A large portion of the adventure travel market is made up of those young’uns collectively termed as Generation Y or Millennials, aged between 20 and 34. There are some often-derided characteristics of this generation, one of which is a confidence that anything is possible.

This extends perfectly to independent and adventure travel. A hunger for experiences among this age group is best captured by the acronym YOLO, the lazy way of expressing “you only live once”. 

Travel operators are pulling out all the stops to entice this market. Geckos Adventures launched a brazen and expletive-driven campaign last year (remember the tagline: “May your heart be light, your step swift and your stories f**king epic”?) while G Adventures has tapped into the lingo by launching a line of YOLO trips and World Expeditions has launched a youth adventure brand called Yomads. 

“Small group adventure travel is the perfect fit for Gen Y. It’s fun and sociable but ample free time allows for independence,” Peregrine and Geckos general manager Steve Wroe said. 

More than half of G Adventures clientele is Gen Y, hence why they launched their line of YOLO trips. “They are not looking for a cliched experience, they want to experience things from the perspective of someone who lives and breathes the area,” G Adventures marketing manager Natalie Whiston said. This includes locals-only venues and using public transport. 

“We’ve found that Gen Y travellers are conscious of where their tourism dollar is ending up and our small group travel benefits local communities directly, which resonates really well with these travellers,” Whiston added.  

YOLO TRIPS 

Swim in Shark Alley, Galapagos Islands 

YOLO factor: Fear. These sharks won’t attack unless aggravated. Swimmers above them are safe but divers need to be more vigilant. 

The Nitty Gritty: Shark Alley is known as Tintoreras locally and is less intimidating in reality than it sounds. For while these sharks are white in name, they’re no Great Whites. The Galapagos Islands are home to white tip reef sharks which inhabit narrow channels formed by Kicker Rock. It is likely you will be bigger than the sharks, as they grow to only 1.6 metres in length. While most sharks die if they do not move forward, this species has the ability to lie still for hours on the ocean floor.  

Shark Alley is home to a large colony of white tipped sharks and while you might prefer to avoid distraction, there is plenty of other wildlife eye-candy to keep you entertained including parrot fish, turtles, rays and frisky sea lions.  

Shark Alley is located two hours from the second largest Galapagos island, Santa Cruz. A 10-day cruise on Orion Expeditions’ Galapagos itinerary varies each week, depending on national park regulations, however a trip to close-by Santa Cruz is guaranteed. With almost 50 years experience in this region, a Lindblad-National Geographic certified photographer accompanies every cruise.  

Home stay in a Yurt, Kyrgyzstan 

YOLO factor: Authenticity. One of the last unexplored frontiers of travel, Kyrgyzstan is the land time forgot.  

The Nitty Gritty: On Peregrine Adventures’ hiking tour, Kyrgyzstan is accessed by walking through China followed by 70km of no man’s land before reaching an old-fashioned, slow-moving frontier checkpoint. 

This is a land of mountains and a populace of nomads. There’s no better way to see it than as a footloose and fancy-free hiker. The first yurt camp encountered on this trip is next to a lake favoured by nomadic herders for summer. The yurts are made of traditional felt and the food is prepared by local hosts. Peregrine even warns that sleep occurs in close proximity – guests are advised to pack earplugs and an eye mask.  

The homestays support the local community, which ratchets up the do-gooder quotient. This is a rare chance for genuine interaction with remote communities. “Once the family photos are brought out, it generally doesn’t take long for mothers and grandmothers to be swapping notes and admiring pictures,” according to Peregrine’s tour leaders. 

Climbing Africa’s ice mountains, Uganda 

YOLO Factor: Unexpected. Africa’s best kept secret? World Expeditions made the call and is sticking to it.  

The Nitty Gritty: The Rwenzori Mountains, affably known as the Mountains of the Moon, contain most of Africa’s year-round ice. This 13-day trek traverses tropical rainforest, alpine valleys and glaciers. There’s also Margherita, Africa’s third highest mountain to contend with. Along the way there are gigantic diversions on the Kilembe route such as surreal forests of ferns and giant heather that must be seen to be believed. The ground is covered in moss and lichen and rare plants bloom in symmetrical patterns as if engineered by a landscape gardener. Once Margherita is conquered, the views are over the Democratic Republic of Congo, close enough to danger to be YOLO-worthy. World Expeditions’ Rwenzori expedition involves three to four hours walking each morning and afternoon, with camp reached by five in the evening.