Adventure travel: an overview by Ward Luthi

Ever walked in the rainforests of Costa Rica, rafted the Colorado River or bicycled through the hill towns of Tuscany? If so, you’re an adventure traveler. By broad definition, you’re also an adventure traveler if you’ve gone skiing, skydiving or ballooning; driven cattle; ridden horses or engaged in any of a long list of active pursuits.

Adventure travel, however it’s defined, is one of the hottest segments in the world of travel. The Adventure Travel Report, 1997, found that more than 98 million Americans had taken an adventure travel trip in the previous five years.1 That’s an impressive statistic.