Category Archives: Adventure

Adventure

Family Vacation Adventures at Japan’s Snow Festivals

It is very hard to talk about Japan’s northernmost prefecture (its states or provinces) of Hokkaido without first thinking of the city of Sapporo. It is, after all, the fourth largest city in the country. Yet if you look beyond this grand city, you’ll find a side to Hokkaido that you might never know existed, that extends way beyond the dog breed of the same name.

For the most part, you’re best off starting in Sapporo-the city that was the first Asian country to host an International Olympic Games back in 1972. That means the city is snowy enough to enjoy during the winter months, as well as the warmer ones.

However, it is the winter that brings (literally) millions of people to town for the annual Sapporo Snow Festival every February. This 50-plus year old festival is so big it warrants its own museum, the Snow Festival Museum.

Nothing like a nice beer to warm you up (with average winter temps in the 20s F, you’ll need something), so next up it’s over to the Sapporo Brewery-a beer so good that warrants its own museum, too.

So far you can play great, drink great, and you can even drink great in Sapporo. This is home to spicy Ramen dishes, known as Miso Ramen. You won’t find any fresher seafood than right here, either; so try the crabs if you can.

More eating is on the agenda if you venture outside of Sapporo in Hokkaido. Another great place to eat is Kamikawa, a town in near the Daisetsuzan National Park, the largest one in the entire country. This place prides itself on its Ramen, especially the spicy variety.

If you haven’t come to eat, then perhaps you’ve come to see the Sōunkyō gorges, mountainous peaks of thouands-of-year-old volcanoes that created the landscape, and soak in the onsen-or hot springs. There are also over 100 waterfalls found within the region; and this, too, has the fantastic winter festival known as the Sōunkyō Hyōbaku Festival, full of the most gorgeous ice sculptures.

And speaking of volcanoes, the Kuril Islands (which are part of Hokkaido) stretch for 810 miles; an archipelago of 100 volcanoes, forty of which are still quite active. Sweet, seismic activity-talk about living on the edge.

Hokkaido is easy enough to get to, connected by bus and rail and even an airport in Sapporo; an underground tunnel will even get you here from the country’s largest island of Honshu-making Sapporo and beyond easily accessible from Kyoto and Nara, so everyone gets to enjoy it; and doesn’t that make for a truly wonderful vacation…

Adventure

Adventure Holidays – A Business Adventure With Profits Attached

Adventure holidays are a new innovative business and are hot right now. There is a new craze for holidays that live on the edge. People just love to have adventure and excitement in this day and age. It’s not just young people, but the older generation who perhaps have missed out on all the fun never having had the opportunity before. This is where you come in with an adventure holiday business.

Mountain climbing in foothills of the Himalayas, shark fishing in South Africa, parachuting or hot air ballooning, it’s all in demand right now. Giving people fun and earning money from doing so from a specialty adventure travel agency is something that you may want consider as a business.

A tour of London just doesn’t appeal to a big proportion of holidaymakers and the thought of a boring two weeks on the Spanish coast just doesn’t have enough spice either. You can offer something much more exciting and will stick in the memories of clients for a lifetime – A unique holiday that will be told many times to friends and family on their return.

For you to get started there is some market research to do. Look at adventure vacation packages in various companies who provide these types of holidays. Look for newsletters and online chat rooms to gather information and advice. Just spend a couple of weeks browsing to see what’s around and on offer. Then you can set up your own online agency and look for affiliate businesses you can take on and you are away!

You will need to invest a little in advertising, but it will pay back well once bookings start come in. Advertise in speciality sports and recreation publications. You may even want to set up exhibitions at sports and recreation centres and shows. You can use e-mail broadcasting as a way of attracting attention.

The beauty of this type of business is that once you are up and running, the repeat business yet get from referrals will ensure you get as continuous flow of profits.

Charging your clients a fee for organizing the adventure holidays for them can make up your income. As an alternative you can charge your host company a set fee for marketing their adventure holidays. You may even consider charging for both!

As an entrepreneur you can earn a good living by simply arranging adventure holidays for people who are looking for something different. If you have the same enthusiasm for adventure travel yourself, this type of business will be just up your street.