Six Main Ways to Travel Outdoors
The main ways of outdoor travel, ranked according to their prestige among outdoor enthusiasts, are as follows:
1. Solo Travel
Solo travel—exploring mountains and rivers, hiking, mountaineering, adventure, and sailing—is held in the highest esteem among outdoor enthusiasts. How awesome is that? Simply amazing!! And if you quit your job and travel without even telling your family, you’re practically a legend.
Solo travelers aim to spend the least amount of money (finding ways to hitchhike for free, stay for free, trade skills for food, and pinch every penny—ideally spending less than they would at home!) while visiting the most places. That’s considered the ultimate achievement by many outdoor enthusiasts. And after the trip, it’s even better if they can publish a book about it.
2. Private Gathering
Usually, this involves experienced outdoor enthusiasts or familiar friends traveling together. Many of them were once active users of outdoor websites or well-known trip leaders, but eventually grew disillusioned with the online community, finding it too mixed, inconsistent, and full of drama. So they went underground or semi-underground—no longer posting on outdoor forums—and instead organize trips privately. They know each other well, have similar fitness and technical levels, and tend to engage in more technical activities such as rock climbing, high-intensity trekking and mountaineering, or high-altitude expeditions.
Private gathering groups often consist of 3 to 5 people.
3. AA Teams or “Pure AA” Trips
Team members often feel proud and satisfied; other outdoor enthusiasts also generally hold these trips in high regard.
However, there is no unified definition of what constitutes an AA team or a “pure AA” team within the industry—interpretations vary widely among individuals.
Nowadays, AA teams usually only involve splitting costs equally. The trip leader holds a lot of power and includes numerous liability disclaimers, but their actual responsibilities and obligations are limited to arranging transportation, accommodation, and meals. There’s a serious imbalance between the rights and duties of the leader compared to those of the participants. In the event of serious injury or fatality, regardless of whether it results from the leader’s incompetence or poor decision-making, the leader typically bears no responsibility, offers no compensation, and the victims’ families have no legal recourse—leaving them to simply accept their misfortune.
Groups of around 10 to 20 people are common.
4. Unlicensed Commercial Trips
Some clubs running these trips are officially registered companies, but many operate without licenses—with the latter probably being the majority. These trips are very popular among outdoor enthusiasts and are considered relatively prestigious, ranking fourth. They also attract the highest number of participants and have the most trips available. Such trips make up the vast majority of all activities listed on major outdoor websites, both in terms of quantity and participation.
Trip leaders are usually seasoned outdoor enthusiasts with extensive experience and numerous routes under their belts. They often have large followings and run their own QQ groups with thousands—or even tens of thousands—of members. These trips are generally safe, but in the rare event of a serious accident, the leader is not held liable.
These operators don’t pay taxes or rent storefronts on busy streets. Smaller clubs can run their businesses from home, while larger ones may rent non-prime office space, which helps them save significantly on operational costs, giving them a price advantage on their tours.
Multi-day trips often emphasize purchasing insurance.
Group sizes typically range from 30 to 100 people.
5. Commercial Trips Organized by Licensed Outdoor Companies
These trips are led by professional guides, and organizers prepare rescue plans in advance based on the route, season, and participant profiles. High-value insurance is mandatory for everyone. There are many such reputable outdoor companies in regions like Xinjiang and Sichuan. Contracts are signed before departure to clearly define the rights, responsibilities, and obligations of both parties. These trips are relatively safe, with higher safety assurances.
However, these trips are not highly regarded among outdoor enthusiasts. Many look down on them, believing that having professional guides and local leaders takes away the thrill and technical challenge.
Trips that involve high fees (like climbing Mount Everest) and well-established rescue systems are especially frowned upon and even scorned by the outdoor community. For example, adventurers like Wang Shi, Huang Nubo, and Wang Qiuyang—who have completed the Seven Summits and Seven Volcanoes challenge—are often mocked and looked down upon: “What do you have besides money? What’s so impressive about that? If I had the money, I could climb Everest too!”
Team sizes are usually around 10 people, not including additional support staff like guides and leaders.
6. Joining a Tour Group Organized by a Travel Agency
This method of travel is considered the least prestigious among outdoor enthusiasts and is heavily looked down upon—it’s almost unspeakable… Only a fool would join a tour group organized by a travel agency!!
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Group sizes usually range from 10 to 25 people.
So, it's quite normal to see frequent major casualties in outdoor activities, with rescue teams "keeping busy" and outdoor forums bustling with activity!
This post was originally written by Lao Haibao.
Tanlu Lv – Outdoor Adventure & Self-Drive Travel Network.