Adventure travel has been on the rise in the past decade. Studies show it.
In fact, the percentage of adventure travelers (someone whose main purpose of his or her last trip was to participate in an adventure activity like canoeing, hiking or caving, for example) from North America, South America and Europe increased to 42 percent of travelers in 2012 from 26 percent in 2009, according to the 2013 Adventure Tourism Market Study.
This is not surprising to me. We know how awesome it is to get out and get your adrenaline racing while exploring fantastic sites around the world.
What caught me off guard a bit is that ultra-luxury cruise lines (that means cruises filled with very rich people, usually of an older demographic than your stereotypical adventure traveler) are taking notice, offering new excursions for active adventure seekers.
Not that I can afford a voyage on these luxury ships, but it's nice to see a trend for all demographics that understands the value and excitement in getting off your ass and away from the buffets for at least a few hours a day to interact with the awesomeness of nature.
As a high school science teacher of mine used to say, "It's good for the heart!"
Crystal Cruises and Seabourn Cruise Line unveiled new excursions ranging from simple soft-adventure outings to more hard-core challenges for your days in port.
Ventures by Seabourn, an excursion program, allows passengers to enjoy kayak and Zodiac boat expeditions led by expert guides. Three sailings from Copenhagen, Denmark, in summer 2015 will feature excursions -- launched straight from Seabourn Quest's fold-out watersports marina -- through fjords and waterways, as passengers go ashore at islands for hikes and view icebergs and more.
Crystal Cruises has created a number of active excursion options for its fall sailings in New England and Eastern Canada. Passengers can, for example, hike at a national historic site in Nova Scotia; run the carriage trails at Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine, along a 5-kilometer route led by a fitness instructor; hike the ocean trail at Acadia; zipline alongside Reversing Rapids in Saint John, New Brunswick; go cycling in wildlife marshes in Halifax, Nova Scotia; or go sailing in Newport, Rhode Island.
Mass-market cruise lines have been coming around in recent years by expanding fitness-based and adventure offerings. Onboard, we see waterslides, ziplines, skating rinks, ropes courses, simulated skydiving and surfing, expanded gyms and fitness classes. Check out all the action available onboard Royal Caribbean's new Anthem of the Seas, for example.
Now, it's good to see that more upscale and specialty lines are aspiring to make the experience ashore more physical and fun, too.
Thanks for reading,
JR
Travel fit. Travel happy!