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Trial Mixing: Exotic
Vacations
Can't decide between
rafting, biking or camel riding on your next great adventure? Who says you
need to?
Kathy
Singleton took one look at her itinerary for a three-week trip in New
Zealand, and her eyes popped out of her head. The 46-year-old Colorado
resident had unwittingly signed up for a multisport adventure outing and
discovered that her trip's menu of activities read more like the scorecard
for an adventure race than a vacation: trekking, mountain biking, sea
kayaking, whitewater rafting and horseback riding, with a little caving
and glissading thrown in for good measure. "I love the
outdoors," Singleton recalls thinking, "but I'm no triathlete."
 A week after returning
home, Singleton now laughs at her pre-trip jitters. "It was an amazing
experience. so much variety. I still can't believe how much we did, and we never
felt rushed." Not only did Singleton and her friends enjoy all the sports
their Active New Zealand kayaking tour promised, but they even started creating a few of
their own. "We were kayaking in Milford Sound when a pod of dolphins showed
up,' says Singleton. "We started riding the wake." dolphin surfing
became a bonus activity during this eventful swing through New Zealand.
Tropical Beach and Multisport
trips, which combine several activities into one action-packed tour, are the
latest phenomenon in adventure travel. And private
islands are another. It's the answer for anyone who wants to
squeeze every ounce of experience and electrolytes out of their vacation. If
numbers are any indication, it's the right answer, too. Multisport journeys have
become one of the fastest-growing segments of the industry. At Backroads, the
adventure giant, multisport departures increased by 60 percent in 1998 -- and
the company has since added 12 more of the trips to its new catalog.
What's
the appeal? Variety, for starters. With the help of a precision timetable, a
slew of high-tech gear and expert leaders (and maybe a extra cup of coffee every
morning), a multisport adventure delivers far more diversity in a short amount
of time than, say, a typical trekking or biking tour. As in Singleton's case, a
three-week trip can become a smorgasbord of once-in-a-lifetime activities.
"One day I was rafting down the Clarence River; the next day I was pedaling
through a flock of sheep in the mountains and galloping on horseback down a
secluded beach," she says. "I couldn't have done half the things we
did if I'd planned it myself."
The
smorgasbord approach multiplies trip highlights for any given destination. On a
Backroads Wyoming outing, for instance, travelers are treated to a taste of the
best rod and mountain biking, river rafting and hiking in Yellowstone and Grand
Teton national parks. And the logistics of fitting all these pieces together are
out of your hands. "It's more complex from a gear and scheduling
perspective, but it's well worth it," says Backroads guide Christopher
White. "I love leading the Yellowstone trip because it's so exciting for
everyone. We get to do the best of everything in a week. "For most
travelers, it's the only way to take their favorite sports on the road without
the hassle of schlepping gear all over the world.
Central America Smorgasbord: "We do a lot of biking,
rafting, and hiking at home," says Rob McAlister, who decided to take his
family on a trip to Belize. "So we definitely wanted an active trip and we
were also looking at private island vacations."
They got one. On a nine-day Belize all inclusive tour with Slickrock Adventures, the McAlisters went
biking through a tropical rainforest, hiking to Belize Mayan ruins, rafting a Class IV
river, paddling an underground stream and sea kayaking, snorkeling and scuba
diving along the world's second largest barrier reef. McAlister could have added
windsurfing to the list, but he opted for a training session on a hammock
instead. Another Slickrock trip examines the Mayan
civilization in more depth.
If
this all sounds like a trip for Type AAA personalities only, as the McAlisters
learned in Belize, smart operators schedule enough hammock time (or an
equivalent) that travelers won't need a vacation when the vacation ends.
"We never had to get up at four a.m. or finish late at night," says
McAlister. "Everything was set up, so it was easy to go from one activity
to the next." The
combination of go-go-go and rest-rest-rest can result in somewhat schizophrenic
balance of hard play and hedonism. A long day on difficult single track might
culminate with a stay at a luxurious jungle lodge complete with cocktail hour
and five-course dinner. This philosophy of extremes has struck the right chord
for travelers who like the rewards of a rigorous day with a soft landing at the
end of the trail. Susie
Anderson and Mike Richardson foudn the combination a perfect balance for their
honeymoon trip. They didn't want the typical newlywed beach package ("we'd
get bored"), but neither did they want to rough it on a trekking or camping
tour. They settled on a multisport trip to the Yucatán. "It was the right
amount for a relaxing, active vacation," reports Anderson. "Hiking and
biking allowed us to get off the road and see the country the way we wanted
to." Multisport
trips fall into two general categories. Some, like the New Zealand and Belize
jaunts, specialize in variety, stacking half a dozen different activities into a
typical itinerary. Other outings, like the Backroads Yucatán trip, take a
lighter approach. By toning down the activity load, these trips aim to provide a
little more time for each of them. "we
want each ingredient to be at the absolute top end of what's available,"
says Glenn Rowley, director at KE Adventure Travel, which offrs a Nepal tour
with three activities. The 20-day package includes an ambitious trek in a
little-visited Himalayan region, a white-knuckle whitewater descent of the
Marsyangdi River and a mountain bike tour above the Kathmandu Valley. "It's
just the right mix," reports Los Angeles-based Patricia Christie, who
joined KE for the inaugural trip. "You get into a groove at something and
you get to keep doing it. But you also see a lot of varied geography by
switching sports." Naturally,
the physical demands are a consideration when planning this sort of trip. You
don't need to be a fitness instructor, but it's worth checking out the
particulars. Find out how many days are spent on each activity, what sort of
equipment is included, and if you have to pay extra for rentals. Find out how
many miles are covered per day. Are there qualified instructors for the
technical portions of the trip? Are rest days scheduled? What are the options
for participants who need a break or want to skip Class IV whitewater? Then ask
yourself what your fitness level really is. Be honest. Most
multisport adventures are tailored to the moderately active, and, while it's
best to do your own homework, operators usually go to great lengths to match
clients with the right activity level. Some may go even further. Latitudes, a
San Francisco-based tour operator specializing in Asia, New Zealand and
Australia, is collaborating with a local gym to create customized training
programs for clients who sign up for a multi-adventure trip. The
constant change of pace itself may turn out to be a benefit for freshman
multisporters. Singleton found the daunting variety of activities on her New
Zealand tour to be a blessing in disguise: "We were constantly working
different muscle groups so I never got very sore," she says. "it was
like cross-training." Of
course, this can be an expensive way to cross-train, so remember that what
you're paying for are experiences you can't create on your own. Look for
outfitters that not only provide a late-model mountain bike -- in your size --
in the deepest jungle, but can also offer offbeat activities that add to the
overall diversity. For example, on a Burmese journey, Latitudes include a unique
sailing segment. You can also strap into a climbing harness for a rainforest
canopy tour in Costa Rica (Active Journeys), saddle up for a camel ride in
Morocco (Backroads) or paddle and underground river by headlamp in Belize
(Slickrock Adventures). A
whirlwind of activity awaits you, but it's all part of a simple theme. As every
traveler knows, it's not just where you go, but how you get there. |
