In general, if you look at the word itself, it already becomes clear it is connected with the earth, the field (‘agros’ in Greek means ‘the field’). In simple terms, agritourism involves relaxing in the countryside with possible work in the garden or in the yard. Of course, the last activity is not a duty, but a wish. However, as avid agritourists say, “if you want to feel real unity with nature and get a lot of positive emotions, then there must be peasant labor!” You will definitely like this way of holiday if you want to be close to nature. Moreover, you can reach the best country areas, when using Jeep rental with Rental24H.com.
Agritourism features, you should know
In addition to agricultural activities and outdoor recreation, true agritourism has a number of characteristic features.
- Firstly, it is not necessary to give up the benefits of civilization. On farms where such tours are held, there are all amenities, internet is connected, and comfortable recreation places are equipped.
- Secondly, agritourism does not mean eating only what you have gathered. Yes, of course, you can enjoy the raspberries just gathered from the bush. However, a full meal awaits you at a local restaurant, which, as a rule, is prepared from products grown here.
- Thirdly, this type of tourism, along with enogastronomic tourism, allows you to most fully integrate into the usual way of a country, get to know its history, culture, traditions more closely. For example, in Germany you can look after farm animals and “work” as a shepherd of cows or horses. In Italy, agritourist will be taught the basics of making cheese.
Indeed, this type of vacation was conceived as economical, but let’s not forget that rural tourist structures have become more comfortable, organized over the years and the quality of services is constantly growing, as they correspond the same comfort and safety requirements that are established for ordinary hotel structures.
The main feature of such a vacation is in nature, in the open air, is personal contact with the friendly owners of the estate, which often turns out to be a family business. Rural tourism is suitable for everyone: young people, and families with children and the elderly people.
This is a vacation that allows you to discover new cultural, archaeological, gastronomic and natural routes, get acquainted with local products and enjoy the surrounding landscapes.
Agritourism History
Agritourism is a relatively young area of tourism. It is believed that the ideas of such tours were voiced at the beginning of the XX century. Whereas the first associations and, accordingly, agro-tourism programs appeared only at the end of the last century. Such countries as France, Italy, Spain, Poland, and Germany became pioneers in the popularization of this direction.
To develop this type of tourism, historical settlements were renewed, dying traditions were revived, roads were built so that it was possible to reach the most remote corners. The popularity of agritourism began to grow every day. On the one hand, the frantic rhythm of megacities with their workload and stress pushed people to search for quiet places where they could relax in silence, it is interesting to spend time and regain strength. On the other hand, agro travel gives us a chance to return to childhood. After all, so many memories that we have left from that time are connected with the village, grandmother, delicious food, beautiful nature. The anticipation of the trip itself and the first impressions of it give lightness and cause a smile on the face.
Food as one of the fundamental principles of agrotourism
Indeed, one of the main principles of this type of tourism is having meals made of what is produced and grown in a given area. Therefore, agritourist makes it possible to taste local delicacies and discover the gastronomic traditions of the country. For example, in the regions of Italy, you can taste from Piedmont truffles to Friulan ham, from Bologna “mortadella” sausage to mozzarella from milk of Campanian buffalo, not forgetting about the excellent olive oil from Puglia.
An ideal option for ecological vacations, when farmers combine the tasks of land development with nature conservation, as well as an example of the ideal combination of outdoor recreation with eco-tourism, is agritourism in the interior of national reserves, as part of an increasingly expansive policy of using natural heritage. An important detail of rest in such structures is a very favorable price-quality ratio.
Restaurants in such rural houses not only allow you to spend a wonderful day outdoors, but also expand the gastronomic horizons, bringing the tourist closer to the taste of traditional cuisine. If you choose rural tourism, you can turn your vacation into a pleasant tour of old culinary recipes.
Agrotourism, which is especially popular in the USA and Western Europe, is rest in the countryside (in villages, on farms, in comfortable peasant houses). Tourists for some time lead a rural lifestyle among nature, get acquainted with the values of folk culture, applied art, with national songs and dances, local customs, take part in traditional rural labor, folk holidays and festivals.
The USA is a huge country, formed from the unique parts that are different in nature, culture and the way of everyday life. Even the language spoken by the people of America varies depending on the territory where you are located.
It seems that all the remarkable places of such a popular country in the world have been studied for a long time, but we tried to highlight some amazing places for traveling around the USA.
California: Search for Zebras on the Pacific Coast
What could be better than traveling on a Ford Mustang along the Pacific Coast in California? A trip on a powerful car with a beautiful view from the window looks like the American dream.
The eight hundred-kilometer route from San Francisco to Los Angeles passes through noteworthy places: Carmel Town, Bixby Creek Bridge, and coastal cliffs of the Big Sur area.
You can stay overnight at the popular authentic Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo. Then, head to the former largest private zoo located near the Hearst Castle national monument. You can see a lot of beautiful zebras there. They walk right along the curb.
Colorado: Climb to the top of the Great Sand Dunes
It’s a well-known fact that Colorado is an ideal place for such outdoor activities as hiking and skiing. But a truly unusual place is located four hours south of Denver – these are the Great Sand Dunes. The landscape of the largest dunes in North America seems as if carved from a science fiction film.
Climbing to the top is difficult, since the air temperature can reach even 65°C. Under more favorable conditions, it’s worth climbing to the peak. It offers a beautiful view of the Rocky Mountains, surrounded by almost 400 hectares of sand dunes. The sand is so soft that walking on it is similar to swimming in the clouds.
