Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Tahiti, Hong Kong, and more

Pretty much everyone likes to travel, but not everyone wants to add a taste of adventure to it; replacing cocktails and poolside for mountain bikes and hiking boots can be a challenge and may take some convincing. If you are reading this then I am going to presume that you are the ‘adventurer’ and whoever you might want to go with could be the city slicker or the sun drenched pina colada and with that presumption I am guessing you would like some ideas how to subtly move pool side to active side.

Make the Trip About Them The best way to make someone relaxed with adventure travel is allow them to choose where they want to go and the type of adventure or simply at first add in some adventurous aspects for a start.

When you give the ‘newbie adventurer’ the power to decide on a destination, you also let him or her drive the intensity of the trip, for example if you are going to the Himalayas there won’t be a lot of pool time – however Vanuatu/Fiji is a great mix of both. Deciding where to go will instil more confidence in their ability to tackle adventure. Leave Adventure Magazine lying around with the pages marked for an adventure or destination you would like to do or visit is a good start. It’s a good idea if you know what you ‘don’t’ want to do – some people refuse to do cold – others refuse to do remote, it’s all part of narrowing down what you want to do - also you need to consider: • Your budget? • Overseas, or keep it domestic? • How long you will be away for? • Is any activity, region, or terrain off-limits? • How long are you willing to be outside of your comfort zone? A couple of days, the entire trip or for only a few activities?

Budgets are a big factor The cost of an African safari compared to South Island campervan trip is vast, but you can push the envelope. If you keep your plans flexible but have a rough idea of destination, throughout the year most destinations have very cheap flights, often way less than half price, but you need to be ready to move on them. There are a range of newsletters you can sign up to get them sent direct to your email for one day sales. If you don’t have every household bill, every credit card getting you air-points, frankly you are an idiot, you are simply limiting your destinations. Commit a day to moving everything over to DC on your air-points card (I recommend Amex) and if you have any big bills coming in like house renovations, ask the company if you pay the same day can you use an air-points credit card, most will say yes. Think of air-points like free money for travel. Also if you buy your flight tickets with Amex you get free insurance and... more air-points.

There are also new companies starting up which will do short term rentals, even 2 weeks, so you can rent your house out while you are away and balance off the costs of your trip. Also you can contact destination accommodation directly on sites like Flipkey and Airbnb and negotiate – don’t accept the pricing you see, ask for a cheaper option.

Involve the newbie in the Planning Process So, you have worked out where and how to pay for it now get your ‘newbie’ to get involved in the planning. Adventure travel takes a fair amount of careful planning and research. Instead of taking over the entire decision-making process, utilize a team decision approach. People get put off trying new things if they don’t have all the information, so the more information you can share the better the experience. Do NOT wait till you arrive to start making decisions, have a plan and involve the group in the plan. Sure, amazing things can happen when you are super flexible but also you can just kind of drift. It’s also a way of creating anticipation from choosing where to stay; hotel, Bachcare, apartment, backpackers (that would put me off straight away) and also what you will unquestionably do? Surfing, tramping, see these specific sights, having this specific experience – then let the adventure build around those ‘must do’ foundations, it will also allow further ‘fun build’ by choosing what gear you will need. In addition, make sure your travel buddy can learn from your experiences in the past what to take what not to take – what to leave behind and what to take with you. Perhaps check out https://tim.blog/2007/07/11/how-to-travel-the-worldwith-10-pounds-or-less-plus-how-to-negotiate-convertiblesand-luxury-treehouses/ has some great ideas.

Focus on the Fun Adventure travel is not always a perfect experience, things do go wrong in the same way it might rain by the pool for a week, weather and nature all play a major role. But if you can focus on the fun then fun is what you will have. I have heard of so many holidays ruined because the focus could not be changed – people who had gone on surf holidays to amazing destinations only to come home disappointed because it was flat, and they failed to appreciate what was around them. If you are a well season traveller and your newbie is not, always try and find some things that are new for you both, nothing is better than that first ‘wow’ when you arrive.

Lastly never force someone out of their comfort zone, but you can gently push and even if it is a real challenge at the time we guarantee that you will be closer together and better partners, better friends and you will have lifelong memorise that actually improve with age. The frustration of waiting for three days for the Bolivian mule herder to arrive fades into nonexistence and the fun of riding a mule on a trek is what remains.

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all." Helen Keller