How to Plan Your Next Adventure Vacation!

Taking an adventure vacation is the chance of a lifetime to get away, relax, explore, & experience a different destination foreign to your own. Whether you spend it with family, friends, or by yourself—it’s sure to rejuvenate and provide refuge from the stress in your world. To create a personal excursion that is memorable and exciting, you must travel prepared with all the necessary items & activities that need to be scouted before heading off on the adventure. There are more risks and inherent dangers when planning this type of trip so it’s even more important to plan accordingly.

Plan Ahead and Have Many Travel Options

If you already have a destination in mind, it is always clever to check out the flight details of your desired trip dates. Unless you use your own vehicle for a road trip, you need to book early (but not too early) to have flexibility and get reasonable rates. Depending on the time of year (and as long as there are no holidays or special events) we find the best time to purchase tickets is 3 weeks to 2 months prior to the departure date. If you’re flexible, try changing the departure and/or arrival dates by one day; you can save 100’s of dollars! Buying plane tickets at the last minute is almost always way more expensive and not worth the risk.

Another benefit to planning ahead, especially for the worker bees out there, is the convenience of scheduling for vacation days & making sure they are approved with enough time to plan. Putting your vacation request off can cause a whole lot of stress for you, your company, and your potentially angry boss!

Bottom line, keeping your travel options open but the necessary dates confirmed early will make the rest of the planning process that much easier.

Make a List of Items to Bring

No matter how short or long your trip is, you will never go wrong writing down the things you think you will need for the trip. Google is a great way to search for packing lists that fellow adventurers have already created for us! It’s also wise to research the basic weather conditions of your adventure destination. Base your style of clothing to the climate. Toss in some sunscreen no matter where you go. Always pack a light jacket and umbrella for those isolated showers even if the weather is supposed to be hot. Foreign climates can be less straightforward than they appear!

Don’t forget the toiletries & especially your prescription medication. When it comes to drugs, some countries have excellent healthcare and others DO NOT. Don’t risk it and get stuck wasting days at the hospital and thousands of dollars on medication you could have packed. This is especially important on an active adventure trip since the chances of injury are a lot higher (but well worth it in our opinion!) Visit a local travel clinic to get vaccines required for your trip. We recommend that everyone get Hep A & Hep B regardless of where you go. For more information on vaccines for your trip check out the CDC website (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention). You should pack emergency gear (first aid kid, satellite phone, etc) and a survival guide for unexpected situations. Carry a compass & all maps in & around the destination. When going on an adventure exploration, stock up on fluids and extra compact food—even simple walking tours in mild weather conditions can de-hydrate you let alone intense trekking excursions.

More on Research…

Before your trip, check out the tourist highlights of your destination. Even though it’s in the Lonely Planet Guide book does not mean YOU will enjoy it. For adventure lovers, more research may be needed on the “off the beaten path” destinations & activities.

For inexperienced travelers planning a trip that may be crossing their comfort level, hiring a guide will ensure not only a safe trip, but a memorable one as well. Guides often enhance your experience in every way by providing more information than you could know and adding a human element to everything you experience.

On an adventure vacation, it is of utmost priority to keep yourself and your company safe from the would-be, unexpected dangers you could encounter along the way.

In the End…

Exploratory trips that are planned on your own are our favorite type of vacations. They often lead to memorable experiences with locals and off the beaten track encounters that bus tours and large tour operators cannot provide. It’s hard to find a real adventure trip with a larger company. You need to plan your own trip or join our travel club and explore with us! PhotoFly Travel Club brings the adventure that you simply will not get with large group tours.