Extreme Tourism – Reality Tourism – Is it for You?

Extreme Tourism – Reality Tourism – Nature Tourism – Eco-Tourism – these terms were not even in existence a few years ago.  Whole new travel industries are being structured around ways to cater to our appetites for greener travel, travel to inhospitable places, reality tourism and our thirst for more extreme, dangerous and stomach-turning adventures.

Many people still enjoy a sangria-fuelled week of tanning on the Costas, but a growing number of the population wants something more.  Holidays have even come a long way since activity holidays formerly thought of as extreme, like scuba diving, mountaineering, hang gliding and bungee jumping, The been-there-done-that-got-the-tee-shirt crowd of today’s younger generations (and often older ones) seem to have an unquenchable thirst for newer and more outrageous ways to one-up their friends and get the maximum adrenaline rush. 

Travel companies are challenged to find unique experiences for travel to inhospitable places in their effort to appeal to the Extreme tourism crowd. Venturing to places and pursuing activities a large percentage of us would not or could not dream of contemplating (jungles, deserts, mountains, caves, volcanoes, deep-sea/shark encounters, ice-diving, storm-chasing).  ‘Reality’ tourism might include trips to see sites of atrocities, such as Auschwitz. 

Extreme sports often play a part, with many risking their necks in pursuits like B.A.S.E. Jumping (building/antenna/span/earth), travelling the world in search of the tallest manmade or natural objects to jump off.  It makes skydiving look tame – although a new twist on this sport is wearing a ‘Flying Squirrel’ suit which allows for freefalling at very fast forward speeds.  A parachute is still needed for a safe landing but they are working on ways to get rid of that minor annoyance! 

Perhaps TV reality shows are responsible for desensitizing us to danger and risks we used to be naturally programmed to avoid.  But there have always been dare-devils. Evel Knievel survived a lifetime of death-defying stunts to live to a good age and died recently from illness – passing on those extreme genes to his son.  Summer and Winter X Games prove the amazing stunts and tricks we humans are capable of when we catch a little air – so why put limits on our abilities?  Enjoy it while you can – but be warned that your ordinary travel insurance policy may not cover you, so check before you go!!  One day Virtual Reality tourism may take over (by choice or not) and we’ll all revert to being couch potatoes.  We’d certainly save a lot of carbon footprints that way!