Article by Alex Narracott, co-founder of muchbetteradventures.com – collecting the world’s local, ethical and action-packed travel choices under one roof.

As the local travel movement gathers pace, and debates rage, we thought it was time to wade in with the adventure sports perspective and suggest a few other good reasons why participants have plenty to gain from following a ‘go local’ approach.

Whatever your interests and motives for travelling, the benefits of local travel are well documented and often screamingly obvious – get to know the real people and places you are visiting, and ensure your trip provides maximum benefit to them too. In the realm of adventure sports, these two tenets of local knowledge and local involvement in adventure tourism become even more imperative.

Let us deal first with the importance of local knowledge. Who would set off from home to climb a Himalayan peak without first consulting the local mountaineering community? Surf a new break without talking to the local surfers? Head out on a ski tour without getting the local perspective on current conditions and routing? A guide book can get you so far, but it is only by talking to the local sports community that you can ever discover the best spots, the best times to go, and avoid the local, often unpredictable, dangers. Best still, employing well respected local guides and hosts can turn a great trip into an unforgettable one – allowing you to maximise your available time, while no doubt helping you avoid a few nightmare moments in unchartered territory! This is well known and fairly self evident to all who regularly practise adventure sports, and brings us neatly onto more complex issues surrounding local involvement.

Continue reading this article on the Much Better Adventures blog