by William Parise

Created on: March 27, 2009   Last Updated: March 28, 2009

The question should be do people vacation primarily for the adventure or relaxation! Most people are always excited when planning on going on a vacation, but over the years sitting on the beach all day burning to a crisp golden brown, while sucking back the all-inclusive watered down beverages is not what most people consider their type of vacation. Please don't get me wrong, I personally still enjoy the sitting on the beach experience, but overall travellers today believe there is so much more to experience while on their vacation.

It's a fact that current vacationers are wanting so much more, including myself, and like many, have turned to seeking out the ultimate exciting adventure that each destination has to offer. The entire relaxation thing came about way back when people were working those stressful 12-14 hours a day, and more than likely still are, and the vacation offering total relaxation seemed to be the only option for them, and still is for many.

However, vacationers these days seem to have more time and money, and are wanting more value out of their vacation. They want to take part in an "experience", such as an Adventure Safari in the depths of Africa, or taking on an Eco-Tour where they're learning about unique species that most people only learn about through books and television. While being educated, they're zip lining and trekking over jungle canvasses on swaying wood bridges.

People are finally putting away their beach speedos and 45 sunscreen, and they're now taking the bull by the horns and living their dreams while on vacation. That person who loves to fish every day back home, is now taking part in a week long fishing vacation, and finally has the opportunity to tell the " I Caught The Big One Fish Story". Or the person that wanted to finally conquer their fears, and challenge those whitewater rapids in Canada or in the spectacular Amazon jungle! More travellers are fulfilling their life long dreams through there vacations.

More people today are opting to hike the Inca trails to Machu Picchu in Peru, or sail on a ship to the ends of the earth to visit Antarctica and it's spectacular wildlife. Would I call that an exciting vacation, heck yeah!

If you grew up watching National Geographic and dreaming of going to many of those exotic of the beaten path places seen only on your television set, this is where many want to be these days, the places where only at one time no one ever visited unless you were a journalist or part of the Peace Corps.

Travellers now have access and many options to visit the once forbidden foreign countries, and really experience the true culture and landscapes through many avenues. Such as mountain biking through Yu Long Valley in Yangshou, China, or kayaking in Hawaii where you can view spectacular sites that are not normally seen on land.

So going back to the question if people are vacationing primarily for the excitement or relaxation. I believe after the person plans his/her desired vacation, the excitement of experiencing something that is not part of the every day lifestyle is what people these days are seeking, because in the end, we can always take a couple of extra days off to relax from the exciting vacation that just took place.

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