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Zach Lentz drops into Portillo's Super C while telemarking in Chile. Photo by Greg Speicher

Move over Clark Griswold, you've never quite had a vacation like this. Because when it comes to adventure travel, you're probably not just going to want to see the world's largest ball of twine. You're gonna wanna climb it.

Which isn't to say that the Griswolds' trek to WallyWorld wasn't an adventure in itself (How many times have you held a security guard at gunpoint so your kids could ride a roller coaster?), it's just that with adventure travel, your options are as limitless as the world itself. And how much adventure you can get out of it -- or want to -- is entirely up to you. In other words, adventure travel ain't your father's -- or thankfully, the traditional American family -- vacation. It's, well, an adventure.

As you might expect, it's not as much about the destination (half the fun's getting there, right Clark?) as it is about the experience you go through in traveling to that place, and the activity you decide to tackle once there. With the hectic, busy life you lead -- and the scratch you laid out on airfare -- your experience should be a good one.

Sure, you want to relax and have a good time. But for true adventure, your trip should challenge you at times, maybe even unsettle you and take you out of your comfort zone. After all, if there aren't at least a few moments on your trip that make your Adam's apple bob, how good are the stories gonna be when you get back home?

In this primer on adventure travel, we'll give you some great tips -- and a couple amusing anecdotes -- on how you might navigate your life's next great adventure. We're not going to tell you where to go -- though you might get some ideas from the places we mention -- as much as provide a road map on how to pick the best place on the planet to recharge your soul. We'll also suggest some pre-trip checklists and preparations that you'll want to consider.

We'll talk to a number of travelers who have been to -- and gotten back from -- the four corners of the globe while learning something about the world and themselves. We'll ask them about the Do's and Don'ts of adventure travel, and get some insight into where they might want to go next. Hopefully, in their tales you might see an adventure waiting for you.

First things first: Make a commitment

Perhaps the biggest gulp the beginning adventure traveler can take is just getting out there for the first time. Face it, as Americans, we're not the world's best-traveled people.

"I say this all the time: only 10 per cent of America has a passport. Only one per cent of that 10 per cent of America has ever used it," gripes expedition kayaker Scott Lindgren, who in 2002 pulled off one of the ballsiest adventures ever by leading a first descent of the Upper Tsang Po Gorge, hailed as the Everest of Rivers, in Tibet.

So just commit.

"If you're thinking about trying to do it, just do it," says Lindgren, 32. "I hear the excuse all the time, that it's so expensive to travel, and I just think that's such bullshit. It's just where you put your priorities and where you prioritize travel."

Lindgren, who raised more than a half a million dollars for the Tsang Po Expedition, arguably has travel at the top of his life's to-do list.

"The amazing thing is once you get out there and do start to travel you find that there are quite a few other people that are actually doing it, too. It's an amazing experience. And adventure is one of the best reasons to do it."

Aaron Stabel, a 28-year-old behavior analyst from California who pulled off a six-month trek around the world, echoes that sentiment, while recommending that you choose a place that's special to you.

"Find a place you're passionate about seeing and exploring, buy your plane ticket well in advance to have time to prepare, and commit to it," Stabel says. "Once you've made the financial commitment, the mental commitment is a lot more salient. At least, it gives you something great to focus on at work."

Now, do lots of research

That focus can also help you overcome your pucker-factor. "You can do a lot to work out those fears by researching the place," Stabel says.

"Get a book and read it," says Norwood Scott, 38, of San Francisco, who's trekked and kayaked through Nepal, dived off Bora Bora and spent three days standing in the rain while hitch-hiking through New Zealand before getting picked up by a band of nocturnal rabbit hunters. "When I went to Nepal, I read the Lonely Planet Guide Book cover to cover."

Surf the Internet

Of course, in this age of thinking global, you'll want to leverage the biggest research machine on the planet: the Internet. There are some great sites, with everything from pre-packing check lists (www.adventuretraveltips.com) to details on the best ways to walk (with your feet pointed straight ahead, not out to the side). Think your hike this summer on the Pacific Crest Trail took commitment? Check out what this world traveler has done -- with a 12-foot cross on his back (www.blessitt.com). Looking for a destination? You can mine a lot of the ideas that adventure travel agencies offer, even if you don't want to shell out the dough on their pre-planned adventure packages. Check out Adventure Travel.com (www.adventuretravel.com) for some great ideas, including destinations such as Alaska, Antartica and Belize, currently listed as the top three adventure hot spots on the globe.

Sweat the small stuff

And that's just the beginning. Depending on what activity you're looking to pursue, it's your responsibility to check out the details of everything before you go. Tele-skiing in Chile? Make sure you can get a taxi that has snow tires and chains at the Santiago airport.

"Oh, and you'll want to make sure your driver knows how to put those chains on," says Greg Speicher, a pharmacist who hit the slopes of Portillo this summer.

Wanna take your boat or your bike with you? Make sure all the different airlines you're connecting to will accept them on the planes you'll be traveling with.

"Wide body jets don't have the same size restrictions as some of the smaller ones," says Scott. "So you've got to make sure your boat can ride all the way through, depending on what kind of aircraft you'll be flying in."

Trekking in Nepal? Make sure you've got copies of all your documents, and don't necessarily trust all of your fellow traveling companions.

"There's an unwritten rule at hostels that backpackers don't steal from each other," says Stabel. "But my buddy's bag got stolen 10 minutes after we arrived, by some other trekkers, and he lost all his papers. It took him days to straighten it out."

For this last reason, nearly all well-seasoned travelers give the same simple advice: Make several photocopies of your passport. If you're traveling with a partner, make sure that person has a copy of your documents as well. That way, if your bag gets stolen, or vice versa, you've got each others' backs. If you're staying somewhere secure, like a reasonable hotel, lock your originals in the safe and only carry the photocopies with you. Another good tip: put a copy of your itinerary in your checked baggage so that it can find its way back to you if lost.

Now, look closer

Think even harder. What are you going to need on a daily basis? Look at the expiration dates on your credit cards. Are they due to expire? If so, request new ones. Same for your passport -- many countries won't let you enter if your passport is due to expire within three to six months of your return home.

You also might want to call your credit card companies and let them know about your travel plans. Not only will that keep them from cutting you off when they see that strange charge for sauteed crocodile in Belize, but they'll be able to tell you where their cards are and aren't accepted in your given country. If you're going to use them to get cash from ATM machines (now in most countries), make sure your PIN will work overseas. Also, make sure you know the different acceptance practices for credit versus debit cards in the country you're in. They don't always work the same as in the States.

You can check out the locations of ATM machines that take Visa at www.visa.com/pd/atm/main.html and MasterCard at www.mastercard.com/atm.

Oh, and don't forget the different value of money in the place you're going.

"I just about stopped believing in travelers checks," says Speicher. "You know, a $50 U.S. traveler's check is worth so much in some places that it's actually worthless. In a lot of places, there's no way they're going to have that much money to make change for you."

Not sure how much money you'll need in a certain place? Well, you can always check out what the Feds do. Visit www.state.gov/www/perdiems to find out what the U.S. government gives its employees per day in different parts of the world. This won't be enough for a luxury stay, but it should cover dirtbags like you and me, and then some.

It's also a good idea to get a small amount of local currency from your home bank ahead of time, so you can have it in your pocket when you land. Other than that, many travelers recommend using ATM and credit cards, as your exchange rate is usually better, and you don't need to carry tons of cash while in country. Just make sure, again, that they'll work ahead of time.

Take everything you won't need out of your wallet before you go. You're not going to be using your Blockbuster card en route to the Galapagos. Once you get there, you'll have all the entertainment you need.