Travel terminology made easy

The future of travel will not be the all-in-one trip including everything from sightseeing, nightlife, adventure, spa, shopping and relaxation. People are increasingly looking for mission specific and experiential holidays. They want blend their hobbies along with their travels. Unfortunately, this is making travel terminology more complicated....Here are a few terms that I have discovered lately......


Babymoon

"One last romantic trip" taken by an expecting couple before the big arrival. Pre-baby getaways are a growing trend in tourism, as many operators are tailoring packages specifically for expectant couples. Almost all major resort chains are offiering special babymoon packages which may include fruit mocktails, pregnancy massages and courses to learn special recipes for children. For luxury pre-birth getaways check:
http://www.baby-moon.eu/

Couchsurfing

CouchSurfing is an arrangement where people offer up their spare bed or couch to globe trotters. The idea is to save money while building friendships between people across the world and adding a personal touch to travel. Its an international non-profit network that connects travelers with locals in over 230 countries and territories around the world. Its completely free and no monetary exchange takes place. Sign up on http://www.couchsurfing.org/

Narco-Tourist

 A traveller, who bases his or her destination upon the indigenous drug scene. These guys are looking for tons of inexpensive pot, lenient laws, easily bribed police, and beautiful scenery. Consider Netherlands, Columbia, India, Mexico, Ethiopia, Jamaica, Laos to be major hubs. Checkout http://www.webehigh.com/  a worldwide drug sourcing guide.

Sex Tourism

We all know about this already. Popular destinations are Brazil, Cuba, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Jamaica, Kenya, Netherlands, Russia, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand. No weblinks for this one :-)

Sightjogging

 The healthy art of sightseeing whilst running or cycling. Sightseeing a city while running or cycling is very popular with tourists in many European cities. Now several Asian & American cities are catching up. There will be one in Mumbai soon. An excellent website which offers details of running tours in cities across the world is http://www.globalrunningtours.com/ .For sight seeing day trips by bicycle when in Paris,London,Berlin and Barcelona check out http://fattirebiketours.com/

Glamping

Glamping (Glamorous + Camping), a newly coined word that combines images more often considered opposites. Imagine a tent setup somewhere in African savannah or in the deserts of Rajasthan. Instead of an uncomfortable sleeping bag and creepy crawlers, the tent is equipped with pillow-top bedding, cotton sheets, pillows and a flannel duvet, a table and four chairs, a cordless lantern, storage, and bath linens. Gourmet meals are prepared and served with the finest wines. Check out http://goglamping.net/  for glamping grounds across the world.

Greypackers

 Older generation or retired travellers who a step away from run of the mill tours and are ready to take the road less travelled.

Partypackers

Partypackers don't mind which country they travel to as long as the booze keeps flowing, there is trance and there is dance. Lots of cafes, restaurants and beaches make ideal destinations alongside tabletop dancers, fetish gear and glitz. They don't do temples, they don't do cathedrals, and they don't do mornings. There are dedicated party tours along with VIP access and front line priviliges to  Rio, Ibiza, Greece, Buenos Aires. http://www.toursgonewild.com/

If you know of any other, please feel free to share them. Happy travels :-)

“Travel is glamorous only in retrospect.” – Paul Theroux