For years, many of the big companies have been trying to get us to sell their group tours to South America. We have tried selling tours from a number of those companies, but without much success.  An agent from one of those companies came by our office last week and I explained the difficulties we had in offering their tours. Among those problems were:

In a region as vast and as close to nature as South America, many outdoor voyagers will find a bevy of adventures to explore. The continent is known for some of the best, most scenic day hikes, as well as the most challenging surfing waves, but there are still other activities that – in a way – defy modern convention. These ventures are aimed to take you out of your comfort zone; making sure that after your trip you realize there’s more to life than just city tours and hotel stays.

"The 1.8 billion Millennials worldwide do display some particular characteristics that influence their travel behavior", Sarah Catlett, Senior Vice President with global consultants Kantar Futures, told participants at a recent forum. For example, this “first global generation” seeks authenticity, is very adaptable yet also has come of age with a built-in expectation of having control of their activities. In travel terms, they want to experience new cultures, blend experiences across different types of trips, encounter and engage with local people and have authentic experiences, she explained. For destinations to attract Millennial travellers they have to be “genuine and creative”, offering a mix of adventure and relaxation, she advised. 

That is an exact fit to travel to South America. 

I am re-reading a book I had read years ago (Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice) and it got me to remembering when I was researching my first trip to the Amazon over 20 years ago. I had been reading trip reports at an office in Quito and read things like:

• "our guide knew the jungle like an animal, but he did not know how to communicate"
• "during the day, our guide was great, but then he would start drinking and pass out and leave us to ourselves to cook"
• "he would get drunk and start flirting with the females in our group"
• "the guy at the airport that we bought a trip from promised us a great trip, but that wasn't what we got"

As a person who loves exploring, I have an interest in going to places that might not be big tourist destinations, but should be (at least I think so). But it seems that not many others find those places interesting. Would you be interested in visiting places like these?

20 years ago I traveled to the Chachapoyas region of Peru with a friend of mine and a group of others that he put together. At that time the government had it in it's 5 year plan to develop the area as the "Machu Picchu of the north".  Peter Lerche, the German in the video below, which was published last month, showed us un-excavated ruins on many mountain tops (as he mentions in the video, only about 10% have been excavated now).  I sent a group there a few years later and they got to visit a lost city that had only been discovered the week before they arrived. Since that time, some of the highest waterfalls in the world have been discovered and in 2013,  35 sarcophagi belonging to the Chachapoyas culture were found. Archaeologists believe that the sarcophagi –  painted clay coffins placed upright above ground  – were placed in a cemetery for children because the figures measure some 70 centimeters tall.

 Chapada Diamantina (Diamond Plateau) is one of the most fascinating natural parks in Brazil. A scenic mountain range that has an average altitude of over 1000m (3000 feet). The area offers some of the most scenic landscapes you can find in the country. 

In a recent Portrait of American Travelers study, it was noted that 67% of American travelers now express an interest in experiencing foreign foods. That is up from 51% just 2 years ago. Millenials showed the most interest while mature travelers showed the least interest.  I wonder if that is partially due to tv celebrities like Andrew Zimmern and Anthony Bourdain who travel around the world eating local food? At any rate, it seems that will eventually hurt the malls I've seen in foreign countries that have nothing but American fast food restaurants in them.

South America is definitely an area where local chefs are developing cuisines that are evolving and enticing travelers.

I'm sure that people who love to travel are wondering where it is safe to travel to now. With all of the warnings about the Zika virus and the terrorist activities, it seems like the options are narrowing - now even Miami might be seen as a risky place to go to, and areas of Chicago (for another reason).