One of the best parts of going outside is to see some beautiful creatures in the woods, jungle, beach or anywhere else that they choose to go.
Wilderness ventures is all about getting a view of the wildlife while on the trips. Here are some of our favorites:
How To Be A Leader
Through Wilderness Ventures worldwide Leadership Adventures, young people can gain self-confidence and learn to be young leaders as they explore the great outdoors in places like Alaska, Montana, Colorado and more. These leadership adventures invite teens to be part of a small, non-competitive group of fellow students. Through a variety of activities like kayaking, hiking, volunteering, rafting, fishing, and more, participants learn wilderness survival skills, build self-confidence, and learn decision-making and leadership skills.
How To Be Part Of A Team
With Wilderness Ventures’ small group teen tours, students have an opportunity to be a part of a highly supportive team in wilderness areas around the world. Learning how to be a positive, valued, contributing member of a team is an invaluable skill in the workforce, and students have ample time to practice this while participating in a variety of wilderness adventure activities with fellow teammates.
How To Be Self-Reliant
Survival in the wilderness—and in the ‘real world’ after college—is very dependent on being self-reliant and being able to make responsible, practical decisions. With Wilderness Ventures teen summer camps, young people learn the value of self-reliance by being presented with opportunities to learn wilderness survival techniques, strategies, problem solving skills, and more.
In today’s competitive job market, being able to step outside of one’s comfort zone and expanding personal boundaries can be a very attractive attribute. Wilderness Ventures tours, besides being exhilarating and fun, can challenge teens to push past their own personal boundaries. Nothing can be more exciting or more challenging then summiting Mount Kilimanjaro, for example, or navigating the Mighty Colorado River in an inflatable kayak. Teens that travel with Wilderness Ventures can learn to expand their personal boundaries through adventure travel.
How To Be Considerate Of The World
Many of Wilderness Ventures trips focus intently on philanthropy, volunteering, wildlife conservation, community service, and more. Teens that have a global awareness and a healthy appreciation for other cultures and the natural world around them may be more prepared for life during or after college when they encounter new people and places. In addition to learning about other cultures and seeing beautiful places around the world, some tours offer students an opportunity to earn up to 60 service hours through hands-on volunteer projects.
The first southern Europe trip has come to a close, and it is always difficult to leave such a beautiful area, but it’s time for the teens to get back home and decompress.
Now they can go back to all of their friends and explain the great time they had, and begin to see the world a bit differently. The video above does more than words can ever say, but isn’t even close to what the students actually got to experience.
Do you really need a reason to get out into the world? Well, if you aren’t convinced that travelling is something everyone should do for fun, then here are 10 reasons that will make you think a little harder.
1. Get exercise
Trekking through the Rocky Mountain wilderness, swimming in the Great Barrier Reef, or even just taking a stroll through an outdoor mall are all ways to get exercise. Going somewhere else to do these activities can help kick start a healthier lifestyle, or add to the list of great destinations to do a hobby
2. Make new friends
Going somewhere popular increases the chance that you will find people, and that those people will have something in common with you. Or even if it’s a specific activity, you could strike up a conversation about your passion. Group trips like Wilderness Ventures build strong friendships because everyone is having fun together and learning, which makes for great stories.
3. Learn about new cultures
You don’t have to go too far to experience a different way of life, but being in a new country is always exciting. Whether it is learning about Alaskan traditions or speaking Spanish in Costa Rica, there is always a new point of view to experience. It will give you a better appreciation of life and how differences add some new perspectives.
4. Hands-on Education
Wilderness Ventures likes to give students some education that they can go on the trips ad actually see. Info desks at destinations are very helpful and have information on places you can actually see. You can learn the history of something that is front of you and take away a sense that you learned a little something in a fun way. Also, language classes in the native country make things far more real and interesting.
5. It’s just fun
Going somewhere else for a while is just a great way to entertain yourself. It gives you a chance to try new things and enjoy the view of an ocean of a mountain ridge. You can let loose and go dancing or just sit and relax in a hotel for a nap. You can catch local events, take a dip in a pool or shop around. It doesn’t matter as long as you’re enjoying it.
The west is such a beautiful area that no everyone gets to explore or can take time to appreciate. Wilerndess Ventures students get to take to the Western United States’ most breathtaking destinations. Wilderness Ventures’ trips take place in national parks and protected wilderness areas in destinations like Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia in the Pacific Northwest, California, and Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado in the Southwest. Wilderness Ventures offers teens an unparalleled opportunity to learn about and explore the wild spaces of America’s western region.
Some examples:
Another new batch of eager teenagers showed up at the airport this week and were greeted by Mike and Helen Cottingham. They are getting ready for one of the most fun and oldest trips that Wilderness Ventures offers.
The meet and greets were over just in time and the first outdoor adventure in Grand Teton National Park for a hike wearing the new Wilderness Ventures shirts to look like a team while everyone gets to know each other.
Dip your feet in the cool water and look for some slippery fish like a pro when you go out to some of the best lakes, rivers and streams for fly fishing in the United States.
Orvis Fly Fishing Instructors teach the teens not just how to throw a line around, but all aspects of the experience. They learn how the environment and conservation efforts along with knot tying and great ways to bait and hook in the native trout of the area.
They will dip their hooks into the Wind and Snake River areas after the three days of lessons to try out the techniques and see if they can pull out a wiggly catch.
Bozeman, Montana is the perfect backdrop for advanced and foundation-level fly fishing lessons as well as a biology and ecology lesson so that the teens know the impact the fish and the people have on the area.
The snowfed crystal clear streams straddle the watersheds of both the Atlantic and the Pacific in the Anaconda Pintler Wilderness for the first excursion where the teens compete on who can catch the first fish.
Then its off to Fire Hole River in Yellowstone National Park where even more trout that they will release back into the river so that the cycle of life can continue for the next group
Food from around the world is much more than just food. It is an exchange of culture and a great way to get to know people.
Wilderness Ventures knows that not everyone gets to experience the joy of cooking at home other than a microwave or when their folks are in the kitchen. That is why every day the teens are introduced to another new cooking opportunity or put in charge of the camp stove.
In Peru, students get to shop in local markets to prepare an authentic Peruvian dish that the host community leaders teach them to make. They go even deeper into Quechua and learn to make meals there that you cannot get anywhere else.
Cooking in France sounds like a dream, but it is a reality for students on the many trips to the beautiful city of Chamonix where they get to speak the language and cook some classic foods. Then they get to work off all of that food with a climb up Mount Blanc.
Aside from city centers. there are plenty of lessons for cooking while camped out in the wilderness. There is no shortage of creative ways to make a delicious meal whether it over a campfire or a modern stove.
That last grasp of rock before hitting the top of a mountain is such a rush. Looking out over everything that you’ve climbed is so exhilarating from thousands of feet above the ground that you started on.
Wilderness Ventures loves this feeling, and has some favorite mountains that have breathtaking summit views.
Northwest Summits include Mount Olympus, snow climbing Mount Adams, and snow and ice climbing Mount Baker. These different terrains and weather make the climbs that much better and get the teens used to some of the more challenging aspects of the outdoors.
Mountain climbing guides for Mount Shasta prepare students to use pick axes and mountaineering tips for a successful 14,162 climb. This dormant volcano’s views are stunning as the students get to see the ocean as well as the wilderness areas.
Teens get to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro just as the sun rises over the land. At 19,341 feet, this diverse ecological landscape of this mountain looks over all of Africa. Students get a rich background of what the landscape means to the people, which makes it much more spectacular at the top.
Two days at the Exum School of Mountaineering prepares climbers for a trek through the Grand Teton wilderness to one of the greatest 13,771 climbs in the country. Knowledge of knots, signals and rappelling are incredibly useful and make sure that the climb is smooth for a photo finish at the top.
Mount Ranier is another dormant volcano that makes for a spectacular climb in the pacific northwest. At 14,410 feet, the trees look so expansive and the wilderness looks like a classic painting. This is complemented by another climb up Mount Adams, a backpacking trip through North Cascades National Park and whitewater rafting the Sauk River.
Mother Nature Network revealed the best national parks to take some sturdy horses out to and roam around and experience the terrain.
One of the places on the list is Yellowstone National Park. The park was recognized for its amazing views and hillsides as well as its horse-friendly atmosphere.
On the Yellowstone Teton Horsepack trips, students get to hop on one of these friendly companions and set out across the land. Professionals ride alongside the teens as they trek through the Rocky Mountains with a trusty steed leading them through tough times.
The horses get a break while the adventurers zip line through the trees and viewing the breathtaking Old Faithful.
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