Every year we try to bring readers up to date on the latest trends in adventure travel. What's new? Gaining interest? Perhaps losing appeal?

Trends often emerge with the vigour of an erupting volcano. For example, the idea of jetting off to some remote jungle to high line across its tree tops at more than 50 mph was once about as appealing as going over Niagara Falls in a barrel.

Now, amazingly, many normally non-adventurous travellers do it in places such as Costa Rica, Alaska and Lake Tahoe as routinely as driving to their grocery store.

What else is making news? It there's any one standout trend, it tends to be the number of outdoor enthusiasts taking bicycling and walking-trekking tours. Thanks to publicity surrounding seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, cycling has taken on a new glamour.

Interestingly, the amount of publicity this journalist receives covering exciting tours for cyclists is right up there with whitewater rafting, kayaking, African safaris, Everest base camp expeditions and treks to Bhutan's Buddhist monasteries.

Time was when companies such as Mountain Travel Sobek, Off-The-Beaten-Track and Geographic Expeditions mainly emphasised the far-flung and exotic. And, of course, they still feature the ultimate in dramatic escapes.

But more and more one sees itineraries being promoted that are exciting and challenging, but not half-way around the world.

Combined cycling, hiking and rafting trips in western North America have grown in popularity. They're usually for small groups of six to 12 and tour companies advise prospective participants of the difficulty level, assessing their level of capability.

Taking the family with you is also part of an increasing travel trend towards "togethering", something our family has always done.

And anyone who pours over the flood of publicity crossing my desk would also be surprised at the advanced age of some participants. Very fit looking, their level of activity probably helps account for agility often surpassing much younger enthusiasts.

Timberline, headquartered in Denver (www.timbertours.com), has been leading adventures quite literally above Timberline for 25 years. The idea of cycling up Montana's Going To The Sun Highway, elevation above 6,600 feet, or across the summit of Red Mountain Peak near Silverton, Colorado may sound too challenging for many.

However, less strenuous itineraries lure active travellers through Utah's Canyonlands, Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, South Dakota's Black Hills, Yosemite, even some lively treks across our favourite Hawaiian Island, Kauai.

Overnight accommodations focus on interesting properties such as inns and well-known lodges. Prices for seven days and six nights are around $2,000 and cover meals, overnights, guides and so on. Getting there is left to you.

Euro Bike & Walking Tours, based in De Kalb, Illinois (www.eurobike.com), offers a brochure with photos so tempting, itineraries are hard to resist. In business since 1974, the company's focus is on destinations such as Provence, Normandy and Brittany, Tuscany, Britain, Ireland and Austria.

It also emphasises quality accommodations, local food, small groups and what it labels "value prices" in three categories . . . "luxury, comfort or budget".A support van offers a lift if you feel it's time for a rest.

Who else would guide you to a French bicycle museum in France's Dordogne? Each tour offers different levels of difficulty . . ."easy, moderate, energetic".

Berkeley, California-based Backroads has more of the same (www.Backroads.com). And while it leads you from Italy's Dolomites and France's Provence to Norway and Hawaii, it also has trips to Vermont, Maine, Nova Scotia and Nantucket. And again, there's a price choice of "premier, casual or camping".

Imagine pedalling through the Loire Valley, overnighting at luxury vintage estates and castles such as Chateau de Marcay and Chateau d' Artigny, once home to French perfumer Francois Coty. Then on to 18th-century Amboise.

There are all very much the "in" thing . . . a combination of cycling and hiking. And just to get a feel for it, these operators can personally arrange two- or three-day "samplers" at your pace . . . perhaps savouring the California Wine Country and sampling your way through vineyards in a low-key leisurely way relaxing from spa to spa.

San Francisco's Geographic Expeditions (www.geoex.com) will transport you along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, across Patagonia or on 22- day private air charters from Casablanca to Capetown.

Explorer Francis Younghusband said: "The mountains reserve their greatest secrets for those who attain their summit."

That's possible on the company's 17-day climb discovering "The Real Kilimanjaro", a 23-day trek to experience "The Real Kanhenjunga", 18-day 'Highlands of Ladakh" and the "Great Route to Everest" . . . all in the great tradition of mountain expeditions.

The exotic route following the silk road across Central Asia leading to Uzbekistan's Samarkand, Bukhara and the capital Tashkent is more than slightly overwhelming.

Off The Beaten Track, headquartered in Bozeman, Montana (www.offthebeatenpath.com), is well located to guide travellers to beauty spots.

Name a western site from Yellowstone and the Tetons to Vancouver Island, Old Mexico or South America and, like the others, its goal is to show you not only headline sights, but off-trail, away from the world ones.

Buried deep among interesting offerings is VBT of Bristol, Vermont (www/Vbt/com), which has been offering 37 years of "international deluxe bicycling vacations".

And although the company pedals off in all directions, these troubled times are placing attention on such closer-to-home areas as Vermont, the Maine Coast, French Canada, Charleston, Savannah, and the California Wine Country.

Five overnights spent at country inns ¿ three at Bar Harbour Inn and two at either Harbour Cottage Inn or Claremont Hotel ¿ free bicycle and helmet use, most meals, full van support, guide, sightseeing activities and admissions are $1,295. Groups number 14 to 24 and a van is always available for those who decide they're far from Lance Armstrong's stamina.

When bosses at Mountain Travel Sobek (www.mtsobek.com), of Emeryville, California, say, "We'll take you anywhere . . . and everywhere", they're not exaggerating.

And like the other adventure companies mentioned here, the firm labels its trip levels as "easy, moderate, strenuous and ultimate challenge". And also like others, the trips are often best described as multi-sport . . . cycling, rafting, kayaking and hiking.

How many people do you know who have kayaked Greenland? It has numerous offerings in Alaska, British Columbia and a popular focus on western national parks such as Yosemite, Bryce, Zion and Grand Canyon.

Even Natural Habitat Adventures of Boulder, Colorado (www.nathab.com), noted for its explorer tours to far-flung wonders, has a dramatic impressive list of trips to Alaska, Yellowstone, the Tetons Glacier National Park, British Columbia and Newfoundland.

And because some travellers now prefer to remain closer to home, they've become as popular as classic safaris, Antarctic and isolated China.

Intrepid, with offices in the US, Canada and Australia, has been specialising in the unusual since its inception 20 years ago, often a combination of hiking, cycling, private bus, plane . . . and in the case of Cuba, even a Russian truck.

Labelled "Real Life Experiences", they often include overnights in comfortable but simple hotels, homestays with local families, even camping. Four featuring Cuba for groups of 12 were particularly colourful with prices starting from $1,400 for eight days to $2,165 for 22 days exploring Cuba in an unusual way. Airfare is extra (www.intrepidtravel.com).

All its tours are adventure oriented, not a "conventional holiday". So they're not for everyone. Imagine exploring the landscape from La Paz, Bolivia to Santiago, Chile for 20 days for around $1,200. Or 36 days crossing the Andes from Quito, Ecuador, along Peru's Inca Trail to La Paz, Bolivia at $2,660.

Obviously not everyone is interested in this level of participation. While it's Utopia for some, others might find it physical torture. But you may want to plan a trip that includes a few days of such activity.

Ask your travel agent for suggestions. Some destinations lend themselves to organising something like this within a less strenuous itinerary and it can add a taste of adventure to your vacation.

Next week: Focus on Switzerland making football headlines this year