An activity holiday , also called an adventure holiday, is just what you need if you love outdoor activities and are in need of an active outdoor holiday. If you are wondering “what do I need to know about when booking an activity holiday?” then read on.There are lots of things to consider while you are looking for a great activity holiday.
Activity Holiday Destinations
There are plenty of activity holidays on offer including activities such as mountain biking, skiing, bungee jumping, hot air ballooning, paintballing, safaris, kitesurfing, and scuba diving. One of the first things to consider when choosing an activity holiday is where to go. This depends on the the activity and also your budget. You may find it easier looking for skiing holidays in Canada than skiing holidays in Spain where it is a bit too warm for decent snow. Also, if you don't live near a ski resort, then you will have to consider how to travel to your activity holiday destination.
Travelling to Activity Holidays
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Travel can be easy if you have the money and the resources. If you have your own car, then it opens up the possibility of driving to your activity holiday destination. If you are travelling abroad, you will need to check the laws for that country as to whether you can drive or rent a car. Although you have to be over 17 to drive, if renting a car in the US you have to be over 21.
If have to fly to get to your activity holiday destination, you will have the complexities of getting yourself and your luggage to the airport. If you are going on a snowboarding activity holiday, find out what you need to do to get your prized snowboard there safely. A good tip for mountain bike activity holidays is to talk to your local bike shop first. Your bike will have to go in the hold of the plane as oversized luggage. Bike shops can provide you with one of their old bike packing boxes. This will give your bike some degree of protection. If you have the money, it may be worth borrowing or buying a proper bike transit bag or case. You have to take your bike to the oversize luggage desk when you check in at the airport, and you collect it at the other end on the luggage carousel with all of the other bags.
You will also need to think about insurance. Boring, but essential.
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Travel Insurance for Activity Holidays
By the very nature of an activity holiday, you are most likely to be doing an activity that involves some element of risk. That is what makes it an exciting holiday. When looking at travel insurance, you will need to think about the cost, what it covers, and its terms and conditions. Make sure it covers you in case of having to cancel your activity holiday. Also, if you are ill or have an accident, you will need to have medical insurance. Check to see if it includes being returned home if you are unwell for a long time. If you are taking your own car on your activity holiday, make sure you get in touch with your car insurance company and let them know if that you are travelling abroad. You need a Green Card from your car insurance company if travelling in Europe. They may also give you car breakdown cover for the duration of your holiday.
Accommodation
Your chosen activity for your holiday may be so fantastic that you aren't really bothered about your accommodation. It is worth finding out where you will be staying. There are some great cabins available for skiing holidays. You and a group of friends can stay in a cabin where someone is paid to look after you by cooking all of your meals. After a long day skiing, there's nothing better than to return to a log fire in a cosy cabin and have your dinner waiting for you.
Your choice of places to stay will be affected by your budget. Look around for the best deals on activity holidays.
Staying in Touch on Holiday
Wherever you travel in the world, there is usually the possibility for being able to get in touch with home. It all depends on what technology is available. A Tri-band mobile phone will usually be sufficient, but if your activity holiday takes you away from civilisation, then you may want to let someone know your travel plans.
Photographs
You are bound to take lots of pictures on your activity holiday. Digital cameras are a good way of having immediate results. Make sure that your memory card will cater for th enumber of pictures you will take. You could take more than one card. Think about how you will keep them safe when on a long holiday travelling around the world. If you have access to the internet where you are, you could always upload them onto Google's Picasaweb. This is an online gallery for you to store your photos, and also to enable others to see them if you wish. If your photos are particularly good, you may consider posting them on the Trek Earth website. This is a huge collection of photos from all over the world. They are conveniently sorted by location.
Relaxing Activity Holidays
An activity holiday need not be active. There are plenty of sedate activity holidays to choose from including art and wine tasting. France and Italy have some great scenery, and there are plenty of art and painting holidays available. If you are old enough, then you may actually prefer to sample a wine tasting holiday!
Whatever sort of activity holiday you choose, look for discounts wherever you go. The ISE Card is highly recommended and gives you discounts all over the world.
Read our article on International Youth Discount Cards for some useful information on worldwide discounts.
For an ever growing list of activity holiday ideas, have a look in the Active Outdoors “activity ideas” section.
Some of the key activity holiday websites include:
Before you go, ensure that you have your currency and travellers cheques ready. Check your passport is valid and whether you need visas! Whatever you do, we hope you have a fabulous activity holiday.
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