My name is Robert Felton, and I’d like to welcome you to Adventure Travel Planning.com
One of my goals with this Web site is to help newbie adventure seekers find their own personal travel expert to help them take the first step towards experiencing new cultures, visiting exotic lands and engaging nature’s beauty and its magnificent beasts.
The other goal is to enlighten veteran adventurers about new and exciting opportunities. There’s plenty of inspiration here whether you’re looking for overseas adventure travel experiences or exciting things to do a little closer to home.
How I define adventure travel experiences
Adventure travel activities are generally listed in two categories: hard and soft. Hard activities are normally more physically challenging and soft activities are considered by most to be things pretty much anyone can do.
I may stray from conventional wisdom a little on this website due to personal opinion. I’ve listed some experiences that I believe could be considered either a hard or soft activity depending on the level of intensity you choose and your own personal level of physical fitness.
I suggest you get advice from an adventure travel expert if you have one (a travel guide or travel agent) before booking a trip to make sure a particular activity is a good fit for you.
How my passion for adventure travel began
I got my first taste of travel and adventure while hiking through Volcano National Park in Rwanda on a gorilla trek.
Scouts were sent ahead of us to locate the gorillas, and it wasn’t long before the guides had us follow them along a path they cleared through a dense patch of lush green nettles.
And there they were… a small community of gorillas, and we were right in the middle of a gorilla toddler in Rwanda. It was breathtaking.
The guides seemed to communicate with them by making grunting noises and one of the “toddler” gorillas walked right up to me a sat down about two meters from my feet.
Different gorillas passed to each side of me as if I were part of their group, and a mother cuddled her baby in front of me while the huge silverback raced back and forth showing intimidating displays of dominance to let us all know who was in charge.
There were no bars between us; nothing to separate us. It was like being in the middle of a National Geographic wildlife documentary. I took plenty of pictures, and a few video clips, but nothing could do justice to what it was like to actually experience that time with those magnificent animals… nothing.
From that day on I started thinking about my next adventure. I couldn’t find a travel expert to help me get the exact information I was looking for, so I did the research and put it all up on this Web site to help others add some excitement to their lives.
About me
I lived in Southern California for most of my life, and it is a veritable playground for adventure. You can find just about any kind of activity you can think of, so it’s a perfect place for me.
I now live in Baja California, Mexico, which is also an excellent place for adventure travel experiences.
One of my favorite things to do is exploring the desert on a quad (as you can see from the photo above). There’s so much to see from the natural majesty, to the wildlife, to historical artifacts and the desert seems to have a unique rhythm all its own, which I absolutely love.
I’ve now been to China several times and experienced their culture, and I’ve taken a couple of quick trips to Europe where I’ve toured London and spent a good bit of time in Switzerland. Not a lot of travel yet, but it’s a start, and I’m going be traveling more and more in the years to come in my personal quest for adventure.
In 2007 I traveled to Rwanda, in the heart of Africa, to work with genocide survivors, and I went on a gorilla trek at the end of my stay there. Working with the people of Rwanda is an incredible adventure of its own, and the gorilla trek was completely surreal. I took a second trip to Rwanda in 2009 and a third in 2011.
As this website builds and grows over time, you’ll find information from true adventure travel experts for various overseas adventures and locations all over the world. And adventure travelers – people just like you – will be able to post photos, stories and information so that others can benefit from their keen insights and insider information.
We’re all going to learn from each other. So, I hope you choose to participate and share your experiences, thoughts, comments and knowledge on this website. If you’ve done a fair amount of traveling then chances are you’re a travel expert in one way or another. Why not share your expertise with others right here?
This quest for adventure travel is a lifelong learning experience, and I’m in it with you all the way. Let’s take this journey together and learn from each other.