For most of us, we're lucky to get away for a weekend, so when we have more time off, we want to explore the great abyss. We enlisted the help of Carol Patterson, adventure travel guru, to give us all the tips we'd need to go far, far away....
When do you feel is the most important time to travel?
I think there are two time periods that it’s most important. Before people settle down and have a lot of responsibility, I think it's important that they travel, either before they go to university or college, or after. I think that’s a good time for people to get out and see the world and also to see how good we have it here in Canada. I think the other time is probably mid-life. I think it's important because people tend to get caught up in the business of their life and being responsible and sensible and raising their family, looking after their parents and working on their career. Sometimes you forget what’s important or you forget what used to get you excited, and I think travel can be a really good way to rediscover some of those things. Blast out of your routine or else you get stuck in a rut, and you keep doing the same old, same old and then one day you wake up and you’re like 'oh my, I’m old, it’s over.' Then what?
Any travel tips to live by?
Check to make sure the country you’re going to is relatively safe. The Foreign Affairs has a website where you can check for travel advisories for the country. You don’t want to drop yourself in the middle of a coup or someplace where people are being kidnapped. You want to make sure you understand what the risks are. I think the other thing is to let people know where you’re going to be. Personally, I like to travel with tour companies that I have checked out, that I know have a good reputation. Be smart about things; dress appropriately for the country you’re in and the culture. Be flexible; too often I think people feel the culture should bend to us, but we really should bend to them.
When travelling on a budget, what areas are important to spend on? And which areas to save on?
I think if you’re on a budget, you can cut back on the accommodations. You probably want safe and clean, but you don’t need to have fancy. Then you can take that money and (well, I would personally) put it into guided adventures
How do you pick where to go?
I get that question a fair amount. I actually have a quiz you can ask yourself to help you figure it out. But I think the important thing is to focus on what types of things you want to do. If you want to go rock climbing, you’re going to go somewhere with elevation as opposed to the prairies. If you want to see different cultures but want somewhere that speaks English, that will help you determine where to go. I encourage people to think about what it is they want out of the trip because sometimes people don’t really care where they go, just that they get what they wanted. And word of mouth, check with other people who have the same interests as you and find out what they have done. There’s a website www.igougo.com where people can submit what they’ve done and where they've gone and review it.
Should you always travel with a tour?
You can go either with an organized group or just go out on your own. I’m a big fan of road trips, and there are more people doing them now, especially with the economy. You can pile a bunch of people into your car and off you go. And you know, I like that as an alternative. If you fly to a destination, often it's scheduled, you know what day you're coming and what day you’re leaving, you probably have some hotels booked, whereas on a road trip you can just pile in and head north or south or whatever, and you never know what you’re going to do.
Carol Patterson is well known as a nature and ecotourism industry consultant, speaker, and author. Her company, Kalahari Management Inc, provides assessments, strategic planning, feasibility studies and capacity building for the tourism industry. Carol is also the author of the book, Reinventure: How Travel Adventure Can Change Your Life.
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