3 Steps to choosing your perfect holiday

In identifying the right trip for you it's important to consider who you want to travel with: a like minded group of travellers, your own group or a select few close friends or family. Click on the subject headings below to view the respective sections (there's quite a lot to consider!).

OUR ICONS EXPLAINED

STEP 1: CHOOSE YOUR STYLE OF HOLIDAY

The vast majority of our trips are adult group holidays. Groups are always small in size, with an average of 12 people participating on each departure. We strongly believe that this adherence to small groups means a better experience for all more time with your guide, less time waiting around and reduced impact on the communities and environments we visit. Each group is generally made up of like-minded travellers - with singles, couples and friends all joining in together. The average group is just over 50% female with the average age 43, however we usually have many younger and older clients. For those not travelling with a partner or friend(s), all these trips are suitable for single travellers; please see the Solo Traveller section below.

Travelling with friends and family?

Private Departure
We offer a selection of our most popular trips as private departures - look out for the icon throughout the website - where you can enjoy your trip exclusively with your partner, close friends or family. The itineraries are guided and usually the same as one of our group holidays, but we operate them for a minimum of just two people. Departure dates are scheduled on these trips, however all are subject to availability.

Self-Guided
Self-Guided trips are only available to cycling enthusiasts in Europe. These holidays are the perfect choice for those who like to travel independently and at your own pace, yet still benefit from our quality research, back-up and support. We'll arrange your accommodation, provide you with detailed maps and route notes, and transport your bags from one hotel to the next.

Special Group
If you are booking as a group of 4 or more, in many cases we can offer a private group departure that can be customised to meet your needs. Whilst itineraries are generally based on those featured on this website, you can choose dates to fit in with your travel plans or adjust some aspects of the itinerary to meet the specific needs of you and your group. Our experienced Group Sales Team would be happy to meet with you to discuss any aspect of your proposed trip. Please check out the Private groups page or contact our specialist Group Sales Department for further details on 0845 330 6009.

Solo Traveller
For those people not travelling with family or friends. Exodus group adventure holidays are the perfect option. Solo travel in encouraged and very much a feature of our group holidays, with around half our clients joining the trip by themselves.

Here are just some of the advantages of travelling solo with Exodus:

• They provide the security of travelling in an organised group.
• You will not have to pay more because you are booking by yourself.
• You will not have to pay a single supplement as we will room you with a fellow traveller of the same sex, and occasionally you may end up with your own room.
• For those who choose, almost all trips offer guaranteed single accommodation at a very reasonable extra charge.
• You can virtually meet and discuss preparations for your trip at Exodus’ Compass Café before departure.
• You will meet like minded travellers and make new friends.

New for 2009 - Solo Departures

Solo Departures
For those clients who wish to travel with a group of other solo travellers, on certain trips we have set aside departure dates that are exclusively for clients booking individually.
Solo departures are aimed at taking away that concern that you may be the only solo traveller when you arrive overseas. Look out for the special departures by checking the notes in the dates and prices table.

Click here to view the page of trips offering our solo departures.

Some people know where they want to go, some people know what they want to do. At Exodus, we cater for all. We work on the basis that we look for the best things to do, and build a holiday around that. Pick here from a selection of activities you can choose from a range of destinations that these activities take place in.

OTHER ICONS APPEARING ON THE WEBSITE

	Walking & Trekking Trips are wholly trekking-focused or simply contain a significant portion of walking days on an itinerary.
	Winter Activities It's about seeking out alternative ways to have fun in unspoilt locations, you won't find standard skiing or snowboarding breaks here.
	Cycling Our cycling holidays come in all shapes and sizes; from gentle self-guided trips in the Dordogne, to tackling the High Atlas in Morocco, or exploring the length of Vietnam.
	Polar Expeditions At the ends of the earth and far from the madding crowd, the Polar Regions are perhaps the last pristine wildernesses left on the planet.
	Multi-Activity Activities may range from the ordinary (for example walking, cycling or whitewater rafting) to the damn right extraordinary (including caving, camel riding or canyoning).
	Serious Adventure These trips are what Exodus is all about. Join us!
	Wildlife & Safaris Trips may be wholly wildlife focused, or contain an element of wildlife viewing within a less specific itinerary.
	Wilderness Visit the deserts, jungles, plateaux, tundra and mountains of all seven continents.
	Culture Let Exodus show you a different side to many of the world's greatest cultural attractions.
	Relaxed Itinerary A range of itineraries seeking out intriguing and off-thebeaten-path destinations in a little extra comfort!
	New Trips If you are always on the look out for something that little bit different, keep an eye out for the new icon throughout the brochure!
	If flexibility is top of your list or some of your children are very young, an activity centre is ideal. Try out a range of exciting, fun and educational activities from one base. You can pick and choose the activities and who in the family wants to join in.
	Specialist Photographic Departures in 2009 with Paul Goldstein, John Warburton-Lee and friends.

STEP 3: CHOOSE YOUR COMFORT ZONE

It is important that you choose a trip that is right for you, not just for the geographic location, but also for the level of comfort, the remoteness, likely weather conditions and level of fitness required for the included activities.

How we grade our trips
The benefit of the grading is to provide an overall indicator enabling one trip to be compared against another. The major factors taken into consideration when deciding upon the grade are:

* Level of exertion and experience required for activity undertaken.

* Level of comfort in terms of accommodation, travelling, available facilities, temperature range and likely weather conditions.

* Remoteness of area, likely terrain, altitude and access to emergency services.

For further details about all aspects of a specific trip please read the relevant Trip Notes.



Leisurely grade trips are designed for people who are in good health and enjoy the outdoors. Although they may contain an active element, they do not require a high level of fitness or any previous experience. Long journeys are kept to a minimum and accommodation, whilst not necessarily luxurious is usually pleasant and comfortable. If you haven't tried one of our style of holidays before, or are after a more relaxing trip but still packed with interest then this leisurely grade is for you.



For moderately graded trips you will need to be in good health and reasonably fit. They may contain elements that are quite active and we therefore recommend a programme of gentle exercise before you go, although no previous experience is necessary. Some journeys may be long and, where there is no alternative, some accommodation may be on the 'basic' side of comfortable. Trips in this category are often our most popular as they provide active, engaging holidays for those that do not want to push themselves too hard.



For any trip at this level or above, fitness is important and you may have to improve yours before departure. These trips could contain elements of extended activity in remote or challenging conditions, or involve some long journeys with early starts or late arrivals. At least some accommodation is likely to be more basic, including camping, and with fewer facilities. Terrain, temperature and weather conditions can also be more challenging and you will definitely have to "rough it" at some point on the trip. These trips are ideal for the more adventurous who are confident of their fitness.



This is where it gets serious. At this level we recommend previous experience of the activity involved. You'll need complete confidence in your physical condition and your ability to participate in the activity, perhaps for long periods of time, over consecutive days or under difficult circumstances. Trips may experience high altitude, extremes of temperature, remoteness, long days or difficult terrain. Accommodation, although often good at the start and end, can be basic (often camping) with few facilities. Tough trips represent the ideal grade for those experienced in adventure travel that want to push themselves out of their everyday comfort zone.


For those looking for something a little tougher, Exodus operate a number of specialist, Tough + itineraries. These trips involve all the elements of a Tough grade, plus additional factors of significant difficulty where specialist skills are often required.

Split Grades
In order to provide a more accurate grading system, where a trip falls between two grades we use an intermediate grade e.g. Leisurely/moderate, Moderate/challenging and Challenging/tough . These trips may be split between the two grades for any of the reasons listed in the 'How we grade our trips' section (left). As with all trips, you should refer to the Trip Notes for specific details.