“I got food poisoning big style on the ‘Sacred Land of the Incas‘ trip and on arrival at Machu Pichu could hardly stand up, in the rain, and so had to descend back to the hotel. Turns out the rest of the group got soaked and cold and so the next morning, 2 of them didn’t go back up.

After a visit to the excellent doctors with my fab and ever so patient tour leader and some jabs, and a good nights sleep in the very good property, I was up at 5am and up Machu Pichu. It turned out to be the most perfect day, not a cloud in the sky, and was the highlight of my trip – the leader said it was one of the best days on Machu Pichu she had ever witnessed…”

Chloe feeling much better as a bright day dawns over Machu Picchu.

According to the tour leader – it was one of the best days at Machu Picchu they had ever seen.

Our second story comes from Lucy who tells us how a magical evening onthe Caique Cruise in  Greece has left her with lasting memories, and a great souvenir too!

“Thanos and the staff were so lovely and that just got the tour off to a good start anyway.

Tour started off as planned and then he said that as the weather was so beautiful and the sea was so unbelievably calm, we would go to a little bay called Porto Lafia which only smaller boats can get to.

We moored up and we went to the only taverna in sight, it looked like somebody’s front garden, when we arrived, Thanos called Peter (the boat chef) and asked to speak to me, he said take your camera, come out of the Taverna and look at the sky. I did what he said and it was amazing, the fullest moon you could ever imagine!!! I took a photo of it while it was orange but it wasn’t as good as the photo I got later. Thanos had warned me that it would be brilliant later once the sky had gone dark!

After an incredible dinner with the group and a really good night, we went back to the boat and I got this incredible photo.

The full moon is quite a special event for the Greeks, the fisherman have to stop fishing for 2 days before the full moon, the night of the full moon and then 2 days after the full moon. So there wasn’t a soul on the sea.

I love this photo and we are having it put on canvas to have on our lounge wall at home!”

Lastly, Anna tells us how hunting for creepy crawlies will stay with her – and her daughters for ever!

When i went on the Discover Belize tour, one of my highlights was when our driver showed us how to wiggle our torches in the dark at the grass, and all the spiders turn round to look to see where the light is coming from and you can see a whole load of spiders eyes!! Me and my daughters still wiggle our torches 4 years on!!

This blog is  part of our Campaign for Real Adventure, which we are just getting started. We are looking for stories about adventures you have been on, where the unexpected leads to something exciting, memorable or even life changing.  Send your stories to us at beenthere@explore.co.uk  The 5 best stories will receive a copy of ‘The Road Less Travelled’. Check out our Facebook page for more information.

However, even if you don’t win a prize all stories submitted will become part of our Campaign for Real Adventure – our way of showing the world how fun life can be when you let adventure in!

Rhian Evans on breaking down on the Yosemite & Grand Canyon tour.
“Breaking down in the middle of the desert in Arizona we ended up camping at the side of Route 66 and eating at the “Roadkill Café”. The skies were the best we had seen and the hospitality amazing. It was a very small town so everyone knew us as “the ones who’s bus has broken” !

Rhian then spent some time in India, where getting stuck being a convoy of trucks while leading the Southern Images tour, led to an interesting discovery…
“Getting stuck in India behind loads of truck of elephants – very mysterious. We were very behind time and followed them all to what turned out to be an Elephant Holiday Health Camp where all the temple elephants in Tamil Nadu go for rest and relaxation for 6 weeks of the year – turned out to be a highlight of the trip!”

Rhian gave us a peek at her scrap book from that trip – some pages of which you can see below…

Next, Yvonne reveals how a trek in Mexico turned in to a real adventure after their support vehicle broke down.
“We got to our camp ground after trekking through the Sierra Madre for 7 hours in tropical heat, after a steep ascent to the village of San Marcos we arrived exhausted but the support vehicle couldn’t make it as it had broken down in a valley next door – meaning no tents, no food, no change of clothes. The villagers clubbed together and offered us a village hut floor, got us floor mats, provided us with blankets, soap and water, and made us the best dinner and breakfast ever….accompanied by the local fire water Mezcal!! (that was with the dinner of course) Also they kept tea on the brew for us all night!
A fantastic experience…”

Lastly, Eileen tells us how a sudden downpour gave her and her gorup a unique insight into the everyday lives of the Nepalese people…
“Walking in a remote area in the foothills of the Himalayas on our Discover Nepal tour we were caught in the rain, (an absolute downpour); a local lady called us over to her veranda for shelter and made us all tea; she gave us a tour of her home proudly showing us her very few precious possessions’ (pots & blankets mainly). Our hostess was so pleased to see us, and we were all really delighted to have this unique opportunity, for me it was the most civilised encounter I’ve ever experienced.   To this day I believe the Nepalese are amongst the friendliest people in the world.  (When was the last time you invited a group of 16 strangers into your home out of the rain?).   Someone in our group later mentioned the fact that “they are so uncivilised” (meaning so few white goods)

This blog is  part of our Campaign for Real Adventure, which we are just getting started. We are looking for stories about adventures you have been on, where the unexpected leads to something exciting, memorable or even life changing.  Send your stories to beenthere@explore.co.uk with the subject line ‘I support real adventures’. The 5 best stories will receive a copy of ‘The Road Less Travelled’.

However even if you don’t win a prize, all stories submitted will become part of our Campaign for Real Adventure – our way of showing the world how fun life can be when you let adventure in!