Adventure travel news - March
Latest news
A gap year can make a CV look more impressive and give young people the chance to figure out their vocation, according to the creator of gapyear.com
Tom Griffiths said that employers appreciated the fact candidates returning from a gap year had taken time to make an informed choice about what they want to do after leaving school.
"If you have done something interesting or valuable during a gap year - that is head and shoulders above those who have literally gone straight out of university," he added.
Results from a recent travel insurance survey which found 62 per cent of holidaymakers willing to go abroad without cover have been described as shocking by an industry manager.
Holidaymakers under 30 were the worst offenders with over half admitting they would travel without any insurance, according to a survey conducted by Moneysupermarket.com.
Eight per cent of all people polled said they never cover themselves when going on holiday.
With 2009 named "Year of the Gorilla" by the UN, Uganda offers travellers a rare experience to come face-to-face with these primates in their natural habitat.
The wildlife authority in Uganda has recently introduced two new troops of mountain gorillas to the forests, which has doubled the number of visitors granted the privilege of seeing this endangered species in the wild.
The next generation of tourists will be travelling more and are more "environmentally conscious" according to an American Express director.
Young people who reached working age in the last four to five years - Generation Y- are more aware of what is going on in the world thanks to a better grasp of technology.
Director of global financial services at airports for American Express Avinash Lalwani said: "This generation is always online and always stay connected. [They are] going to come in big time in two years and they will be travelling a lot more."
Conventional holidays are out this year as holidaymakers opt for destinations where their money will go further, according to Expedia.
Brits are choosing to avoid places with an unfavourable exchange rate - such as Europe and the US - and are looking to south-east Asia, claims head of product marketing at Expedia, Jonathan Cudworth.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), is predicting 14 million foreign visitors in 2009 - which some say is a conservative estimate as some 14.46 million people visited the country in 2007.
A host of cultural and sporting events are about to kick off in Cape Town and now is the ideal time to take a trip, according to a Telegraph travel writer.
The newspaper''s Graham Boynton wrote that the "shoulder season" months of April and May offer "usually excellent" weather and attractive exchange rates make South Africa "one of the best-value destinations on the planet".
"In the bleak, depressing times in the northern hemisphere, Cape Town stands out as a beacon of sun-drenched optimism at a competitive price," he added.
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve in the north-west of Costa Rica "has all senses of the word ''green'' covered", according to a New York Times travel writer.
With almost a third of the country''s land mass dedicated to reserves and national parks, Ethan Todras-Whitehall described Monteverde as a "Disneyland for ecotourists".
High up in the clouds, the forest is home to over 1,000 varieties of flora and an abundance of wildlife including birds, monkeys, reptiles and wild cats.
New research has revealed that travellers would be prepared to spend a little bit extra on their holidays if it meant that they could experience a different culture to their own.
According to figures published by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), 57 per cent of respondents to a survey said they would be willing to do this as opposed to simply taking an average package tour.
However, the location of the break was also important, with 56 per cent of women and 51 per cent of men saying they would opt for an exotic holiday location in order to have their new experiences in style.
People intending to go on gap year adventures during 2009 have been urged to plan ahead to make sure that their trip is a success.
This is the advice of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which pointed out that running out of money or going without travel insurance could spoil an otherwise life-changing trip, particularly if something unplanned should occur.
The organisation found that 41 per cent of gap year travellers do not always take out travel cover before they head abroad, which could prove costly in the long-term.
For anyone looking for reasonably-priced holidays this Easter, a trip to the Aegean Coast of Turkey could be just the ticket.
This is the advice of the Vancouver Sun''s Ruby Turner, writing in response to a question from a reader who wanted a destination that was low-cost, but also provided plenty to do.
Ms Turner said that Aegean resorts such as Altinkum have everything from beaches and walking trails to historical sites, but won''t break the bank.
"There are a variety of options for exploring the coastline and the ancient city of Ephesus," she added.
