Adventure travel – a lifelong passion
By Jeremy Branham on Aug 03, 2010 with Comments 11
Guest post by Ted Nelson – Part I
Healthy for the body and mind
Adventure travel is a healthy activity for both the body and the mind. Whether it is hiking, canoeing, cross-country skiing or another activity it is usually something that requires a work out and a skill. Eighty percent of the U.S. population is now centered in cities and suburbs and with the rise of the computer more people are losing touch with the outdoors. This is unfortunate because as life gets more complicated and stressful we are losing touch with an aspect of life that helps relieve stress and soothes the soul.
Adventure travel is budget travel
Adventure travel is usually a form of budget travel, unless payment of $60,000 is forked over for a guided hike to the summit of Mount Everest. Usually, adventure travel is a form of budget travel as adventurers spend their nights in $12.00 campgrounds or even for free in a back country tent.
Favorite destinations
My favorite adventure travel destinations in North America consist of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Everglades, and Quetico Provincial Park in Canada. These are three very diverse ecosystems with a mountain range, a vast river of grass flowing through the bottom half of Florida to the ocean, and a sea of pine trees, granite rock, and lakes.
Tips for adventure travel beginners
For those just starting out, the best way to begin is to start off slowly like in every activity. Find a local state park and camp with a tent close to the car. Experience is the best teacher and the new adventure traveler will learn from mistakes and what equipment is needed by trial and error. My website and many others have tips for those that would prefer not to learn the hard way.
Ted Nelson has been adventure traveling since he was 10 years old following around his dad. He has gone hiking, canoeing, and cross-country skiing all over the Chicago area, America, and the world. Ted has been charged by a wild elephant in Thailand, has canoed with alligators in the Florida Everglades, and recently competed and wrote about the elite American cross-country ski marathon, the 54 kilometer Birkebeiner in Hayward, Wisconsin. He has brought his over 30 years of outdoor adventure experience as the Chicago Adventure Travel Examiner and his Traveling Ted adventure travel website.
Follow him on twitter @travelingted
Stay tuned for an interview with Ted in Part II!
Filed Under: Guest posts and interviews • Hiking




I'm Jeremy Branham and I love to travel. Check out my travel stories, guides, sports travels, and adventures.


That’s right. More people are centered in city central and loosing ability to contact with nature.
Thumbs up to both of you!
Most of activities you mention is not available at Korea, but we sure do have lots of mountains. I’m more interested in hiking then before I started travel blog. Now I meet many people doing easy hiking, like you, it looks fun. Adventure travel, hiking are overrated, sometimes.
I should go out more! In the woods, on the sand.
Nice article!
Great article! Love to see others enjoying the adventures of travel. I also love the Smoky Mountains as well as the Alps and the Rockies for hiking. I think the best kayaking was in Monterey Bay and the Chesapeake Bay. You both have me ready for my trip in October — a hike and horseback trail in Death Valley and Sequia National Park. Come Jan or Feb it is off to South Africa.
Well put, Ted. Adventures, after all, are often close at hand, just waiting to be discovered. All it takes is people who are willing to leave their daily routines behind – and people like you to encourage them.
Michael
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