NY Times features Adventure Life with military adventure travel

Military personnel are increasingly taking adventure travel trips, and Adventure Life is one tour operator they're already turning to, according to The New York Times. Adventure Life specializes in small-group adventure travel to Central and South America.To read the full story in the Times, click here.While on tours of duty, service men and women now receive a 15-day midtour leave in addition to their 30 vacation days, according to Times reporter Kate Murphy. Combine that with their desire for an adrenaline rush through strenuous physical activity, and it's no wonder adventure travel companies like Adventure Life are regularly hosting soldiers.Murphy continues:Many soldiers also cite the tedium of life in a combat zone as a motive for these adventuresome trips. “Despite the danger, being deployed is monotonous, period,” said Sgt. Derek Cutting, 29, a member of the Army National Guard. He served three tours in Iraq; the latest and longest was 18 months, which ended in April. For his midtour leave, which he took in January, Sergeant Cutting went on a rafting trip down the Futaleufú River in Chile, organized by Adventure Life. Besides rafting, the trip included mountain biking, horseback riding and zip-lining. “I wanted to push the limits,” he said. (Not that he was roughing it the entire time: the camps where he spent his evenings had fully stocked bars and massage therapists.)

Adventure Life was founded in 1999 with a commitment to providing quality small group tours that have a positive impact on the local culture and environment. With more than 40 adventures in South and Central America, Adventure Life’s trips explore local culture, ecology and life from remote villages, to bustling city markets, to the wildest jungles and mountains.  The company’s grassroots approach to travel utilizes local guides, family run hotels, and the local transportation infrastructure. Adventure Life is headquartered in Missoula, Montana, U.S.A., with partners throughout South and Central America. Adventure Life VOYAGES provides direct access through their website (www.ALVoyages.com) to the broadest selection of specialized expedition cruise services to the world’s most remote destinations.  For more information, contact Adventure Life at 800-344-6118 or visit www.adventure-life.com.