Frequently Asked Questions about Adventure Travel
On some trips where we camp, our camps have toilet tents with ‘luxurious’ porta-loos, at other times latrines will be dug out. The toilet system we use does keep the camp area as hygienic and environmentally-friendly as possible. We burn any paper waste before we leave camp, and all holes are filled in. During the day we encourage you to burn or carry out (you may find it useful to carry plastic bags with you) any waste. Please do not leave toilet paper on the trails or behind bushes. Don’t worry, you will be briefed fully on toilet etiquette when you join the trip!
Many places where we camp do not have any facilities, but often there are natural water sources such as streams or lakes. Please wash away from the water source where possible (use buckets), and use biodegradable soaps and shampoos, as chemicals do upset the balance of the water and harm plant and animal life, as well as causing potential harm to any local people.
However, if you are looking to explore your challenge at a more relaxed pace you can always stay on an extra few days on one of our challenge extensions!
For most people, the main attraction of travelling to a different country is to see new sights and enjoy new experiences. Sometimes those new experiences can make life harder or more inconvenient than you may like, such as toilet hygiene or different food, or simply a different attitude to solving problems. This is all part of the challenge you are signing up for!
Many challenges involve camping because of the remote nature of our treks; tents are usually two-man. Camp is usually equipped with cooks, dining tents, three-course dinners and sometimes a sunset bar! We stay at comfortable (but not luxurious) hotels at the start and end of the trip.
Meals are designed to give you plenty of energy. On some trips we use hotels throughout; these are usually of a traditional style, they can vary widely as they are chosen primarily for their location.
A sense of humour and sense of adventure are two of the most important things to bring with you – we can guarantee that coming face-to-face with experiences outside your normal ‘comfort zone’ will help you bond with your fellow trekkers and provide you with plenty of things to laugh about!
Over The Edge may be able to help you or advise on booking your own flights however any arrangements we make for you will incur an administration fee. We offer several challenge extensions (depending on your chosen challenge) where you can stay and explore or take on further activities after you have completed your main challenge. Ask us for details.
Long before ‘Responsible Tourism’ became a recognized phrase, Discover Adventure designed and ran trips to ensure they made the minimum impact on the environment and a highly positive impact on the local communities we pass through.
Regular employment in poor areas is vital and impacts on every aspect of the life of the family of each guide, porter, driver or cook we employ. In addition, we are involved with several community projects on a long-term basis. We believe that our trips have many positive advantages for the worldwide communities we work with, the charity you are raising money for and, of course, for you!
Established in 1994, the Discover Adventure team has been organizing challenges across the globe to enable people to have the experience of a lifetime. We believe everyone should have the opportunity to do something amazing for the charity of their choice and have cultivated an experienced, knowledgeable and most of all friendly and fun team to make this possible.
To summarize, here are our highlights:
- Over two decades of experience designing and running worldwide challenge events for charities
- Safety will always be our highest priority
- We are one of the few charity challenge operators who have been awarded with a British Travel award for ‘Best Small Escorted Adventure Company’
- Our trips have a high leader to group ratio; tour leaders are very experienced and trained in expedition first aid
- UK-based doctor or paramedic accompanies trips (dependent on group size)
- We provide full back-up, from vehicles to porters to comprehensive medical kits and satellite telephones on overseas trips
- 24-hour emergency back-up telephone in the UK manned by experienced Discover Adventure staff with tour-leading experience
- Experienced, friendly office staff provides help and advice in the lead-up to your trip, and post-trip support as well
- We act on feedback, so continually strive improve the experience you will have on our trips
- Our pricing is transparent, there are no local payments to be made and no hidden costs and our costs will never compromise on safety
We are committed to Sustainable Tourism practices and adhere to the following guidelines:
- To protect the environment – its flora, fauna and landscapes • To respect local cultures – traditions, religions and built heritage
- To benefit local communities – both economically and socially
- To conserve natural resources – from office to destination
- To minimize pollution – through noise, waste disposal and congestion
- We operate a ‘leave no trace’ policy when visiting any country, using every opportunity to minimize the environmental impact of our trips. We also raise cultural awareness among our participants, briefing all group members fully before and during the trip on sustainable tourism and cultural issues
- Challenge group sizes are limited on some trips for environmental or safety reasons
- We are very proud of our friendly reputation and value our long-term working relationships with customers and ground operators all over the world