Trip Alertz For Jetsetters, By Jetsetters
One of the best signs that things are getting back to normal after a difficult year is that the travel industry is taking off yet again. Even if there are still plenty of precautions to take, it’s great that you can find deals and still take that trip of a lifetime. If you’ve been wanting to cross some things off your bucket list, there’s no better time to do it. Here are some of the best experiences that most people don’t bother taking, which means instead of having to fight your way through crowds, you might just have to fight through some of your fears.
Kayaking With The Whales
Seeing these massive mammals from a large boat or ship can be very exciting, but you can really up the excitement levels by downsizing your craft to a single seat piece of plastic. In certain places around the world – like Newfoundland, Canada, or off the coast of Portugal – you can visit serene bays that can handle a kayak, and are also a haven for whales. After a bit of safety training – and making sure you can handle yourself without toppling over – a guide can take you and your friends out for a chance to have whales get nice and close.
Several varieties of whales can be spotted (such as humpback and right species), and it is an incredible moment when you see a burst of water suddenly erupt out from the surface, signifying their blowhole. There’s no guarantee that they will come much closer, but because you almost certainly are making any sudden movements – at least none that will be detected below the surface – you might find them right below you, nudging your kayak out of curiosity. The best thing is, travelling to these locations doesn’t require you to be a trans sugar baby to afford it. Many places are already popular tourist destinations, so slotting in an exciting afternoon for this activity is not that difficult.
Bungee Jumping off A Bridge
No one is going to deny that going into free fall for a few hundred feet on the end of a giant rubber band is extreme, but fairgrounds or amusement parks that offer this experience don’t hold a candle to diving into a valley below from a bridge. Even as virtual experiences improve for everything from virtual reality to RPG sex games, the lack of real dangers means the heart just won’t race the same way.
it’s a wild way to ‘get back to nature’ while taking full advantage of technology that can help you survive an extreme leap. There aren’t many experiences that can compete, and being able to add it to your usual vacation will really kick it up a notch. While New Zealand certainly has some great spots, even Innsbruck, Austria offers some great bungee-bridge locations. Just plan ahead to be ready to fill out plenty of responsibility waivers, and hope for good weather.
Driving Across the Australian Outback
This isn’t going to get you the same sort of immediate excitement as bungee jumping, but the challenge is certainly going to make up for it. Australia is known for its wonderful coastal cities like Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, but also the emptiness of the centre of the country, the vast, desert-like outback. With the exception of Alice Springs, a small city of twenty-five thousand people, there are very tiny towns and homesteads that are sometimes separated by hundreds of kilometres of wilderness.
Despite its barren terrain, it is certainly photogenic. There is some unique and dangerous wildlife, but it is mostly the endless expanse of small bushes and dirt roads that captivate you. The few landmarks certainly stand out, and that’s why Ayer’s Rock and Kata Tjuta are world-renowned rock formations that rise out of the ground and can be seen from many kilometres away (and are still hundreds of kilometres from anything resembling civilization).
Being able to travel across this will require plenty of supplies because there aren’t many places to stop, and you will be travelling mostly on dirt roads, some of which are not regularly maintained. This means that driving a 4×4 vehicle and being familiar enough with changing tires is a must. Bringing three litres of water per person is essential, and dried foods like beef jerky and trail mix are great snacks when you need to get an energy boost in a pinch.
A Winter Dip in an Icelandic Hot Spring
It might sound the very opposite of extreme, but heading to Iceland in the winter means you are going to be ensconced in darkness for nearly twenty hours a day. It is a great chance to see the Northern Lights when the sky is clear. Even better is when you can do it just by wearing a bathing suit in a piping hot all-natural spring. There is the famous Blue Lagoon, conveniently located between Reykjavik and the international airport. It doesn’t take much to indulge, as there are swim-up bars in the pool so you can sip on some sparkling wine as you relax. It might not be heart-pounding, but it will certainly be a wild time you can’t wait to tell everyone else about.
The rest of Iceland is also very exciting and scenic, although you might have a hard time taking it all in under the moon. Since there are less than half a million people in the country, the entire Icelandic experience can be a rather personal one. Reykjavik is the capital and really packs a punch for its size. There are plenty of bars and clubs and museums, and the fact that they are all on the small side means it’s easy to meet locals and tourists alike.
