HowStuffWorks - Adventure Vacations

Search HowStuffWorks and the web:

HowStuffWorks Presents: How Travel Adventures Work

Adventure Travel:
Take the Road Less Traveled

When you think of taking a vacation, do you dream of relaxing on a beach? Or does your mind turn to something a little wilder -- kayaking through the Amazon, cave diving in Mexico, paragliding in the south of France? Adventure travel encompasses everything from culinary tours to dangerous sport, and if you have a taste for the unusual, it might appeal to you. Read More

Under the Sea: How Scuba Works

How Scuba Works

Advances in scuba gear have opened up the underwater world to more people than ever before. With some equipment and a little training, you can explore offshore shipwrecks, coral reefs, and some really amazing sea life. Explore the underwater world and how your body reacts to this environment. Read More

Travel Adventures: Related Articles

How Surfing Works
The ability to balance and maneuver on rapidly moving water is pretty amazing, but it's not the only incredible thing about surfing. There are some specific requirements for good surf conditions, and you can't fake those conditions. In other words, you can only surf where the good waves are. Read More

How Safaris Work
The classic scene: Khaki-clad hunters trekking through the wilds of Africa in search of lions, elephants and other exotic creatures. Now, welcome to the modern safari, an adventure for tourists to view and photograph big game in Africa's rich national parks and reserves. Read More

How Rock Climbing Works
Rock climbing involves strength, control and finesse. Using the muscles in your arms and legs to pull yourself up a sheer rock face takes strength and control. Using your brain to place your hands and feet so that your muscles can do their job -- that's finesse. Read More

How Hot Air Balloons Work
Hot air balloons are about as basic as flying can get -- no engine, no moving parts really, and very little the pilot can do to control the vehicle. But if you simply want to enjoy the experience of flying, there's nothing quite like it. Read More

How Skydiving Works
Imagine falling out of an airplane -- on purpose -- and heading toward the ground at 120 miles per hour. Welcome to the world of skydiving! Go inside a typical jump, from checking the equipment to deploying a parachute and landing. Read More

How BASE Jumping Works
For BASE jumpers, leaping out of an airplane at 15,000 feet and freefalling at well over 100 mph isn't quite daring enough. To make things more interesting, they jump off various cliffs and man-made objects, usually at a low altitude with only a few seconds to deploy the parachute, and virtually no time at all to deal with problems or malfunctions. Read More

How Mountain Bikes Work
If you've been on a biking trail in the last few years, you've probably seen all kinds of crazy-looking bikes. Mountain bikes just keep accumulating more gears. Today, some bikes have as many as 27 gear ratios. What do they all do? Read More

	How Ecolodges Work Every year, millions of Americans go on vacation...Read More
	How Boomerangs Work When most of us think of boomerangs, we imagine somebody...Read More
	How Helicopters Work Helicopters are the most versatile flying machines in existence today...Read More
	How to Make and Repair Camping Equipment Whether you take one camping trip a year or one every weekend...Read More