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10 Essential Adventure Travel Tips from Seasoned Explorers

Contributors

Ffyon Smith (née Davies) and Gemma Aldridge

Ffyon is an A&E Doctor and aspiring Emergency Medicine specialist based in North Wales. Her passion for adventure predates her medical career, with experience ranging from sailing tall ships to paragliding in Bavaria. As a FY4, she balances her time between A&E, ICU, and air ambulance work while pursuing expedition medicine roles. Ffyon has summited Mount Toubkal, tackled the Pyrenees, and attempted Mont Blanc, combining her love for outdoor challenges with her medical expertise.

Gemma is a nurse and qualified mountain leader who seamlessly blends healthcare with adventure. She has extensive experience leading youth expeditions across mountainous terrains in the UK, Spain, Turkey, Morocco, and the Alps. Gemma is a regular fixture on medical teams for adventure races and has expanded her reach into humanitarian work, providing vital healthcare services for homeless populations and refugees.

Are you dreaming of your next big adventure? Whether you’re planning to trek through the Himalayas or explore the Amazon rainforest, proper preparation is key to a successful and safe journey. In a recent episode of the World Extreme Medicine podcast , adventure travel experts Ffyon Smith (née Davies) and Gemma Aldridge shared their invaluable insights.

Here are ten essential tips to help you make the most of your next adventure:

1. do your research.

Before embarking on your journey, thorough research is crucial. As Gemma advises:

 “I think wherever I’m travelling, I like to do a little bit of research, see what’s going on, either with current affairs or like, the environment that you’re going to be working or travelling and exploring, and see what’s likely to come up.”

Check the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office website for up-to-date information on your destination, including travel advisories and local laws.

2. Blend In

Ffyon emphasises the importance of not standing out:

“One of the best pieces of advice I ever had was don’t look like a tourist, because it makes you a target.”

Try to dress like locals and avoid obvious tourist behaviours, such as constantly checking your phone for directions.

3. Learn Basic Language Skills

Making an effort to speak the local language can go a long way. Gemma suggests:

“A ‘Thank you’ will get you a very, very long way. So even if you end up having to use your native language yourself, even just following it up with a thank you in their language is much appreciated.”

4. Stay Connected Safely

Keep in touch with loved ones, but be smart about it. Ffyon recommends:

“Tell people where you’re going. So not just your family at home, who might be 12 hours behind you in terms of time zone, and they can’t really do anything because it’s the middle of the night for them. Also, [if you’re] staying at Hotel, tell the receptionist.”

5. Pack Smart

When it comes to gear, both experts stress the importance of quality over quantity. Gemma shares:

“I have the Sawyer Mini that comes everywhere with me. Even like bottled water and stuff, I’ll still put it through the Sawyer, and then decant it into my own drink bottle.”

6. Prepare for Emergencies

Always have a backup plan. Ffyon advises:

“Have copies of your passport so that you can speak to your embassy if you need to & have cash [in multiple places]. So have cash in your bag somewhere. I always keep a credit card separate from all my other wallets, just in case my personal wallet gets stolen.”

7. Respect Local Cultures

Immerse yourself in the local culture, but be respectful. Ffyon emphasises the importance of understanding and respecting local practices, even when they differ from your own:

“So especially when this comes up against practices that don’t gel with your own… be a little bit curious about it. You know, ask questions, try and understand their perspective. And I think, yeah, respect is key that you’re in their world, and you would expect the same if they came to your world.”

8. Acclimatise Properly

When travelling to high altitudes or extreme climates, give your body time to adjust. Gemma advises:

“We kind of stick to the rules of 500 and then a rest day every three days, and you kind of sleep low, walk high, and yeah, just give yourself ties. It’s all about pacing it and giving yourself extra time to do so.”

9. Stay Healthy

Be mindful of what you eat and drink. Ffyon suggests:

“Don’t eat salads. Don’t eat the ice. Don’t drink ice in your drinks, and don’t drink the tap water if you’re not sure about it, and have some sort of means of purifying water.”

10. Embrace the Adventure

Finally, remember why you’re travelling. As Ffyon reflects:

“There’s a lot of really interesting cultural practices, really interesting animals. We saw pink river dolphins swimming alongside the boat as we left the marina, you know, absolutely incredible.”

Adventure travel can be challenging, but it’s also incredibly rewarding.

By following these tips and staying open to new experiences, you’ll be well-prepared for your next great adventure.

Remember, every adventure is an opportunity for growth and self-discovery. As Gemma beautifully puts it:

“It’s very bittersweet, but you can take away a lot of learning from it.”

Safe travels, adventurers!

→ Want to hear more insights from our seasoned explorers? Listen to the full episode of the World Extreme Medicne Podcast.

→ Join us this year at the World Extreme Medicine Conference!

→ Become an expedition planning master by joining one of our Expedition & Wilderness Medicine Courses!

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Adventure Travel Around the World—10 Thrilling Experiences

Draco Airplane: The Greatest Bush Plane Ever Built

In just over 1 year of life, a custom-built Draco became the stuff of legend. Garmin called it a bush plane reaching new extremes . Plane&Pilot suggested that this “beast of a bush plane” is “the coolest airplane in the world.” They even referred to Draco as the ultimate fixed-wing helicopter.

What’s all the buzz about? Let’s review the specs and introduce you to this one-of-a-kind custom craft.

Draco Specifications

• Initial aircraft: 2008 PLZ-104 Wilga
• Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-28
• Horsepower: 680
• Maximum speed: 205 mph
• Cruise speed: 180 mph
• Fuel: Jet fuel (can also run on diesel or fuel mixes if jet fuel isn’t available)
• Fuel consumption: 28 gph at cruising speed
• Fuel capacity: 160 gallons
• Range: 1,000 mi
• Stall speed: 35 mph
• Take-off distance: 78 feet
• Landing distance: 97 feet
• Rate of climb: 4,200 fpm
• Build time: 5 months and 3 weeks

To see Draco for yourself, join fellow STOL (short takeoff and landing) bush pilot and aviation enthusiast Trent Palmer as he chats with the man who dreamt up, built, and proudly flew Draco. In this mini-documentary, you get the behind-the-scenes tour and introduction to Draco.

Who built Draco?

Draco was the handiwork of visionary aviator, entrepreneur, and innovator Mike Patey. As an entrepreneur, Mike started young alongside his twin brother Mark. Despite, or perhaps because of, being labeled with dyslexia and ADHD in school, they realized that they had a unique capability for achieving greatness through problem-solving.

Together, Mike and Mark started a decking business as teenagers, and their success rapidly grew from there. They enjoyed taking apart and reassembling equipment like lawnmowers or televisions in their free time. They were fascinated with learning how machines worked.

Draco Was Garmin Equipped.

Later, when the brothers started a healthcare records company, Mark spent much time in airports traveling from one speaking engagement to another. In typical Patey-twin fashion, he decided that if he was going around planes, he might as well learn how to fly them. Not only did flying become Mark’s favorite hobby, but it soon became Mike’s as well.

Today Mike holds five world speed records, all earned in planes that he designed, custom-built, and flew himself. In 2016, he was inducted into the Sport Air Racing League Hall of Fame.

What  Inspired Draco?

The impetus for the Draco design was a problem that Mike just had to solve. When speaking about his inspiration, Mike said, “I’ve always wanted to be able to take my family into the backcountry at a really high elevation. I live in a high mountain desert; we have mountain elevations that are over 14,000 feet. And I just couldn’t find a plane that could go up to 14,000 feet with a density altitude of nearly 17,000 and land with camping gear and four people, so Draco was an idea from owning a Wilga 10 years earlier. I wanted to take a plane I loved with great visibility and a lot of neat characteristics and make it exactly what I wanted for a backcountry extreme bush plane.”

What recognition and awards did DRACO receive?

Draco flew into EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2018 and quickly rocketed to celebrity status. Draco was featured on the cover of Plane&Pilot’s March 2019 issue, and Mike and Draco also won the trophy at the 2018 High Sierra STOL drag race.

What happened to Draco?

On September 16, 2019, Mike, his wife Chandra, and another passenger were taking off from Reno Stead Airport in Reno, NV, following the National Championship Air Races. Conditions were windy with strong gusts.

An accident report supplied by the Aviation Safety Network states:

“A PZL-104 Draco Turbine Wilga crashed during takeoff from Reno-Stead Airport, NV (KRTS). The pilot was departing before a weather front arrived at the airport. Winds were picking up, and there was a strong gusting crosswind at the time of takeoff.

The left wing lifted during takeoff. The aircraft banked to the right side of the runway, coming down hard and causing a wing and landing gear to collapse. The occupants were not injured.”

Initial reports stated that Draco was totaled.

What caused the Draco crash & what are the learning lessons?

Being the stand-up take-ownership kind of guy that Mike is, shortly after crawling out of the wreckage of Draco, he filmed an after-action review (AAR) video titled Simply Draco Crash today . In the video description, Mike shared, “I’m heartbroken. I will learn from my mistake, maybe showing where I failed others may learn as well.”

As he relives the accident that led to Draco’s demise, Mike makes one thing very clear. “This was all my fault. 100 percent. I hope we all learn something and become better pilots because of my mistake…all my mistakes.”

The way Mike sees it, he didn’t have control once a strong crosswind gust picked up Draco’s left wing and turned the plane into a kite, but he did have control when he made two key mistakes leading up to that moment.

Mistake #1 : “I had control when I made that first mistake, to not wait it out a little bit longer.”

A storm front was moving in, and Mike was attempting to beat the weather. This led him to make the decision to head out to the runway in conditions that weren’t favorable. In retrospect, he wishes he had waited for the front to pass through.

Mistake #2 : “I had control when I made the second mistake and got on the runway and felt [the crosswind] completely compressing my right suspension trying to lift my wing.”

If the weather reports weren’t enough to make him turn back, Mike now acknowledges that he should have made the decision to postpone the flight once he got out to the runway and felt what the crosswind was doing to the aircraft.

The two mistakes that Mike identified highlight an important lesson that we can all take away from this crash:

In many cases of pilot error, the pilot decides to do something he or she knows full well is a risky decision. The warning signs are there, and if we respect and listen to them, we may avoid living out our own Draco disaster (or worse).

Will Draco be re-built?

Naturally, with such a unique and well-loved aircraft, the second thought on everyone’s minds once they confirmed that Mike, his wife, and his passenger were safe was, “What will happen to Draco? Will Mike re-build?”

As daunting as a rebuild may sound to most people, we are all in luck. About a month after Draco’s crash, Mike posted a new video to his YouTube channel entitled “ Draco Lives .” After reliving the highlights of Draco’s life as well as its unfortunate demise, the screen fades to black, and a quote appears:

“In order to rise from its own ashes, a phoenix first must burn.” -Octavia Butler

The camera follows Mike packing the pieces of Draco into the back of a cargo trailer, and we see the words, “Draco will rest for a while…but not for long.”

A steady heartbeat plays in the background as the screen comes alive with diagrams and schematics of the plans that Mike is drawing up for Draco’s rebuild.

“More power, more range, more speed, more climb, more wing, more payload, lower drag, better suspension, shorter take-off, shorter landing.”

Far from being the end of an era, it now seems that the Draco crash was the fire from which a phoenix will emerge – the new Draco X.

Reed Gregory

good lord was watching out for yall

Antonio Thomas

I want to know where to buy a fully assembled Draco Bush Craft and at what price? Thanking you in advance for your help.

I’ve had a couple of situations where I thought I’m not sure about that. My motto is "If in doubt don’t " Wallace

Glad your ok brother

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Rare Rainfall in Sahara Desert May Indicate Changes in Earth’s Weather System

Locals in Northern Africa are reporting extreme rainfall in Sahara Desert, which is typically the driest place on Earth.

Hayley Hynes • Aug 28, 2024

For being 4.5 billion years old, Earth looks pretty good – especially given all that humans put the planet through on a daily basis. While mankind may think we rule the world, no one can stop the force that is Mother Nature from delivering hurricanes , earthquakes and other natural disasters as she sees fit. While Lisbon, Portugal residents were unexpectedly jolted awake by a 5.3 magnitude tremor earlier this week, those in Northern Africa are reporting heavy rainfall in Sahara Desert, which is typically the driest place on Earth.

Spanning 3.6 million square miles from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea, the area sees little to no annual precipitation. This is because it sits under the subtropical ridge, which is “a permanent high-pressure system [that] causes the air to descend and make the atmosphere dry and stable,” as Severe Weather explains. Overall, these conditions prevent cloud formation and precipitation, explaining the general lack of rainfall in Sahara.

The Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone Is Shifting to the North

Interestingly, it wasn’t always this way. From 6000-11000, the world’s largest desert was a “green region with lakes, rivers and lush vegetation.” However, changes in Earth’s orbit eventually led to shifts in the weather patterns, transforming the nature-clad oasis into some of our driest land. Of course, there is still some precipitation that hits the area, mostly around the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone/ITCZ) of the Equator.

The ITCZ is a result of trade winds from both hemispheres meeting to create motion, clouds and rain. Analyzing its patterns helps experts to track weather and climates in tropical countries and keep an eye on storm formation out of Africa. Rainfall in Sahara is also dependent on the ITCZ; in August 2024, it’s sitting further north than expected for this time of year, which could explain the current conditions.

How Long Is the Rainfall in Sahara Expected to Last?

Since June there’s been a trend in the ITCZ navigating north. “This can drastically change the weather patterns over the region and also affect the Atlantic Hurricane Season,” Severe Weather notes. As a positive, this move can mean fewer tropical systems powering up out of Africa as the storms will be moving into the Atlantic at a higher altitude over colder water. Based on what they know so far, experts are expecting September to be a period of rainfall in Sahara, with over 500% of the normal monthly amount falling from the sky. Because many parts of the desert see less than 25mm (one inch) each year, this rare weather event might mean years’ worth of precipitation in just a few days.

Conditions like this happen about once per decade, and “are usually a sign that something is perhaps changing in Earth’s weather system, indicating an unusual state of the atmosphere,” the outlet shares. “Such strong and rare weather anomalies can indicate a big instability of the global weather system.”

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Novosibirsk

Novosibirsk tourist information and tourism, (novosibirsk, siberia, russia), novosibirsk tourist information and tourism: top sights, more novosibirsk information / fast facts and orientation.

• Country: Russia (Russian Federation)
• Location: Novosibirsk Oblast region / Southern Siberia
• Status: city / capital of Siberia
• Area: approximately 193 square miles / 500 square kilometres
• Population: approximately 1.5 million
• Language: Russian
• Currency: Russian Ruble (RUR)
• Time zone: UTC / GMT +3
• Country dialing code: +7
• Telephone area code: 383
• Average daily Novosibirsk January temperature: -14°C / 7°F
• Average daily Novosibirsk July temperature: 25°C / 77°F

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A traveler's guide to Novosibirsk, the unofficial capital of Siberia

Trans-Siberian heritage

Residents of Novosibirsk love trains and are proud of the fact that their city played a significant role in the history of the grand Trans-Siberian railway, which spans the breadth of Russia. The railway is such a part of Novosibirsk identity that it is even depicted on the city’s emblem, along with the bridge that crosses the Ob river and two Siberian sables standing on their hind legs.  

In the city, there are as many as five monuments to trains, and an open-air locomotive museum is located in the vicinity of the train station Seyatel’. The museum has more than 100 steam locomotives, diesel locomotives and carriages, reflecting the history of rail transportation in Russia from pre-revolutionary times to the present day. Wondering around the stationary trains and comparing your height with the diameter of the gigantic iron wheels of the first steam locomotives is all very well, but why not climb inside the carriages and see how the nobility once traveled across Russia in pre-revolutionary times? These tours will however need to be booked in advance. The museum opens from 11:00 until 17:00 every day except Mondays. 

Novosibirsk spans both sides of the river Ob. In the early twentieth century, the border of two different timezones passed right through the city which led to a strange situation- morning on the east bank started one hour earlier than on the west bank! The two-kilometer covered metro bridge that crosses the river is considered the longest in the world. Due to the fluctuations in temperature across the year (on average +30 °C to -30 °C), during the summer the metro bridge expands, and in the winter it contracts by half a meter. To counter these effects, the bridge’s supports are equipped with special rollers that allow it to move.   

The cultural center of Siberia

The repertoire of the theatre can be viewed on its official website . The theatre season runs from September to July, and comprises mainly classical performances, like the ballet “The Nutcracker” by Tchaikovsky, Borodin’s opera “Prince Igor” and Verdi’s “La Traviata”.  

The large Siberian sea and ligers

Weekends are best spent at the Novosibirsk zoo . The zoo is known for breeding big cats, although surrounded by controversy, hosts a successful crossing of a tiger and lion, which of course would not otherwise breed in wildlife. Ligers, or exotic cubs of an African lion and Bengal tigress, feel quite comfortable in the Siberian climate and even produce offspring. The zoo is open to visitors year-round, seven days a week, and even has its own free mobile app, Zoo Nsk .

Every year at the beginning of January, the festival of snow culture takes place bringing together artists from across Russia and around the world to participate in a snow sculpting competition. The tradition started in 2000 inspired by the snow festival in Sapporo, Novosibirsk’s twin-city.

Siberian Silicon Valley

Despite the fact that Akademgorodok was built half a century ago in the middle of the uninhabited Siberian taiga, architecturally it was ahead of its time. No trees were destroyed for its construction, and houses were built right in the middle of the forest. A man walking through the woods would seemingly stumble upon these structures. At that time, no one had built anything similar in the world and ecovillages only became fashionable much later.

For residents of the Novosibirsk Akademgorodok is a different world. When you step out the bus or car, you are immediately on one of the hiking paths through the forest, between the scientific buildings and clubs. On a walk through Akademgorodok, it is possible to unexpectedly encounter art-like objects handmade by residents of the city which have been erected as monuments and some monuments fixed up by city authorities. For example, the monument to the laboratory mice, which knits a strand of DNA on to some needles, can be found in the square alongside the Institute of Cytology and Genetics. In Akademgorodok there are many cafes and restaurants, in which it is possible to rest after a long walk. Grab a coffee and go to eat at Traveler’s Coffee , or eat lunch at the grille and bar People’s or Clover .

Winters in the Akademgorodok are slightly colder than in the city, so wrap up. Spring and summer are usually wetter, so waterproof boots are recommended. In the summer the Ob sea provides respite from the heat, so do not forget your swimsuit to go for a dip.

Memento Mori

Among the exhibits of the museum is one dedicated to world funeral culture — hearses, memorial jewellery from the hair of the deceased, samples from a specific photo-genre of  "post mortem", a collection of funeral wear from the Victorian era, deathmasks, statues and monuments. There’s also an impressive collection of coffins. One of them, resembling a fish, was manufactured on a special visit to Novosibirsk by a designer coffin-maker from Africa, Eric Adjetey Anang, who specializes in the production of unusual coffins.

Surprisingly, the crematorium itself does not look at all gloomy in appearance and definitely does not look like infernal scenes from movies, or like crematoriums of other cities that gravitate towards gloomy temple aesthetics. The Novosibirsk crematorium is decorated in “cheerful” orange tones and is surrounded by a park with a children’s playground nearby. A visit to the museum then leaves you with mixed feelings. 

Novosibirsk underground

Tourists from all over the world go down into the Moscow metro to take a ride and a few selfies in the most famous underground museum. The Novosibirsk metro is also quite a museum in itself — it has 13 stations, the most beautiful of which is Gagarinskaya, Sibirskaya and Rechnoy Vokzal.

The ultramodern Gagarinskaya station is like a real cosmos underground. Its technologically themed design includes marble walls with metallic elements, dark blue backlighting and portraits of Yuri Gagarin. The Sibirskaya station looks like an underground treasure trove, decorated by Altai masters craftsmen with mosaics of precious Siberian stones. The Rechnoy Vokzal station is framed with ten glowing stained glass windows depicting the largest cities of Siberia, including Novosibirsk itself, Omsk, Barnaul and others. The platform resembles a big ship sailing on the Ob, from which ancient Siberian cities are visible through its windows.  

How to get there

The easiest way to get to Novosibirsk is by plane with Aeroflot or Novosibirsk airline S7 with one-way tickets from Moscow costing from 200-250 USD. If you decide to take from the train from Moscow, you’ll have to travel approximately a third of the Trans-Siberian Railway. That’s 3,300 kilometers over almost a three-day journey. 

Where to stay

There are many great hotels in Novosibirsk. Amongst the best include a four-star Doubletree hotel by Hilton , which is located near Lenin Square (per room from $200). After renovations and repairs, the congress-hotel Novosibirsk has improved (per room from $100) and is located across from the train station. Less expensive but of a similar standard is the four-star River Park hotel near Rechnoy Vokzal metro station, which costs $80 per night.

All rights reserved by Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

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