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Posts Tagged ‘Active’

There seems to be a whole vocabulary for those who sell travel. Active travel, adventure travel, leisure travel, eco-tourism. Do you really need to know what it all means? Not really. In the grand scheme of things you define your own travel style, and it might change from day to day.

You might go to an island and select to sit on the beach one day, and go scuba diving the next. You might spend a day in the spa that resort has down in a palm grove and go cycle riding the next. You’re active one day and quiet as a slug the next.

But if you are signing up for a tour, you should find out what that particular tour operator means when they state active travel. In general, an active tour will focus more on travel and transportation that requires physical activity… travel or cycling as opposed to riding along in a van or bus.

Most tours that start into this category have a lot of outdoor activities.

OK, you say, but you can do a lot of travel if you’re sightseeing in a huge city.

You’re right, even museum tours or garden tours can give you a workout, but active travel sort of indicates that you will be outdoors and biking or hiking or rafting or even horseback riding.

Some companies spell it out for you pretty well… they’ll tell you the activity level that will be required for the whole tour…

Will there be a lot of hiking or walking? For how many hours or how many miles or kilometers. Will there be lots of stairs or hills to climb? They might even have a “scoring” system all the way from simple to difficult… of course, you need to know what their definition of simple is!

A trekking company, for instance, might state Level One, or Simple is 3-5 hours of travel up to six miles a day with low altitude…. While Level Four or Strenuous is 5-8 hours of hiking in mountainous terrain at higher elevations.

Will you be staying in hotels? Or mountain huts where you share a bunkhouse arrangement with other travelers? Or will you be camping…. sleeping in tents? Your tour operator should give you an intent of the type of accommodations you can anticipate from rugged or spartan to luxury. You could be going on an African expedition in the middle of the Kalahari, but if you stayed in a tent at Jack’s Camp, you would definitely find yourself reveling in the luxury category… and still be active in your travels.

You might even find that you relieve more “workaday” anxieties and frustrations with active vacations than you would just sitting on the beach, intake and drinking the night away. Activity is good for you, and sometimes it leaves you just a tiny exhausted and more relaxed at the end of the day.

Brochures might use the terms active or adventure travel interchangeably. We think of adventure travel as a tiny more of a reach…. something that is more apt to get you a tiny out of your comfort zone. Active travel doesn’t necessarily do that…. but it might make you break a sweat.

And what’s wrong with that?

More Travel Articles

Where is the active senior heading for vacation? The choices have never been more numerous. While there are many pass destinations that only a few years ago were unheard of, other pass spots have updated in order to become more captivating to seniors.

Overall, seniors this day are healthier and more active than ever before. Visiting new places and experiencing new activities is doable for many of today’s seniors. Of course, relaxation is still of prime importance, which is why all-inclusive vacations are still popular.

All-inclusive vacations are great for active seniors for a variety of reasons. Because everything is included in the price, including airfare and meals, it is simple for the senior to plan and budget for the trip. Many all-inclusive vacations grant the nonworker to select from a variety of activities as well. This means that the active senior can select to play tennis or golf, ride bicycles or scuba dive, while other participants partake in spa activities or shopping. In the past, choices in all-inclusive vacations could be restrictive, but today, it is unlikely that the senior will be forced to participate in an activity that does not interest them.

All-inclusive vacations are acquirable on resorts or cruises, in all areas of the world. If you are interested in a particular area, it is very likely that there is an all-inclusive pass to that spot. What to know before scheduling an all-inclusive vacation? Be sure that you comprehend what all is included in the vacation. While it might be necessary for you to pay airfare from a smaller city where you live to a travel hub in a massive city, if there are a variety of “extras” or optional expenses, it should raise a red flag that perhaps this particular all-inclusive pass is perhaps not the ideal pass for you.

Another favourite choice for active seniors is a volunteer vacation. A volunteer pass grants you to visit a different part of the world, learn about the culture, and help others, while still reserving time for relaxation and recreation. Activities for volunteer vacations run the gamut from counting bird eggs to helping kids learn to read. There are options in the United Says as well as many foreign countries. Don’t think that you don’t have skills that are needed. While some volunteers find opportunities to work in the field they were in prior to retirement, there are many opportunities for volunteers with no specialized training.

How to select the right volunteer pass for you? It is important to do volunteer work that you are interested in. If you aren’t an animal lover, counting turtle eggs probably will not interest you that much, even if it is on a beautiful beach. Of course, this does not mean that you should only volunteer for a charity that you are already familiar with. If the work piques your curiosity, and sounds intriguing to you, it will probably be a good vacation. The volunteer work is only one part of the vacation.

How will you spend your off hours? Even though some volunteer vacations are in extremely poor areas with no amenities, it is doable to find a volunteer pass that grants you to work part of the day, and spend the rest of the day resting on the beach, hiking in the woods or enjoying excellent meals. If you have a strong view about what you need for a successful vacation, such as a certain level of accommodations or food preferences, it is important to talk with the pass company primeval in your trip planning, to make sure that it is possible. The most important thing that you can do to ensure you have a good time on your volunteer pass is to talk with others who have finished these vacations and ask if they feel that the company accurately represented the pass to them.

Learning vacations are another favourite choice with seniors. These vacations are a terrific intent for seniors who have not been intellectually stimulated since retiring from the workforce. A learning pass typically devotes several hours a day to honing a particular skill, and the remainder of the time exploring the countryside, taking part in spa treatments, or resting on your own. The things that you can learn on these vacations are limitless; you can take cooking classes in France, horseback riding lessons in Ireland, or language lessons in Spain. Lessons are acquirable for all experience levels, from the rank newbie to the expert looking to hone their skills.

What should senior citizens look for in a learning vacation? Again, talk with past customers of the company you plan to use. If others were satisfied with their experience, and would go on another pass with the same company, that is a pretty strong testimonial. Also, think about what the recreational options are for the trip. It is simple to think that you will be so involved in the learning process that you will not have time to go sight-seeing, but these vacations are specifically designed to wage amble down time, and if you don’t have a plan for how to spend it, you might find yourself painfully bored. An experienced learning pass company will know exactly what recreational activities are perfect for seniors and are acquirable in apiece area. Formulate a plan about how to spend your day, taking into statement your interests and activity level, take plenty of photos and have a great time!

Laos is a country that offers plenty of challenging terrain, interesting sites and activities for the adventurous. You can kayak or go boating down the Mekong, trek through jungles atop an elephant, go exploring and even rock-climbing in limestone caves, hike mountains in search of remote and ancient temple ruins or camp out in wildlife conservation parks.

Below on this Laos Country Guide is some useful travel information for visitors contemplating a trip to Laos, including recommendations on where and when to go, visa requirements, money used, information about Laos food and drink as well as a handy Travellers’ Dos and Don’ts list.

Traveller Dos and Don’ts

- Do dress modestly when entering temples, museums, official buildings and government offices; no shorts or sleeveless shirts, tank tops or beach wear.

Shorts that cover the thighs are acceptable everywhere else. Be clean and neat in appearance whenever possible.
- Do like the locals and keep your sense of time flexible. Anticipating punctuality will often lead to frustration.
- Do remove shoes when entering temples and homes (it is convenient to wear slip-ons or sandals)
- Don’t point your feet towards people or Buddha images. When sitting in a temple, keep legs together and to the side in a mermaid position.
- Do think about leaving a small donation when visiting temples.
- Don’t take photos posing with Buddha images, handle, climb or sit on them
- Don’t, if you are a woman, touch monks, hand them objects, sit with or speak to them outside of temples. Any offerings need to pass through the hands of a man first.
- Do ask permission before taking photos of people, particularly in villages outside the cities where the people might have superstitions against being photographed.
- Don’t touch people or kids on their heads.
- Don’t lose your temper in public – talking loudly and angrily is often counterproductive.
- Don’t engage in public displays of affection.
- Do greet someone who is greeting you – by nop, handshake or a polite bow and smile – but don’t offer a kiss!
- Do respect the Laos’ interpersonal space – there is tiny physical contact or closeness between individuals who are not family.
- Don’t be surprised if someone goes right past you to get to something first – Laos generally do not queue up for anything.
- Do bargain for goods in markets and shops (except where there are fixed prices) but do so with a good attitude and smile. Prices are generally not inordinately high to start with as they might be in other Asian cities.

Visas and Passports

Passports

Passport with at least six months remaining validity required by everyone who enters Laos.

Visas

Required by all nationals from the UK, Australia, Canada, USA and EU countries.

Visa stipulations are subject to change and you should check with your embassy to check the latest visa requirements.

Visas on arrival are for 30 days for most nationalities and this can be extended a max of two times for up to 30 days apiece time.

The Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that visas can be issued upon arrival in Laos to tourists at the following ports of entry: Wattay Airport in Vientiane; Pakse and Luang Prabang Airports; Friendship Bridges in Vientiane and Savannakhet; and land-border crossings at Boten, Huay Xai and Chong Mek.

Visa Cost

Visa cost ranges from (China) to (Canada). Sweden is , for the USA, UK and most of Europe, for India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and for Australia. The full list is on display at the Visa Application window.

Validity

All visas are issued for single entry and must be used within two months of date of issue.

Applications to: Consulate (or consular section at embassy) or an officially recognized tour operator. A visa valid for Laos can also be obtained from travel agencies in port (Thailand) or on arrival.

Active Travel Laos (http://www.activetravellaos.com) is member of ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA offers a wide selection of Laos adventure tours, including hiking and trekking, kayaking, biking, motorcycling, overland touring and family travel packages. The travel packages and custom itineraries will take travelers through exotic destinations to really experience the culture, history and nature of Laos.