I recently had the chance to speak with Chris Ronneseth from Trek Holidays (preview interview) who gave me a good overview of adventure travel, an area of ​​travel I’d definitely like to explore sooner than later…

1. Tell us how you got into the adventure travel business.

I grew up around travel. My father, Allan Ronneseth, founded the company in 1972 and with a passion to see the world in a different way than the norm, we had the opportunity to travel to countries that were considered exotic at the time and, to some extent, still are. today. Venturing out on my own while attending college, I became increasingly passionate about the world beyond North America. With a degree in marketing, I first ventured to New York and then Toronto working in sales and marketing for tech companies during the tech boom. Having learned the skill of sales in an industry outside of travel, but backed by an education rooted in adventure travel, I progressed to direct sales in Eastern Canada for the family business where I now support our network of agents. travel throughout the east. Canada, as well as compiling our monthly newsletter on adventure travel trends.

2. What countries have you 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 High Arctic, USA, Mexico, Jamaica, Cayman Islands,

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

3. Share with us your top three travel memories of all time.

A. Peru – The last descent to Machu Picchu on the famous Inca Trail from Puerta del Sol after seeing the sunrise over the site, being the first to enter the site at sunrise and having a sense of peace, harmony and strong magic in the air.

B. Vietnam: Traveling through the countryside of Vietnam by motorcycle and stumbling across a hidden and rarely visited Buddhist monastery, resulting in a three hour visit with a young Buddhist monk learning and understanding the ways of others.

C. Namibia: Skydive at sunset in Swakopmund, on the coast where the Atlantic Ocean meets blood-red sand dunes as far as the eye can see. One of the quietest moments of my life.

4. What is adventure tourism and how has it evolved in recent decades?

Adventure travel used to mean high adventure when the company was founded in the 1970s, it was a time when the “hippie trail” was all the rage and buses used to travel across Asia from London to Kathmandu with itineraries that in much of it was invented along the way. Today is all about the small group experience and experiencing a destination rather than just seeing it. It is about participation and understanding of cultures, history and customs and being able to bring that experience as enrichment to your daily life.

5. Who participates in your adventure trips and why? What is the age, gender, nationality and income level of the people taking your tours?

Adventure travel is largely based on the passion for doing it. That is why it crosses borders of age, gender and income since the common goal of travelers is the experience regardless of their life at home. However, the largest demographic for us and the most significant demographic growth are baby boomers who have experienced the traditional beach vacation several times over and now have the time and disposable income to travel to more exotic destinations. The nationality is generally made up of largely English-speaking nations with the composition in order of numbers being British, Australian, Canadian, New Zealand, American, some from continental Europe, some from Latin America, and the odd Asian traveller.

We offer more than 120 countries around the world, usually almost everywhere. However, countries that are currently considered unsafe to travel to (eg Iraq, Afghanistan) are not included, but we expect them to be in the coming years as the situation stabilizes.

7. What type of accommodation is offered?

Generally speaking, we offer anything from budget 2-star accommodation to 6-star accommodation experiences in Africa and everything in between. However, what is common to all the places we stay is that they must be clean, comfortable, centrally located and, most importantly, have a character that reflects the destination.

8. How do these tours work for individual travelers? Do you offer a travel companion search service? What if I prefer single accommodation?

Our tours are designed with individual travelers in mind. In fact, 50% of all our travelers come alone. We join people of the same sex and age to share and avoid charging them a supplement. If clients prefer their own room, we can do it in approximately 60% of the tours, generally in the most exclusive ones, but at a fair and affordable price.

9. What about meals?

Depending on the trip, we usually include breakfasts and some dinners, but hardly ever lunch as many people like to be out at midday making their own discoveries. However, when we go trekking or in the countryside or where there are no alternatives, we will always include meals.

10. What are the unique benefits of adventure tours compared to other types of travel?

A sense of accomplishment, quality of experience, traveling with a small group of just ten people on average, generally better value than comparable bus tours, camaraderie with people who share a passion for this type of travel.

11. What kind of activities are offered on your tours?

Sightseeing is an important part of every tour, but beyond that, we want to include as many cultural experiences as possible, such as accommodation with local families, visits to villages, etc. We also have many optional activities available such as rafting, sailing, jeep safaris, day hikes, etc.

12. Are there adventure tours for families?

We now have tours created especially for families traveling with other families where children are six years and older. There is a large demographic of ‘late start’ families who never had children until their 30s. Many of these people traveled with us in their 20s or backpacked independently and now want to bring that experience to their children. They are not interested in introducing you to the ubiquitous ‘coca-cola’ culture in today’s society. These have been met with great success.

13. Share with us some practical advice for someone who has never tried adventure travel.

Security is a state of mind. Most people who choose not to travel to exotic destinations do so out of fear for their safety while at the destination. If you listen to the advice of your tour leader and are practical, almost any destination in the world can provide you with a safe and memorable experience. When we have had problems with security, it has almost always been a lack of respect for common sense and advice. Do not be afraid to experience other cultures, you will almost always find that your curiosity will be the best guide through everything and that same curiosity will be reciprocated by the people we meet along the way. It is about learning and understanding other people as much as they need to understand us. It really shrinks the world. Our second biggest problem would be dehydration, when traveling to hot and dry countries or when it comes to activities like hiking, make sure you drink plenty of water!

14. How long do you travel these days?

Generally 5 or 6 weeks a year. It is imperative to my sales knowledge and experience and I owe it to my clients to be the expert in what we do! All of our employees have wonderful travel opportunities, which goes right to our company motto: Expert advice from those who’ve been there!

15. Where do you go next?

I plan this year to accompany a trip back to Egypt in April, to South Africa in May to experience some of our new properties we work with and hopefully take an additional trip to Mozambique. Later in the year I plan to go to Turkey and the Patagonian outdoors in Chile and Argentina.

Thanks Chris for all your information and have fun on your travels!