DISCOVER SOMETHING BIGGER & SPEND MORE TIME OUTDOORS 

We at Sandgrouse Travel & Expeditions find ourselves being called back to magical parts of the world in a reoccuring cycle. From here at home in Scotland and within the UK, to remote corners of world such as Scandinavia and Africa we go in search of our 'fix'. These callings lurk within us all and if neglected they become almost nagging desires. It is this same emotion that is essentially the driving force behind people booking a holiday (or two or three) each year.

People need to break the routine and head somewhere new to relax. The outdoors is probably the best place to head and as a company, Sandgrouse Travel & Expeditions is very well placed to prescribe you what your doctor can not this winter. Exploration, adventure and discovery, these three ingredients can be distilled, bottled and sold in the form of a luxury and or adventure holiday-of-a-lifetime. So, what are you waiting for?

(Main Image: Solveig from our Edinburgh office standing on Rannoch Moor. She is looking down towards the entrances of two of Scotland's most famous glens, Glen Coe and Glen Etive).

(Visitors to Swedish Lapland will be literally amazed. Step into a truly alternative world of frozen seas, snow-covered mountains and silent pine forests). Click to enlarge.

It could be said that outdoor adventures and holidays offer us all a prescribed placebo. However, the experiences we savour on our trips stay with us for a much longer than we would have ever imagined, having a lasting effect on us once we return. The trips we build our clients have the above in mind. We also hope they spark something bigger in our clients, a resolution of sorts, New Year or not!

In the coming weeks we will be launching our much awaited guided Scotland Adventures so keep a look out here on our website for these awesome UK based 'prescribed placebos'. You will also be able to find them via our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

(Looking out across the incredible landscapes of the Hebrides in Scotland. Visitors to Scotland with Sandgrouse Travel & Expeditions benefit from our insider knowledge and personal connections across the country). Click to enlarge.

(Happy guests standing on a frozen lake in Swedish Lapland whilst at Brandon Lodge. The combination of the cold wintery air, doing something unique and new together with great friends or family is intoxicating. Great memories are formed in these moments). Click to enlarge image.

(Being outdoors gives us the chance to have fun and feel more 'alive', people talk of feeling reinvigorated having spent time outdoors). Click to enlarge image. 

PERCEPTIONS AND CONCEPTS

On a recent micro-adventure in the mountains of western Norway, laying on my back looking up at the stars I realised how strange it is that we talk so much of 'the outdoors'. The outdoors is the world we are in fact supposed to be completely a part of and yet we speak of it as if it was this other world we go out into and enter.

We as a species have created our 'indoor' lifestyles and for many people their whole world revolves soley around indoor activities. The outdoors however is the most natural and wonderful place for us to be, indeed collectively we are seeking more and more of it out often without really knowing why. With this in mind we should surely all strive to spend as much time outdoors as we can. We should also continue to encourage our children to do the same. In our modern urbanised world it has never been more important to continue to instill among the next generation the value and benefits to be enjoyed within the outdoors. There is clearly a strong desire within the next generation to learn more about the natural world as the BBC's recent Planet Earth II series airing figures suggest!

"BUT I DON'T LIKE OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES", they say

To the uninitiated the outdoors can seem a daunting place, a strange and inhospitable space where you are constantly battling the elments. Many urban friends will tell you they don't like outdoor activities yet still feel good when surrounded by nature and that somehow they miss it when they are not. So perhaps then, it is a question about our mordern culture and individual backgrounds? We believe it is very possible to change perceptions with the right introduction. 

(See the Northern Lights in the far north of Scandinavia this winter - there is still time to book something up). 

APPAISAL OF OUR STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS 

Being outdoors is a wonderful leveller of men, in 'the nature', as they say in Scandinavia where people have a much closer affinity with the outdoors, we learn new things about ourselves, we learn new skills and grow in confidence, we learn team work and patience and we learn to appreciate and protect our natural world and environment. This is beneficial to both children and adults alike. 

Outdoor pursuits and hill walking in particular in wild country are with good reason ranked with the most popular of all leisure activities in the UK (if not the world). The heady mix of great vistas, exercise, fresh air and the sense of exploration often together with friends is truly one of the best experiences on offer.

In the coming weeks we will be launching our guided Scotland - Adventure trips so keep a look out here on our website these awesome perscribed placebos. You will also be able to fidn them on via our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more updates. 

New to the idea of a more outdoor-based holiday? Make the first step to a new life experience today and call our Edinburgh team. You will be able to discuss the right trip for you. We use our expert knowledge of the areas we sell and our understanding of your experience level to build you the perfect tailor-made adventure holiday. Remember, your trip is completely tailor-made and can be designed with or without a luxury element so whether you want a luxury holiday or lodge or are more happy under a bivvy bag or tipi (lavvu), we can cater for your wishes. 

(Stay at the fantastic Aurora Safari Camp in Swedish Lapland for something unique). Click to enlarge. 

For more information on our itineraries and how to arrange your tailormade adventure, speak to one of our travel designers today.

Call now on 0131 662 4731 or alternatively email enquiries@sandgrousetravel.com.

Sandgrouse Travel & Expeditions is a luxury travel company based in Edinburgh, Scotland. We specailise in tailor-made holidays to Scotland, Scandinavia and Africa and bring a wealth of first-hand experience to each of the bespoke trips we carefully create for our clients.