Adventure travel sounds awesome until you head to Pamplona and get gored by a bull. Here are five cool travel activities with a lower chance of death or injury.
Picture by Revolution_Ferg
I don’t want to overstate the risk of getting injured on holiday. According to figures from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, in the year to February 2012, 981 Australians were admitted to hospital overseas, with Thailand, Indonesia, the US, Italy and China topping the rankings. That’s a tiny fraction of the millions of Aussies who depart our shores each year. But the odds are higher if you run with the bulls: of the estimated 20,000 participants, 300 get injured each year.
With that in mind, here are five adventurous but less deadly travel destination suggestions, based in part on your suggestions:
- Tomatina Festival, Bunol: For a less dangerous street party vibe, head to this annual festival in Spain (held each August) where for an hour people throw tomatoes at each other. (The risk of injury is low as they’re pulped beforehand.)
- Skydiving in the Himalayas: If you’re going to skydive, you may as well have the most spectacular view possible.
- Jetski at Surin Beach in Thailand: 20 minutes away from Phuket by tuktuk but much less touristy, Gizmodo editor Luke recommends this as the ideal place to get your jetski on.
- Go on safari in Africa: If you want to encounter animals in their native habitat (but from the safety of a vehicle), Africa is still the place to do it.
- Snowboarding in Australia: Yes, you might break your leg, but you’ll understand the hospital system!
Got more additions to this list? Let’s hear ’em in the comments.
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