One of our partners is G Adventures, a unique travel company in that they offer a different kind of tour. Whereas many of our cruise and vacation partners set out to swaddle their guests in the lap of luxury, G Adventures focuses on offering what they call “adventure tours”: A more active vacation that combines the experience of local living with forays into the natural surroundings and wilderness. G Adventures offers unique, once-in-a-lifetime trips built around the principles of adventure, exploration, and local culture. Learn more about G Adventures and how they came to be.
The Importance of Going Local
“Local food, local people, local prices” is how one vacationer describes G Adventures’ philosophy, and it shows in the tours and experiences they offer. Rather than planning an agenda that highlights major attractions and well-known sights, the G Adventures tours give their travelers a more immersive experience—a chance to experience life the way locals do, with local food, local means of transportation, local entertainment, and meeting the local people and truly experiencing the local culture. Rather than mutating the local economy to be primarily in service to tourism, G Adventures’ philosophy of travel allows for sustainable vacationing that preserves local culture.
This philosophy manifests itself in many ways. Transportation is local as needed and desired: you might be transported by bus or train on one stretch of your trip, by rickshaw somewhere else, and even by camel to a third destination. Sleeping arrangements are similar: In some places, you might stay in a local home, while others might find you out underneath the stars. G Adventures also offers plenty of opportunities for independent exploration during a trip as well.
[Video] Why Travel With G Adventures
About Bruce Poon Tip, founder of G Adventures
So much of G Adventures’ philosophy and spirit comes from its founder. Bruce Poon Tip. Born in 1967 in Trinidad, Poon Tip’s family moved to Canada when he was a small child. After graduating from Tourism College (now CDI College) in Calgary, Alberta, Poon Tip went on a backpacking trip to Asia that changed his life. Upon returning in 1990, he decided to share this life-changing and life-affirming experience with others. From his Toronto apartment and with nothing but his own credit cards for funding, Poon Tip founded G Adventures.
Bruce Poon Tip looked at the travel industry and saw companies that primarily dealt in resorts, cruises, and similar kinds of travel experiences. Poon Tip found those sterile and isolating, and founded G Adventures to bring the authentic culture and travel experiences he had had in Asia to others. Today, G Adventures is the largest provider of “adventure tours” in the world, with over 1350 employees.
In 2013, Bruce Poon Tip released his first book, Looptail, in which he discusses his journey and philosophy in founding G Adventures.
Visit AffordableTours.com to book a tour with G Adventures at the lowest price.
Photos from www.gadventures.com (http://www.gadventures.com/travel-styles/)