If you could only go on one trip this year, make it an epic journey with ideas from adventure travel expert Jimmy Carroll Of Pelorus
Where would you travel to first when the pandemic ends? After almost a year of restrictions, many of us fantasise about getting on a plane and heading somewhere exotic. While “going back home” would likely be the most frequent answer to the question, the travel-starved are using the downtime to plan for epic journeys—perhaps not so different to the 'revenge spending' phenomenon that happened in China last year. According to Tripadvisor's 2021 Travel Outlook Report, “74 per cent of travellers surveyed globally say they will spend more time choosing a destination this year".
Remote hotels and adventure travel will continue to trend, something that Jimmy Carroll, co-founder of travel company Pelorus, knows very well. A fellow of the Royal Geographic Society and a former captain in a British Army reconnaissance regiment, he is an expert living on the edge and travelling off-the-grid. Here, he shares ideas for transformative trips to unexplored parts of the world to book and plan for in 2021.
Discover Culture and Marine Life in East Timor
Our philosophy at Pelorus is to dream big and travel better—with a more conscious approach and enhanced guardianship of the locations, communities and environments we champion to our clients. One of my recommendations is to discover the culture and marine life in East Timor. Timor-Leste is one of the world’s unsung tourist destinations, with low visitor numbers in spite of its impressive natural credentials, which provide the setting for a perfect secluded adventure.
On land, there are forested slopes teeming with birdlife, jungle caves tattooed with ancient rock paintings and crumbling Portuguese colonial towns to discover. Adventurous guests can embark on a submersible to hunt for lost Second World War wrecks in the depths of the straits. Travellers are also sure to encounter dolphins, manta rays, whale sharks and more than 30 different species of whale, ranging from migrating blue whales to the resident sperm whale population.
See also: IATA Launches Digital Pass for Covid-safe International Travel