Presenting: Chris Ronneseth - Adventure Travel Expert!

i recently had a chance to talk to Chris Ronneseth of Trek holidays (see interview preview) who gave me a great review of adventure tour, a place of travel I honestly would love to discover earlier than later...

1. inform us how you bought into the adventure travel enterprise.

I grew up around journey. My father, Allan Ronneseth founded the agency in 1972 and with a passion to peer the sector in a specific manner than the norm, we had the possibility to journey to countries that were considered unusual at that point and to a point nevertheless are today. Venturing out on my own traveling whilst attending university I have become increasingly more passionate about the world beyond North the united states. With a degree in marketing, I ventured off first to big apple and later to Toronto running in income and advertising for generation companies for the duration of the tech boom. Having discovered the talent of sales in an industry out of doors of tour but sponsored with an upbringing rooted in journey tour, I made the progression to heading up sales in jap Canada for the own family commercial enterprise in which I now provide help to our network of travel retailers throughout japanese Canada as well as compiling our monthly publication on adventure travel trends.

2. What international locations have you ever traveled to?

Africa: Namibia, South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia, Egypt, Morocco

Europe: uk, Greenland, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria

Asia: Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Hong Kong

South Pacific: Australia, cook Islands, Tonga, Fiji

Americas: Canadian excessive Arctic, america, Mexico, Jamaica, Cayman Islands,

Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia

3. Please proportion with us your pinnacle three tour memories of all instances.

A. Peru -The closing descent into Machu Picchu at the famed Inca trail from the solar Gate after seeing dawn over the web page, being the first to enter the website at dawn and having a sense of peace, concord and robust magic in the air.

B. Vietnam - touring the countryside of Vietnam by way of bike and stumbling upon a hidden and rarely visited Buddhist Monastery resulting in a 3-hour go to with a younger Buddhist monk studying and information each other's approaches.

C. Namibia - Skydiving at sundown at Swakopmund at the coast where the Atlantic Ocean meets the blood-red sand dunes for as a ways as the eye can see. one of the maximum tranquil moments of my life.

4. what's journey journey and how has it advanced over the previous few many years?

adventure tour used to intend high adventure back when the organisation became based in the 1970s, it changed into time while the 'hippie-path' became hot and buses used to travel across Asia from London to Kathmandu with itineraries that had been largely invented alongside the manner. today it is approximately the small institution experience and about experiencing a vacation spot in place of virtually seeing it. it is approximately participation and knowledge of cultures, history and customs and being able to take that experience away as enrichment on your every day life.

five. Who is going in your adventure travel tours and why? what's the age, gender, nationality and income stage of the people that cross for your excursions?

journey tour is largely approximately the passion to do it. because of this it crosses barriers of age, gender and profits because the common purpose of the tourists is the experience no matter their life at domestic. however the most important demographic for us and the most essential growth demographic is the child-boomers who've experienced the conventional seashore vacation numerous times over and now have the time and disposable earnings to tour to greater distinguished locations. Nationality is typically made of in large part English-talking nations with the makeup so as of numbers being Brits, Australians, Canadians, New Zealanders, people, some mainland Europe, some Latin American nations and the odd Asian traveler.

We offer extra than one hundred twenty countries global usually pretty much anywhere. but nations presently deemed to be dangerous for tour (eg. Iraq, Afghanistan) aren't included however we anticipate they may be inside the years to come because the scenario stabilizes.

7. What sort of accommodation is offered?

We offer usually speaking some thing from 2 superstar finances accommodation to six famous person inn reviews in Africa and the whole lot in between. however what's commonplace to all locations we live is that they need to be smooth, comfortable, centrally-placed and most essential have man or woman this is reflective of the destination.

eight. How do those excursions work for single travelers? Do you offer a tour-mate matching service? What takes place if I prefer unmarried lodging?

Our tours are designed with single visitors in mind. In truth 50% of all our travellers come by using themselves. We suit human beings up of the equal gender and like age to percentage and avoid charging them a complement. If customers decide on their personal room, we can try this on about 60% of the tours, commonly the extra upmarket ones, however at a rate this is fair and lower priced.

9. What approximately meals?

relying at the journey we typically encompass breakfasts and a few dinners but nearly by no means lunch as many human beings want to be out at noon making their very own discoveries. however when hiking or in the nation-state or where options do not exist we are able to usually consist of meals.

10. What are the particular blessings of adventure excursions compared to different types of travel?

A experience of fulfillment, fine of enjoy, journeying with a small institution of just ten people on average, usually better fee than comparable bus excursions, camaraderie with people that share a ardour for this type of journey.

eleven. What type of sports are supplied to your excursions?

Sightseeing is a first-rate a part of each tour however beyond that we need to include as many cultural reports as feasible together with homestays with nearby households, village visits, and so on. We additionally have many non-obligatory sports to be had such rafting, crusing, jeep safaris, day treks, and so forth.

12. Is there the sort of factor as journey tours for families?

we now have excursions built specially for families to journey with other families where kids are age six and up. there is a huge demographic of 'past due-starter' households who never had kids until of their 30s. lots of those humans traveled with us of their 20s or backpacked independently and now need to give that revel in to their youngsters. they may be now not interested in introducing them to the 'coca-cola' subculture pervasive in contemporary society. those had been met with wonderful fulfillment.

13. Please proportion with us realistic advice for someone who's in no way attempted adventure travel.

protection is a nation of mind. most people who decide on not to travel to wonderful locations do so due to a fear for his or her protection even as in the vacation spot. if you heed the recommendation of your excursion leader and be sensible nearly any vacation spot within the global can provide a safe, comfy and memorable revel in. wherein we've got had problems with protection it has almost constantly been a disregard for common sense and advice. don't be scared of experiencing different cultures, you may nearly constantly discover that your curiosity will be the first-class guide though it all and that identical curiosity might be reciprocated through the humans we meet along the manner. it is about learning and knowledge different humans as much as they need to apprehend us. It honestly does cut back the sector. Our 2nd largest hassle could be dehydration, when touring to warm, dry nations or in which pastime is concerned consisting of trekking make sure you drink lots of water!

14. How tons time do you tour your self these days?

typically 5 or 6 weeks a yr. it's miles vital to my income information and enjoy and that i owe it to my customers to be the professional in what we do! All of our employees are given extraordinary tour opportunities which goes directly to our organization motto: expert recommendation from the ones who've been there!

15. wherein are you going subsequent?

I plan this 12 months on escorting a journey lower back to Egypt in April, to South Africa in may also to revel in a number of our new houses we paintings with and to optimistically take a aspect experience to Mozambique. Later within the yr I plan to make my manner to Turkey and the Patagonian exterior In Chile & Argentina.

thank you, Chris, for all of your information, and have a laugh in your trips!

Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a website known as tour and Transitions(http://www.travelandtransitions.com). travel and Transitions deals with unconventional tour and is chock complete of advice, suggestions, real existence travel stories, interviews with visitors and tour experts, insights and reflections, move-cultural troubles, contests and plenty of other functions. you may additionally locate stories approximately existence and the transitions that we are facing as we go through our own private existence-lengthy journeys.

submit your personal journey memories in our first travel story contest(http://www.travelandtransitions.com/contests.htm) and feature a danger to win an incredible journey cruise on the Amazon River.

"life is a journey ­ discover New Horizons".

The interview with pix is published at journey and Transitions - Interviews