I do believe its time for another Adventure

I have always loved traveling and for all these years I had been a luxury traveler. A grand hotel, fancy buffet, visiting famous attractions, a little wander around, superficial know-how of the destination and collecting shopping bags defined my idea of holidays. But now I aren’t satisfied with these run-of-the-mill itinerary, I am a changed traveler. I seek for more that doesn’t come obvious. This year my experiences of going atop rugged heights of Oman (Jebel Shems), dune bashing in the deserts (Wahiba Sands) and discovering of Malaysia on foot (Meleka) added new chapters of adventure.

 A photograph from my Oman memories!

A different perspective to my travel happened only when I read more and more,  heard from others and experienced it myself. A very good friend of mine used to write a blog from National University of Singapore (NUS) and I would regularly read his day to day musings. In the first year of his course, he went to a 10 day adventure tour with few of his friends from other countries. When he returned he was a changed person. He returned mesmerized with a dossier on his newly found love and only talked of backpacking, trekking, hiking, cycling, rafting, rock-climbing, road-trip, quaint scenic beauties, diving, nature hopping, safari, out-of-the-world experience, exploring the unfamiliar,  refreshing, joyous, adrenaline-producing,  up-close and personal drift with nature. Soon I picked the vocabulary, Google-led about each one of it and began to nurse a dream that one day I would experience it all myself.

For me, 2014 was a traveling year and it gave me awesome experiences. Honestly, my road adventures with unknown travel  buddies made me bold and beautiful. Yes, it helped me to discover a side of me that I didn’t know. It was so much fun to travel with people who had genuine love for exploring new things. In  groups of three or five, with people I hardly knew, it felt so comfortable to do things that I had never done before.

This year, I wanna go on a discovery, visit some tourist destination, far and near, experience unspoilt scenic beauty and taste more of adventure. And when Active Holiday company gave an option to pick one awesome trip that would make my dream trip, I fell for the below. I know 22 days sound too much to ask for and would create a big dent in my savings but I WANT it in real for many reasons…

22 Day New Zealand Explorer Northbound PTOAC [22 days]

Source: Google Images

Why it?

Toast to the glass of Marlborough wine!

• To get lost in untouched wildernesses.
• Closely absorb historical look of New Zealand.
• New Zealand has some awesome natural views, green fields, deep blue rivers and sheer mountainsides along-with plethora of adventures to offer.
• With a beautiful landscape there are endless things to do on land, in the sky above, under ground, or in the sea.
• Its here in Queenstown that one can ski, skydive, paraglide, hit the hill trails by mountain bike, go bungee jumping, kayaking, rafting, fishing safari and more.
• I wanna feast my eyes to the beauty of sprawling glaciers, snow-capped mountains, beaches, volcanic craters and spectacular fjords.
• Watch some beautiful creatures–sperm whales, dolphins and wandering albatrosses.
• The mention of visiting limestone caves, glow worms, blackwater rafting and underground river floating in Waitomo sounds absolute fun.
• The trip takes me to the ‘City of Sails’, Majestic Mt Ruapehu, Franz Josef Glacier, famous Tongariro Alpine Crossing track, Rotorua’s geysers, spectacular Marlborough Sounds, Nelson’s gorgeous inlets and coves, Mt Cook National Park and Canterbury Plains.
• 22 days away in the lap of beauty, it would be like a meditation away from the clutter of life.

For some its comes simply, you start on your own and experience the adventure but for others it may need the first push. If the adventurous vocabulary has aroused the real traveler’s soul in you, let me suggest you a name with whom you can start with. In 2013 when I read Gauri Jayaram’s ‘Wise Enough to be Foolish’, her first book I learnt about her other abode- Active Holiday Company where adventurous travel expeditions and experiences are stitched.

Explore the site because there is something for everyone. Grab your trip because its time for another Adventure!

Happy Traveling!!