque, Marrakech, Goreme.
[edit] Birding
Birding or Birdwatching is an activity that is undertaken by both the hobbyist and the professional scientist.
See also #Wildlife watching.
[edit] Horseback riding
[edit] Learning languages abroad
Travelling to a foreign country both for leisure purposes and to study the local language can be an excellent way to deepen ones experience in a foreign culture and to combine leisure with learning. Although perhaps more common for people between the ages of 18 and 24, language tourism is undertaken by people of all ages and backgrounds. They tend to enroll in non-intensive foreign language courses that allow considerable free time in which to practice the language outside of class and travel extensively. Typical stays range from 2 to 5 weeks, and trips are often repeated in subsequent years.
[edit] Photography
Main article: Travel photography.
[edit] Quad bikes
Riding quad bikes (also known as ATVs--all-terrain vehicles) is a sport that involves riding on a small, rugged vehicle, usually in off-road areas. This activity is provided by commercial operators around the world:
- Western USA
- Central Utah
Riding independently, quad bikers should consider possible damage to soil and plants, and thus check local regulations prior to embarking on a trip.
Normally, quad bikes are designed only for a single rider (although are frequenly rented for riding by two). There's only one model of quad bike that has is designed for two persons, and that model is quite rare in commercial rent.
[edit] Scuba diving
Main article: Scuba diving.
Scuba diving is a sport in which people breathing from tanks of compressed air explore underwater areas. It's most popular in areas with tropical coral reefs, but there are scuba diving sites in most areas of the world with water.
[edit] Wildlife watching
[edit] Wine tourism
Main article: Wine tourism.
Wine tourism means organizing travel around the appreciation of, tasting of, and purchase of wine. It is a kind of tourism highly developed in many regions around the world, and it can be as simple as hopping on a wine shuttle in Napa Valley or as complicated as renting a villa in the south of France for a month. Wine tourism is a great way to learn about the people, culture, heritage, and customs of an area. Some of the famous wine producing regions of the world have been producing wine for centuries or even millennia, and the production and consumption of wine is deeply ingrained in the local culture.
