Dharamshala

Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. Tourism may be international, or within the traveller’s country. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism more generally, in terms which go “beyond the common perception of tourism as being limited to holiday activity only”, as people “traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes”.

Tourism can be domestic or international, and international tourism has both incoming and outgoing implications on a country’s balance of payments. Today, tourism is a major source of income for many countries, and affects the economy of both the source and host countries, in some cases being of vital importance.

Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Religious pilgrimages have existed much longer but they involve walking long distances for a spiritual purpose associated with specific religions.

“Hiking” is the preferred term in Canada and the United States; the term “walking” is used in these regions for shorter, particularly urban walks. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, the word “walking” describes all forms of walking, whether it is a walk in the park or backpacking in the Alps. The word hiking is also often used in the UK, along with rambling, hillwalking, and fell walking (a term mostly used for hillwalking in northern England). The term bushwalking is endemic to Australia, having been adopted by the Sydney Bush Walkers club in 1927.

Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure.The pilot sits in a harness or in a cocoon-like ‘pod’ suspended below a fabric wing. Wing shape is maintained by the suspension lines, the pressure of air entering vents in the front of the wing, and the aerodynamic forces of the air flowing over the outside.

Despite not using an engine, paraglider flights can last many hours and cover many hundreds of kilometres, though flights of one to five hours and covering some tens of kilometres are more the norm. By skillful exploitation of sources of lift, the pilot may gain height, often climbing to altitudes of a few thousand metres.

Road cycling is the most widespread form of cycling. It includes recreational, racing, and utility cycling. Road cyclists are generally expected to obey the same rules and laws as other vehicle drivers or riders and may also be vehicular cyclists.

Dedicated road bicycles have drop handlebars and multiple gears, although there are single and fixed gear varieties. Road bikes also use narrow, high-pressure tires to decrease rolling resistance, and tend to be somewhat lighter than other types of bicycle. The drop handlebars are often positioned lower than the saddle in order to put the rider in a more aerodynamic position. In an effort to become more aerodynamic, some riders have begun using aerobars. Who and when aerobars where invented is unclear but they seem to date back to the early 1980s. The light weight and aerodynamics of a road bike allows this type of bicycle to be the second most efficient self-powered means of transportation, behind only recumbent bicycles due to the latter’s higher aerodynamic efficiency.

Trekking is recreational activity that involves covering any specified journey on foot. This is mostly done in rural areas and rugged regions. Trekking is often done in combination with backpacking and rock climbing.

Trekking is mainly done to have an interaction with nature. Trekkers cross forest areas, mountains, deserts and face different weather conditions and topographies. The activity does not require much of planning and is usually done in groups. The travelling through isolated areas by being close to nature and surroundings; makes this activity enjoyable and worth an experience.

Trekking can be done in any part of world, although, there are some regions where it is carried out extensively.

In India, trekking is mainly done in Western Himalayas and Eastern Himalayas. The western region consists of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttaranchal and Himachal Pradesh, while Darjeeling, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and West Bengal are covered in Eastern Himalayan region. Down south, trekking is popular in Coorg, Chikamagalur and Kerala.

The best time to undertake trekking In India is between May and October months. The treks in Ladakh region are usually done between July- August and then from September to October. For trekkers, who want to explore parts of Sikkim and Darjeeling, the best time is between May to October. The trekking season for Arunachal Pradesh starts in October and ends in February.

Many trek routes in India go through the sensitive areas declared by Indian Government. The Non-Indian trekkers need to have proper trekking licenses and permits to cross such area.