Extreme Holidays
Would be space travellers will soon be able to zoom into orbit on Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic mothership, unveiled in the California desert this week and due to launch in 2010. The only trouble is, the 2.5 hour trip will cost you £100,000 — unless you've got lots of air miles to cash in. If not, don't worry because there are plenty more extreme experiences that will leave you feeling pumped for life. Here are just a few.
Climb Everest
Sure it's high, but you don't have to be a hard-core explorer type like Edmund Hillary to tackle this monster of a mountain. Several companies run trekking trips to Everest base camp from about £1,000. Some are strenuous, others less so. Try responsibletravel for details.
Too tame? Join Alan Hinkes, the first Briton to conquer the world's 14 highest mountains, on a climb to the summit of Everest next year. This is real Into the Void territory and it goes without saying that you must be uber fit and an experienced climber to tackle the 65 day trip, which will set you back £14,500. It won't take you into space, but you will be on top of the world. See for more information.
Go bull running
Of the thousands of fiestas in Spain, the bull-running in the northern city of Pamplona, held every year from July 7 to 14, is the one to get your heart racing. At daybreak on the 7th you can join hundreds of runners as they make a half-mile dash along a narrow street chased by fighting bulls.
There are only two rules: when you hear a rocket blast, start to run because that's the signal that the bulls have been released; when you hear the second blast, run faster — the bulls are all on the street.
If you feel the bull's breath on your neck, look for a break in the fence to slip through or press yourself into a gap in the wall on the street. Don't want to wait until next summer for a bull-running fix? Aravaca-Pozuelo on the outskirts of Madrid has a festival in late summer.
Try skydiving
Ever wanted to fly? Well, skydiving will give you almost all of the pleasure of flying, but it's considerably less risky than jumping off a cliff and flapping your arms. You'll jump out of an aircraft (or a helicopter, or even a balloon) at 12,000 feet and free fall for a period before activating a parachute to slow down your landing.
If you've never done it before you can start with a tandem dive strapped to an instructor, or you can take a course to learn to dive solo.
New Zealand is a popular place to learn, but closer to home Activities Abroad organises weekend skydiving in Spain from £345 for beginners.
Learn to kitesurf
This latest sport to hit our collective consciousness involves using a kite to pull you across water on a small board. Sounds simple? It's not. It's very, very hard. For a start, you have to control the kite and the board at the same time, and secondly you have to know what the wind is up to. But master the technique and you'll get a buzz like no other. You can learn almost anywhere with a long, safe beach and a decent breeze but conditions in the Canary Islands are particularly good. Active Adventures organises 7-day trips to Lanzarote from £430.
Buy a round-the-world ticket
Why spent £100,000 for a 2.5 hour trip when, for a fraction of that price. you can travel around the world for up to a year? RTW tickets that include stops in Los Angeles, Fiji, Auckland, Hong Kong cost less than a grand; pay a bit more and you could stop off in up to 12 countries. Tickets are usually valid for a year. You know you've been putting your gap year off for too long, you know you want to go, so what's stopping you? Try Trailfinders, Travelmood and roundtheworldexperts for fares.
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