People travel for many different reasons: to conduct business, for instance, to visit family, or to relax. An increasingly popular travel motivation, however, is adventure — partaking in new and unusual experiences designed to thrill and inspire. For that type of travel, consider Exodus Travels’ list of the “Top 10 Adventure Travel Trends and Tips for 2016”:
10. Winter Travel
Says Exodus: “As mercury levels drop and the snow starts falling, travelers are opting out of fly and flop beach vacations and, instead, taking advantage of the smaller crowds, cheaper rates, and unique thrill-seeking activities, like snowshoeing, northern lights, ski touring, and dogsledding, that the winter season offers.”
9. Self-Guided Tours
Says Exodus: “With so much to absorb whilst seeing the world it’s sometimes best to take it all at your own stride. Independent travelers can now have it all: the seamlessness of an organized tour combined with the privacy, freedom, and flexibility of a self-guided trip. Set your own agenda while someone else worries about the bag transfers, where to sleep, and the always important 24/7 support. Exodus has seen a spike in bookings that combine the carefree ease of guided group travel with the independence of going it alone.”
8. Female Solo Travel
Says Exodus: “Women travelers have tipped the tourism scales in the last couple years and Exodus saw a huge 40 percent increase in their number of female solo travelers in 2015, a trend that is gaining momentum in 2016 because of social media and the added safety provided by experiential group travel.”
7. Eastern Europe
Says Exodus: “Europe buffs are moving further east to uncover a welcome refuge from the well-trodden paths of Italy, France, Croatia, and Switzerland and to immerse themselves in a collision of ‘East meets West’ cultures. Cycle through Romania’s rolling hills, gaze wide-eyed at Bosnian architecture, or test the waters in Slovenia with a week of whitewater rafting, canyoning, and mountain biking on the banks of the Soca River.”
6. Cuba
Says Exodus: “In 1961, the U.S. severed its relationship with Cuba and pursued a covert operation to overthrow the Castro regime. Fast forward 54 years later and the two nations have agreed to normalize ties. Remember there’s more to this Caribbean archipelago than palm fringed beaches, colonial architecture, classic cars, Che Guevara, and mojitos.”
5. Vacation ROI
Says Exodus: “Workaholics, listen up. Studies show that employees who regularly take overseas vacations are more energized, creative, and ultimately more productive in the workplace. Some companies, like LinkedIn, are even offering unlimited vacation policies as a way of encouraging its passport-ready staff to seek new challenges, find inspiration, and reduce burnout.”
4. Extreme Wellness Holidays
Says Exodus: “Forget about yoga, spa, and wellness retreats; 2016’s travelers are asking for rigorous, physically demanding, and mentally challenging adventures that focus on extreme biking and trekking. Exodus has seen a huge spike in bookings that take the ‘wellness concept’ to a whole new level with full force adrenaline expeditions, such as biking in remote Madagascar and the Alpine Cols of the Tour de France or climbing volcanoes’ in Indonesia and the Three Peaks of Ladakh.”
3. Iran
Says Exodus: “With Mahmoud Ahmadinejad out of the political picture and travel sanctions lifted in 2015, Iran has recaptured the attention of globetrotters who’ve been waiting to tick it off their bucket list. The world’s finest Persian architecture and historic sites, bustling bazaars, artistic masterpieces, mind-blowing cuisine, and hospitality steeped in ancient traditions promise an extraordinary adventure.”
2. ‘The Jungle Book’ Trips
Says Exodus: “From ‘Indiana Jones’ to ‘The Hobbit,’ the biggest Hollywood hits always motivate travelers to set-jet to exotic new locales. India’s jungles and animals will steal the show in 2016 with the release of a new adaption of Rudyard Kipling’s ‘The Jungle Book.’ With a star-studded cast of Bill Murray, Idris Elba, Scarlett Johansson, Christopher Walken, and Lupita Nyong’o, India’s tiger and safari parks are destined to be one of the year’s travel blockbusters.”
1. African Conservation Safaris
Says Exodus: “Last year’s global outcry over the killing of Cecil the lion has put the fate of wildlife tourism under the microscope. Exodus anticipates Botswana will see a rise in bookings, with safari-seekers choosing to spend their tourism dollars in this southern African country, which has made a serious commitment to wildlife and environmental preservation. If a chance to spot the Big 5 wasn’t reason enough to go, Botswana celebrates 50 years of Independence in 2016.”
