WILD JUNKET

• RIVER RAFTING:

At sunrise, inflatable rafts lined with cheerful men and women of different nationalities on a common mission to brave the rapids, is truly a sight to experience at white water river rafting sites across the world. Perhaps that's why this extreme sport is now a preferred activity with so many travelers.

v DESTINATIONS :

1.   WHERE: ROTORUA & SHOTOVER                         RIVER, New Zealand

 GOOD FOR: Beginners and family trips. Also for veterans

            WHY: The Rotorua followed by Shot Over River in New Zealand are great bets to test your limits. While most newcomers choose to raft in the Shotover river, veterans opt for Rotorua fun.

                

2.    WHERE: ZAMBESI RIVER, ZIMBABWE

   GOOD FOR: Veterans

              WHY: One of the biggest rivers in Africa, the Zambezi River in the Victoria Falls guarantees a real challenge even for experienced rafters.

Don't miss the Batoka Gorge, which offers dramatic falls and undisputed thrills.

                                      

                                    

3.    WHERE: COLORADO RIVER, USA 

   

   GOOD FOR: Beginners, Family trips and also veterans

              WHY: You can feel the strength of Colorado River in the Grand Canyon National Park. There are many professional guides and tours that you can undertake with friends, family and also by yourself with other veterans. The ideal start point is the north-eastern part of Glen Canyon Dam and then the river takes over from there. Rafting here is a sight to remember, simply imagine the majestic views (see pic) you will be surrounded by. Great location for pictures and photo shoots.

4.  WHERE: RISHIKESH, INDIA & SETI, SUNKOSHI RIVER, NEPAL 

GOOD FOR: With basic knowledge of rafting

                                    

5.  WHERE: UPPER AMAZON, PERU 

GOOD FOR: Veterans

           WHY: Expect some spectacular scenery as the Andes plunges down into the lush canyons of Upper Amazon. Cusco is considered the rafting center of Peru offering popular 1 or 2 day trips on the Urubamba River and 3 or 4 day trips on the exciting white waters of the Apurimac River.

                  
                     anusha sooriyan

7 Travel Accessories that Make Your Trip Easier

Travel accessories are all those “little things” you always wish you had packed, but always seem to forget until you're already on your way.

From items that make your voyage more comfortable to products that make your stuff more easily accessible during your trip, the right accessories can make your travel so much smoother – and stress-free. 

So, what should you pack? Let's take a look at 7 indispensable items you may want to consider for your next trip.

Recommended Travel Accessories

1) Travel Pillows & Blankets

Whether you're traveling by plane, train or automobile, it's always a good idea to get some rest during your voyage, so you can be energized when you arrive at your destination. Pillows and blankets that are specially designed for travel will make it so much easier to get some shuteye, and they're easy to pack into carry-ons too.

2) Discreet Money Belts & Wallets
If you're carrying your money around in a big, bulky bag or a pack around your waist or over your shoulder, then you could become a prime target for thieves. Why make it so obvious? Keep your money and credit cards hidden in a more discreet pack, like the Undercover™ belts and wallets from Eagle Creek. 

3) Personal Organizers
If you're traveling abroad, then you'll want to keep your important documents close at hand when you're on the go. Consider keeping everything stored neatly in a small organizer pack that you can wear comfortably, everywhere you go.

                                           

4) Electrical Converters
Don't forget that other countries don't use the same types of electrical outlets. If you need to plug in your gear while you're abroad – cell phone, laptop, digital camera, etc. – then you'll need an electrical converter set to make sure your charger fits the wall socket.

5) Travel Towels
At a fraction of the packing size of regular bath towels, and much faster to dry, travel towels are great travel accessories to have no matter where you're going, but especially when you're backpacking or trekking outside.

6) Luggage Locks & Other Security Items
a small, but tough luggage lock is always a good idea to ensure that your bags can't be easily opened by others.

7) Easily Identifiable Luggage Strap
you may think your luggage looks unique, but chances are you'll see plenty of similar bags coming out of the baggage return. A brightly colored luggage strap will make your bag stand out from the pack, so you can quickly grab and go. 

                                                                                                 ANUSHA SOORIYAN (1410111)

TRAVEL AND ADVENTURE HAND IN HAND

NEW TREND IN TOURISM

Travelling for recreation, leisure, family or business purposes, usually for a short duration can be a way of defining tourism. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people “traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes”.  Different types of tourism can be recognized depending on length of stay, mode of transport used, distance travelled, purpose of trip and price paid by tourists.  International tourism, national tourism, long distance tourism and short distance tourism are a way of broadly classifying tourism. Tourism invariably involves travelling, the distance of travel either being cross-city, cross-state or cross-country.

Tourists, nowadays, have taken to a new form of tourism extensively involving adventure, hence called, Adventure Tourism. This type of tourism deals with exploration or travel with perceived risk and requiring certain skills and a lot of physical exertion.  A physical activity, a cultural exchange or interaction and engagement with nature are the components of any tourist activity that can be termed as adventure tourism.

Adventure tourists are usually people who generally want their selves to be pushed out their comfort zones and experience something that can be characterized as “rush” or “flow”. This is achieved by experiencing culture shock, or through the performance of acts, that require significant effort and involve some degree of risk (real or perceived) and/or physical danger.Culture shock is the personal disorientation a person may feel when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life due to immigration or a visit to a new country, a move between social environments, or simply travel to another type of life. One of the most common causes of culture shock involves individuals in a foreign environment. Activities such as mountaineering, trekking, bungee jumping, mountain biking, canoeing, rafting, zip-lining, paragliding, and rock climbing are a few examples of activities that adventure tourists undertake. A few Types of adventure travel include : Accessible tourism, Disaster tourism, Ecotourism, Ethno tourism, Extreme tourism, Ghetto tourism, Jungle tourism, Overland travel and Urban exploration.

The list of activities for adventure tourism and the best places for them are as follows:

~Adventure Life - Africa, the Arctic, Antarctica

~Momentum Adventure - Lebanon, British Columbia and Japan.

~Canoeing -  North America, the Amazon Basin, and Polynesia

~Backpacking (travel); Backpacking (wilderness)- Australia, North America and New Zealand

~Bungee jumping - Pentecost Island in Vanuatu and Danza de los Voladores de Papantla or the ‘Papantla flyers’ of central Mexico

~Disaster tourism - the Lower 9th and St. Bernard Parish which is 1.4 miles east of the Industrial Canal.

~Ghetto tourism – New York City and Philadelphia

~Jungle tourism - Africa, Australia, and the South Pacific.

~Mountain biking - Crested Butte, Colorado and Cupertino, California

~Mountaineering -  Caucasus Mountains, Mount Kazbek

 Adventure tourism acts as a fresh breath for the tourists who want a change of scene in their static and routine lives.