New Vacation Spots Really Hot
Trendy vacationers with money to burn are finding a new place to burn it. Tired of traditional vacations to Las Vegas, Riyad, New Orleans, and Phenom Phen, young affluent vacationers are spending their leisure time inside active volcanoes. Popular destinations for these “vulcanophiles” include Kilauea volcano in Hawaii, the Sheveluch volcano on the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia, and White Island, New Zealand.
“We came here for our honeymoon last year, and we enjoyed it so much that we decided to start doing the grand volcano tour,” said Denise Gates. “It is so cool putting on that volcano suit and wading through the poisonous gasses and boiling lava. Strolling through lava tubes while lava is swirling around your legs is something that you’ll never forget.”
Vulcanophiles suit up in heavy asbestos garments that are sealed against the poisonous gases. Quartz domes, similar to space suit helmets cover the explorer’s head. Tanks strapped to the wearer’s back provide oxygen. Over night stays inside the volcanoes are made possible by attaching a special oxygen line to the suit that runs to a pumping station on the surface.
“I was a little nervous about spending the night inside an active volcano,” said Gates. “What if it exploded and there was a violent eruption? But I decided to take my chances and my husband and I stayed overnight inside Aso in Kyushu, Japan. It was great. I’ve never had so much fun in my life.
Volcano vacations aren’t cheap, and they’re not for people with claustrophobia. A week’s stay at some of the more popular volcanoes can cost upwards of $20,000 (US). And that doesn’t include airfare. The high cost and remote locations don’t deter vulcanophiles, however. “We’re going to keep doing this,” stated Gates. “Volcanoes are nature’s amusement parks and I want to ride on every ride.”
