With the New Year of 2013 duly upon us, and having not been
wiped out by the Mayan apocalypse I guess it’s that time of year when we have
to look at the successes and shortcomings of the previous year and plan to make
this year more successful than the last!
So for Dunira, you can see that we are resolving to
resurrect our blog and fill it with more snapshots of the travel and tourism
industry.
I know that my resolutions always revolve around travel and
adventures, so one month at a time, a little more frivolous than usual, I want
to explore some alternative and unconventional travel opportunities and maybe
inspire a holiday of a different kind. One of my favourite pastimes is to
browse travel blogs for inspiration and advice on travel planning, many of which
are run by eternal travellers who have lots of experience under their belt. So
if you, like me, are making travel resolutions, each post will include some of
my favourite ideas for travel inspirations for a whole calendar of adventures
for a new year!
January
Why not start the year with something a bit crazy - The Rickshaw Run
It’s hard to describe exactly what this is, but its creators
The Adventurists describe it as:
“A 3,500km pan-Indian adventure in a 7
horsepower glorified lawnmower, the Rickshaw Run is easily the least sensible
thing to do with two weeks.”
They are 10 days in to the current run, but you can sign up
to take part in September 2013 or April 2014. Definitely one for the list if
you’re keen for an adventure and something different, you’ll definitely have
lots of tales to tell by the end of it for sure. In particular, I’ve been
following Rickshaw Run Diaries for the account of three independent
female travel bloggers who have united to take part, and their experience of
this unique event. Good old social media is used by most teams to document their
eventful journeys.
The event aims to raise lots of money for charities at the
same time, with the entry requirements being that you raise at least £1,000 for
charity, £500 of which goes to their official charity Cool
Earth, who work with local rainforest communities to protect
rainforests from being cut down.
For me, my environmental conscience hits in however - the long
haul flight(s) to India, and the 3,500km overland journey in a rickshaw?! If I
was to do it, I would personally choose another environmental charity ideally
involved in carbon offsetting, then
I'd be able to race around on my rickshaw guilt-free. Well, almost.
Ideally, you could combine the start and end dates of the
‘race’ with extra travel in India. And whilst the January “unroute”,
as they’re known, is in the West of India, each is different and so each ‘race’
would give different travel opportunities; maybe the Taj Mahal, or heading out
to Nepal, or maybe you could check out some work that Dunira has been carrying
out at the same time with co-operative travel through Edge of India, which offers homestays and tours in West Bengal
and Uttarakhand, run by the local community working towards a sustainable
tourism network.
Importantly, travel responsibly. Make sure that your
adventure doesn’t jeopardise local businesses –try delicious food of the region
in local restaurants, stay in local guest houses or homestays with an Indian
family. Responsible travel is about experiencing authenticity, support the
local communities along your route and this will be more than just a journey of
a lifetime, it will be an experience of a lifetime.
A bit of an ambitious one for the start of the year, but if
you’re keen for adventure and always want to do something a bit different, then
this is brilliant. And The Adventurists haven’t stopped
there, with several other crazy Adventures if you want something different. Motorcycling
2,500km across a frozen Siberia? Maybe 2014...
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