The phrase ‘extreme sports’ only came into use in the 1990s, probably thanks to the first television coverage of organised events like the X Games. Many enthusiasts actually dislike the term, arguing that most typical activities such as bungee jumping, hang gliding and ice climbing are not ’sports’ in the sense of competing against others to win something, and the ‘extreme’ tag just smacks of mid-90s advertising hype.

Whatever you prefer to call it, extreme sports is a loose and ill-defined category which can include fairly mainstream pastimes like inline skating, BMX biking and snowboarding, (activities which can all involve elaborate spins, stunts and tricks) as well as more ‘out-there’ pursuits such as BASE jumping, freediving, zorbing, swooping, kite landboarding, volcano gliding, shark diving, octopus wrestling, nude parasailing, mafioso cuckolding (alright, that one’s not real).

Just as some of these fall out of fashion – for instance, octopus wrestling is now considered cruel – new sports and clubs are growing up all the time, although several are tongue-in-cheek parodies such as extreme wheelbarrow and the celebrated extreme ironing. Skateboarding and snowboarding, or ’snurfing’ as it was originally called, have been popular since their inception in the 1950s and 60s, while kite surfing can trace its origins back to thirteenth-century China when kites were used, just like sails on boats, to harness the power of the wind and allow streamlined, one-man canoes to go much faster for practical reasons, not just fun!

With so much choice and interest in these previously niche activities, it’s unsurprising that an industry is springing up around extreme sports instruction and adventure holidays, where novices can learn the basics of a sport and then let loose their adventurous spirits in a supervised environment. These experiences could be the ideal gift for the ‘person who has everything’; don’t you know someone who’d rather spend their honeymoon in a cage in the Indian Ocean baiting great white sharks, than admiring their new toaster? Don’t we all?! How about bouncing down a hill in a three-metre, transparent PVC ball, with or without the optional water, and other people, inside it? It’s called zorbing, and it’s seriously taking off as the latest way to spend a fun weekend, from New Zealand to Bournemouth

Here, you need to follow certain travel tips in order to make sure that you enjoy a great adventurous trip and come back safe and with wonderful memory of the expedition. The reason is that adventure expedition involves a great amount of risk due to the activities like trekking, hiking paragliding, snorkeling, rafting and mountaineering.

Here are some wonderful tips for your adventure tour. Follow these tips to enjoy the best of what you can during your expedition.

a) Physical activity:

It is extremely important to consider the amount of physical activity that you would like to involve in. If you want to simply travel across the world and have a look at exquisite places across the globe then you don’t require to possess extraordinary health fitness. If you are looking forward to enjoy the adventure like the trekking, hiking or mountaineering, then you require to be in the perfect state of health. The reason is that these activities require a good amount of physical exertion. Keep this in mind when you plan your adventure travel.

b) Activities:

Make a list of all the activities you want to involve in while on an adventure tour. Decide the activities you want to indulge in while you are on an adventure travel. This will let you plan your travel wisely and also allow you to enjoy the tour.

c) Shop comparatively:

You need to shop comparatively to avail great prices when on a adventure tour. You need to spend some days or even weeks to make a research on different adventure travel organizations and operators. This way, you will be able to get the best price. Try to compare the services, prices and then negotiate on the price quoted to you.

d) Set a budget:

You need to work within your stipulated budget in order to enjoy your adventure tour. Plan a budget and stick to it.

e) Terms and conditions:

Get a copy of the travel operator’s terms and conditions in black and white. Review the policies carefully.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Manik

Are you an extremist looking for an adventure of a lifetime on your honeymoon? Throw in a little romance, a little danger and the great outdoors, and send yourselves off on an adventure honeymoon you’ll never forget!

So, you’ve decided that you want a honeymoon that you’ll never forget–one that will take your breath away while adding a little romance to your new marriage? Well, there are many great destinations for outdoor adventure sports–both in the states and abroad–but if you’ve got the cabbage, you may want to consider some exotic destinations. After all, you only live once, right?

To determine the locale of your great adventure, and whether or not you can afford to traipse off to some distant exotic destination for your getaway, you’ll first need to decide on a honeymoon budget. This will help you to determine if you’ll be going to the plains of the Serengeti or Yellow Stone National Park.

Next, you’ll want to determine your skill level and ambition for adventure activities. Are you just an avid hiker, or have you climbed to the summit of Mt. Everest five times–without oxygen?

Once you’ve decided your skill level, you’ll need to choose an activity. You and your new spouse may want to go mountain climbing, rock climbing, skydiving, or, heck, you may even want to try an extreme sport! Just consider some of the specific activities that you might enjoy (or would like to try) and go for it! The sky’s the limit on the fun that you and your spouse will have on your adventure. Plus, as an added extra bonus, your adventure-packed honeymoon can be a terrific bonding experience for the two of you.

Not sure that you’ll be able to fund the honeymoon of your dreams? You may want to consider setting up a travel wedding registry. There are several around. You may also want to register with sports-related stores for gifts to bring along on your honeymoon too.

The key here is to plan your honeymoon well in advance so that you have time to ask for what you really want as a wedding gift from your guests. Would you rather have a toaster or a scuba adventure?

But, if you find–after you’ve researched the possibilities–that you prefer a more low-key, secluded honeymoon, out in the great outdoors, that’s OK too. There are lots of options available for you and your new spouse to escape–no matter what your budget. Again, the sky’s the limit.

Last, don’t forget to send out beautifully printed thank you cards for the wedding gifts you received when you return from your honeymoon. No matter what you end up doing on your honeymoon, you’ll want to tell everyone how much fun you had!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lisa_Bakewell

Firstly, it is generally safest to book Costa Rica adventure tours through the hotel you are staying at if they offer such a service because it helps to protect you should anything go wrong. Speak to others who have been to Costa Rica and you will likely hear a number of stories of innocent tourists like you signing up for an adventure tour, paying their money in advance (which can come to several hundred dollars depending on what you want to do) and then being left high and try as a dodgy tout suddenly disappears and leaves you with nothing.

By booking through your hotel you can be reasonably sure that the adventure tour operators are legitimate because any problems in the past will hopefully have been ironed out by previous guests. For a further level of protection, Costa Rica is full of tourists, particularly in high season (January to April) so don’t be afraid to ask for advice from others by going into bars or restaurants and asking where people are staying, what trips they’ve done and what they would recommend.

I spoke to several American tourists while I was there and did my best to point them in the right directions.

The other thing to bear in mind about Costa Rica adventure tours is that the selection available is likely to be much, much wider in a more tourist driven area than a quieter, country area.

For example, Arenal is awash with adventure tour companies offering just about anything under the sun while some quiet, seaside areas might offer virtually nothing as the few tourists they do get are happy to just lounge on the beach.

Arenal, Monte Verde, Jaco, Tamarindo and so on, as the more tourist-driven areas, are the places to head to for adventure!

So what sorts of activities are available to you in Costa Rica?

Zip Lines – Long cables slung through rain forest along which you fly. Some of these cables are amazing. You end one on a platform in a tree, reattach yourself to the next one and off you go through the treetops again. It’s great fun and a fantastic way to see the rain forest from a different perspective but isn’t cheap – and isn’t for those scared of heights!

Rapelling – Think along the lines of abseiling down waterfalls. Yes, it is that mad. You will get soaked. It’s dangerous. But it’s also great fun. Make sure you have a complete change of clothes for the next day – too many people I met had got their only pair of shoes soaked and either had to wear them wet or try wearing flip flops the next day when trying to rock climb or something.

Rafting – There are several good-sized rivers in Costa Rica on which you and a small team of other adventure seekers can raft down in inflatable boats. Again, expect to get very, very wet.

Hanging Bridges – Possibly a little more sedate, these bridges are slung between trees but have high sides and are safe for people of all ages to walk across. You can actually look down on birds and monkeys in the canopy which is really nice and is something the whole family can do together.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Adams

If you’re in Egypt why not try climbing Mount Sinai? It is the biblical mount upon which Moses was summoned by God to receive the laws for all of mankind in the form of two stone tablets. A sacred place for Muslims, Christians and Jews alike, climbing Mount Sinai isn’t a pastime solely for the devout.

Although both Israel and Saudi Arabia also purport to have found the sacred mountain within their respective borders, it’s Egypt’s Mount Sinai which draws the masses every single night, literally in their thousands.

WHERE?
In the Protectorate of Saint Katherine, 100km inland from the Red Sea coast on Egypt’s dusty Sinai Peninsular. Six hours from Sharm El Sheik, two Hours from Dahab, or ten hours from Cairo.

Buses connect all the major cities in Egypt to Sharm El Sheik, from where there is a direct public bus to Saint Katherine’s, the closest town to the biblical mountain.

Most other resort towns in Sinai (Nuweiba, Dahab, Taba etc) also have direct transfers to the mountain which can be arranged privately through local hotels and travel agencies.

HOW?
Climbing the 2285m peak is an achievable goal for most able bodied adults. Few people are forced to turn back, it just takes some a little bit longer than others.

Most people complete the trek in about three hours; two hours on a relatively easy camel track, and one hour on a more challenging set of uneven stone steps. Even stopping regularly it’s unlikely to take the walker any longer than 3.5 hours to complete the trek, which means that there’s plenty of time to make use of the many mud hut-cum cafes which line the route.

If you do find yourself running out of steam half way up, there’s plenty of Bedouin waiting around with camels, only too happy to give you a ride to the top in their “air-conditioned taxi” for the right price.

WHEN?
Most people choose to reach the mountain’s summit at a time when the sun is either rising or setting. That means beginning the climb at 2/3pm or 2/3am depending on the time of year.

By far the most popular way of doing it is by night. Something about following a candle lit line of pilgrims as they snake their way up the mountain trails under a star filled night time sky is pretty inspiring even for the most ardent non-believable. That, plus the fact that hiking up the mountain in the day is just too damn hot, makes the night time trek the pilgrimage of choice.

You can climb the mountain all year round, but be warned it can get mighty cold, especially in the winter. Although it’s possible to hire blankets very cheaply at the summit, during the winter months you’ll want to take everything you’ve got in the way of jumpers, hats, gloves and scarves..

WHY?
To earn karmic points, bond with fellow travellers, work off some calories, or just get away from the madness of some of Egypt’s towns and cities, there’s plenty of reasons to climb Mount Sinai.

But at the very least, watching from the summit as the sun starts to reveal for the first time to your tired eyes the splendour of Sinai’s mountains and valleys is simply reward enough.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tariq_Elkashef

I just received a phone call yesterday from a friend of mine who was tired of the working rat race. He traded in his jeep for a van and got himself a Western Hemisphere map. Currently he is in Ensenada, surfing the waves and meeting new friends. His plan is to travel from Mexico, through Central and South America and make a final stop in Argentina or Brazil. He has been on this trip for more than a month and he is only made it to Ensenada. He has a long way to go on his journey, but he doesn’t have any hurry. He has volunteered for a week at an orphanage and he is going to take some Spanish classes these coming weeks. It is an adventure that most people dream about but never do.

Another friend of mine, was laid off from his job a few months ago, and could not find another job. Instead of feeling sorry for himself and moping around the house, he took a three month trip to Eastern Europe. He visited historic sites, and made it as far as Turkey. He had taken similar trips to Australia, New Zealand, and Western Europe in the past. Now he is back in Seattle, working again and probably planning his next big trip.

A good friend of mine took a road trip last year with his pickup truck, his dog and a road map. He drove from Las Vegas to Seattle where I live, but he took two weeks to do it. He stopped along as many coastal and inland stops and camping spots as he could. By the time he made it to my house he was ready for a nice home cooked meal and a shower. He has also been known to hop planes to Costa Rica, Amsterdam, and New York for the heck of it.

Travel is a way to find yourself and discover that the world is connected and the world is wondrous. When you do travel you should go with the expectation of finding something great and new to you. I was 16 the first time I arrived in Mexico City. My eyes were popping out of my head. Every corner provided a new site, sound and smell. I was a kid from a small town in the Northern corner of Washington State. I couldn’t believe my senses as we drove around a city of more than twenty two million inhabitants. From then on, I was hooked on exploring the world.

I know there are many people out there who have told the same stories. “I can’t afford it.” “I don’t have time.” “I have kids, so I can’t travel.” These are just stories. You can find a way to travel, even if it means driving to the next state over and visiting some sites. Instead of putting the down payment on that new car, go to Europe for a week. Instead of buying a new sofa set for your living room, it is time to go to Southern California. Instead of using your tax return money for a big screen television, you should go to the Caribbean on a cruise. Why would you want to watch somebody else’s adventure on a big screen television, when you could doing your own adventure? Get you and your family a passport and start planning where you really want to go. Get the family excited and start a saving fund. If you get in the habit of taking trips at least once a year, you can open up your horizons and enrich your life.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Donn_Kirst