Adventure travel reviews – are they useful?

You probably ask yourself why would you consider the reviews on this blog, regarding the adventure travel service providers I am continuously testing. Fair question. After all, the internet is full of bloggers, specialized websites with reviews for different destinations, travel agencies, hotels, restaurants and so on. Well, let me tell you why you will find value on this blog.

Certain principles or values are very important to me in everyday life. When choosing to spend my time and money on a holiday, I look for particular aspects that I think are important for an excellent experience. If you find any of these values important for a successful holiday, then we may have something in common.  Moreover, it is very likely that you will find the reviews presented on this blog useful.

Freedom and flexibility

Freedom is one of my core values. When I am evaluating a trip, I will most appreciate the tours that allow you as a traveler to manifest freedom and to be flexible. That means that while every tourist has to comply with certain rules that apply to everyone in the group, and that is normal, I am not a fan of rigid schedules or tyrannic leaders. So, the tours and the guides I will recommend can treat tourists like adults, allowing them to manifest freedom of choice and flexibility. Adventure travel is an area where you, as a traveler, have to be flexible. Schedule, route or activities may change because of weather conditions, so the guides will adapt them to keep the group safe. On the other hand, if there are certain activities that I am not comfortable with doing (for example see my example with the elephant rides in Nepal) I think I should have the option to refuse it. This brings me to the next important value:

Respect

Respect is mostly spotted through behavior. Most of these behaviors I understand to be common sense. So, while traveling I appreciate:

• correct and complete information to be provided – when I buy a trip I would like to have all the information about the activities and important details in advance. In other words, I would like to know what I’m buying.
• The structure: a contract with terms and conditions for example. Or a set of rules on the website that everyone in the group should respect.
• I am not one of those persons who believe the customer is always right. I worked in sales for enough time to know this is not true. From this perspective, I appreciate assertiveness and diplomatic management of situations that could affect the quality of the service provided. Sometimes tourists can manifest a lack of respect when being in a group: they think the rules don’t apply to them, they completely disregard the others, being annoying, late, etc. Sometimes you have to share your trip or space with these people and the quality of your experience will depend on how these situations are managed.

Community

In my explorations, I always pay attention to the people around me. May it be folks I am traveling with, or people from local communities. Local communities help you fully discover a destination and its culture. I support them in any way that I can while being on the road. This starts with buying products from locals and ends with volunteering projects I participate in. Some of the service providers I recommend on this site share the same views. That means they are actively involved in giving back to the community and protecting nature. I mostly appreciate responsible tourism, caring for nature and wildlife. 

Authenticity

Any recommendation you will read is of products and service providers I have tested myself. Being authentic is something I am not willing to negotiate. All the adventure travel reviews are based on personal experience and I will include them on this blog only if I would repeat the experience. 😉

This site contains affiliate links to products and services I use and appreciate. If you buy them using the links in the site, you pay the same price as if you would buy them directly and I get a referral commission. In this way, you will also contribute to the existence of this blog.

Correct value for the price

Having in mind my professional background as a salesperson, I can surely tell you that there is no such thing as a great quality, cheapest price, and exceptional service. Cheap price always comes with a cost. When I am in a customer’s role, I always bear in mind this simple picture :

In order to obtain a good value, you have to decide which are the most important two aspects of the picture above. Because you will be able to have only two.

Especially for the adventure trips, my recommendation is not to look for the cheapest price you can find on the market. What you may not know is that for the cheapest price you probably get less safety (that could mean old equipment, guides that are not certified or inexperienced, etc). When you go on a city break, maybe a shitty hotel is something you can overlook, but when you try adventurous activities, safety is not something you would like to sacrifice.

So, live to the fullest and spend your time and money wisely, on experiences that make you feel alive! I hope that the adventure travel reviews that you will find on this blog help you make a good choice.

Step out of your comfort zone and experience some adventure. 🙂