Is the world overrun with tourists? No sense of adventure left?

[Muse]

- rant snip -

Basically anyone who trained for 6 months on a stair stepper, thinks they are fit enough to attempt to climb to the top of the world. People have littered the mountain with trash and hundreds attempt every year with little or no high alt climbing experience.

What do you guys think, is the world overrun with tourists?

This is cynical, I understand that it's based in large part on reality, however I assure you that the spirit of adventure is alive and well in some of us. I recommend this book, the author proves in depth my assertion:

Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston

It's a great read, I couldn't put it down.

 

[JMapleton]

If you think there are no adventures left, I can only conclude you're not very adventurous and have not looked off the beaten path.

My problem is, you could be in the most remote jungles, with your machete cutting through leaves, dodging poisonous snakes, romping through swamps. And then....when you get to a clearing, you see these guys, with their Starbucks in one hand and iPhones in the other:

http://virginiatrails.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/thru-hikers-blog.jpg

 

[Gunslinger08]

My problem is, you could be in the most remote jungles, with your machete cutting through leaves, dodging poisonous snakes, romping through swamps. And then....when you get to a clearing, you see these guys, with their Starbucks in one hand and iPhones in the other:

http://virginiatrails.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/thru-hikers-blog.jpg

This is like hardcore gamers who whine that people who play Madden or CoD aren't real gamers.

 

[mikeymikec]

My problem is, you could be in the most remote jungles, with your machete cutting through leaves, dodging poisonous snakes, romping through swamps. And then....when you get to a clearing, you see these guys, with their Starbucks in one hand and iPhones in the other:

http://virginiatrails.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/thru-hikers-blog.jpg

As long as they're not using spray-on mud, bragging or making up stories about fictional 'exciting' injuries, it wouldn't bother me.

 

[SSSnail]

OP, no one is stopping you from crossing the Atlantic in a rowboat, or re-conquering the West in horse drawn wagon, really. Please take sketches of the places you go to and telegraph them back to us.

Go on, awake your sense of adventure.

 

[AViking]

I travel several months a year. Adventure in the sense of Marco Polo? Probably not. First of all you don't want to be alone so you're always going to be with others and you're always going to at least have a map. Otherwise you're not going on adventure - you're stupid and going on a suicide mission.

With that said if you want adventure there is plenty to be had. Sure some is touristy like the Inca trail or Everett Base camp but that doesn't mean it's not an adventure. If you want something more crazy just go somewhere more remote. Sulawesi in Indonesia, Papua, take the boat from Leticia to Iquitos and further on the Amazon River, head overland from Cairo to Cape Town. I assure you it'll be an adventure.

I gotta be honest with you though. Although I do lots of adventure travel it's not so funny when you're doing it. A 17 hour bus ride through Java is hell. It's only "cool" afterwards when you laugh about it over some beers. Being left in the middle of Africa and having to hitchhike back to civilization? Yeah not so cool in the sweltering sun. Much better when it's over.

I'll take that any day though to a package resort. All inclusive? Travel agents? Ugh. Nothing could be more boring. The crazniess of a wild trip PLUS an epic destination makes life worth living.

 

[AViking]

My problem is, you could be in the most remote jungles, with your machete cutting through leaves, dodging poisonous snakes, romping through swamps. And then....when you get to a clearing, you see these guys, with their Starbucks in one hand and iPhones in the other:

http://virginiatrails.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/thru-hikers-blog.jpg

There are plenty of places where you and your machete are not met by package tourists. Look up El Tigre in Guatemala, Ciudad Perdida in Colombia, and some of the research stations studying various animals in Central America where you have to trek for days to get there.

 

[AViking]

Has everyone seen the movie "flight". It's not a real adventure unless your flight there is like that one.

 

[Red Storm]

My problem is, you could be in the most remote jungles, with your machete cutting through leaves, dodging poisonous snakes, romping through swamps. And then....when you get to a clearing, you see these guys, with their Starbucks in one hand and iPhones in the other:

http://virginiatrails.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/thru-hikers-blog.jpg

While they're out hiking in a forest, you're sitting behind a computer whining about tourists.

 

[Vdubchaos]

There are plenty of places where you and your machete are not met by package tourists. Look up El Tigre in Guatemala, Ciudad Perdida in Colombia, and some of the research stations studying various animals in Central America where you have to trek for days to get there.

And risk their life doing so....no thanks

 

[poofyhairguy]

And then Into Thin Air happens.

A made for TV movie where they just speak gibberish for all the foreign parts happens?

 

[JM Aggie08]

What have you done, OP?

 

[AViking]

And risk their life doing so....no thanks

If you think walking through the jungle is risking your life then so be it. It's not a big deal. It's beautiful, filled with amazing flora and fauna, and is generally pretty fun as you have to cross rivers at the right time of day or bath with monkeys around.

 

[Exterous]

If you think there are no adventures left, I can only conclude you're not very adventurous and have not looked off the beaten path.

Agreed. Sure there are places that are over run with tourists but often even then you can opt to not go the 'guided mass tour with fannie packs and lunch'. You can certainly choose lap of luxury but you don't have to and many places are inaccessible to much of that sort of travel. A large number definitely don't have 4 lane paved roads. I've been on some 'roads' that made me question if they actually understood what the word road meant (calling them 2 tracks would be generous) and I've been on 1 lane roads up a mountain side with two way traffic and no guardrail protecting you from the shear cliff edge

As for Castles in Europe with ropes and 'watch your step' have you been to many castles in Europe? Because I have and, with the exception of the really well known ones (Ex: Blarney, Windsor) the ones without railings and ropes vastly outnumber those with

I gotta be honest with you though. Although I do lots of adventure travel it's not so funny when you're doing it.

There is a lot of truth to that. I look back on many experiences now with fondness and can laugh but at the time I was not having any fun at all.

 

[Platypus]

traveling is what you make of it.

Some people want the herded cattle experience of being carted around to places, some don't. Neither are wrong.. pick what best suits you and let other people do the same.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Go on a cycling adventure.

 

[AViking]

Sometimes it takes very little effort to get off the beaten track. In Beijing almost everyone goes to the same part of the Great Wall. I opted to go to a more remote one where it was both fixed up and in ruins since I wanted to see what the ruins looked like. Yes there were a lot of people there regardless and a very well established tourist market at the entrance, but once up on the wall it was very different. The Great Wall is REALLY steep in some parts. As in like walking up a mountain. Nobody over the age of 40 was even attempting it.
Was worth it though. Once up there you have a whole section of the Great Wall to yourself and the 5 other tourists that show up. It's a huge difference from the "touristy" parts.

 

[AViking]

http://vimeo.com/4636202

 

[johnjohn320]

My problem is, you could be in the most remote jungles, with your machete cutting through leaves, dodging poisonous snakes, romping through swamps. And then....when you get to a clearing, you see these guys, with their Starbucks in one hand and iPhones in the other:

http://virginiatrails.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/thru-hikers-blog.jpg

I don't see any Starbucks or iPhones in that picture. What I do see is a butthurt guy using his whatever-thousandth post on an internet tech forum to judge some kids going for a hike. Because they're ruining your Indiana Jones "adventure," dodging poisonous snakes and slicing with your machete, right? Just by being there.

It's a big world with an amazingly vast number of experiences to have. Frankly, I think you're whining because you're bored and can't figure out for yourself how to satisfy what you're looking for, so you blame old ladies on tour busses or kids going on a hike.

 

[MixMasterTang]

Like AViking said there are TONS of adventures still out there, just don't expect to find them taking a 1 week or 2 week vacation or try to fit in 10 different places in a month like most of the "tourists" do.

 

[Vdubchaos]

If you think walking through the jungle is risking your life then so be it. It's not a big deal. It's beautiful, filled with amazing flora and fauna, and is generally pretty fun as you have to cross rivers at the right time of day or bath with monkeys around.

You do realize that Columbia has been (and currently is) in Civil war for DECADES right?

It's the kidnapping capital of the world.

I would probably not take the risk there. Many other countries that you can do the same in (if walking through the jungle and swimming with monkeys is your thing).

 

[Theb]

Until then:
http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...atic-Republic-of-Congo-Lubumbashi-to-Kinshasa

That was the first thing I thought of reading the OP. Awesome that it's the first reply.

Everyone that hasn't read it, go read it.

This is like hardcore gamers who whine that people who play Madden or CoD aren't real gamers.

My guess is it's more like someone who doesn't play games complaining that Madden and CoD are the only games that exist.

 

[JM Aggie08]

My problem is, you could be in the most remote jungles, with your machete cutting through leaves, dodging poisonous snakes, romping through swamps. And then....when you get to a clearing, you see these guys, with their Starbucks in one hand and iPhones in the other:

http://virginiatrails.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/thru-hikers-blog.jpg

What would you prefer they look like? And where is the Starbucks you're referring to?

I really don't understand what you're getting at in this thread. You sound like kind of a prick.

 

[AViking]

You do realize that Columbia has been (and currently is) in Civil war for DECADES right?

It's the kidnapping capital of the world.

I would probably not take the risk there. Many other countries that you can do the same in (if walking through the jungle and swimming with monkeys is your thing).

Colombia is fine for tourism today. You have plenty of safe areas. The 90's are over. Nobody is suggesting you go walking off into the jungle walking through drug plantations though. You don't do that in the US either.

You gotta get over these old fears and look at the reality TODAY. Colombia hasn't been the kidnapping capital of the world in 13 years. Also be wary of statistics if you don't fully understand them. For example Oakland CA is one of the most dangerous places in the world. That doesn't mean you are unsafe going to San Francisco or even the good parts of Oakland though. In addition the USA has some of the highest kidnapping numbers in the world and I would never recommend people avoid it.

 

[glenn1]

Like AViking said there are TONS of adventures still out there, just don't expect to find them taking a 1 week or 2 week vacation or try to fit in 10 different places in a month like most of the "tourists" do.

You could always join the military. I got to see lots of 'adventurous' places that way, and can assure you there weren't any tourists within many, many miles of us.