Kite the Costa Esmeralda in Veracruz

Off the Radar is the online magazine for adventure travelers featuring responsible adventure operators, news from adventure destinations, images and personal accounts from the field.  Sign up for our newsletter here

Peppi Stunkel and Omid Kay recently founded Elemental Kite Club on the Costa Esmeralda, in Veracruz. We first met Peppi in 2007 when she was working with volunteer-adventure tour operator Protect the 

Earth, Protect Yourself, in Cambodia. Now far from the rice fields, Peppi’s new project opens up her favorite bit of coast in Mexico to new and experienced kiters.

What she loves about the new business: “miles of empty, hazardless beach, and the mango margarita at the palm-thatch Palapa Bar!” She and Omid have spent countless hours scouting the best areas for kiters of all levels, and also put together trips to the nearby El Tajin ruins and white sand beaches.

Elemental guests can stay in their partner hotel, the Taboga, an eco-boutique facility catering specially to kiters.

Visit their site at www.elementalkiteclub.com or email Peppi at peppi@elementalkiteclub.com
- Off the Radar at www.travelofftheradar.com

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Kiting the Kenyan Coast

Off the Radar is the online magazine for adventure travelers featuring responsible adventure operators, news from adventure destinations, images and personal accounts from the field.  Sign up for our newsletter here

Spice up your classic Kenyan safari by following it up with a few days of kite surfing on Kenya’s coast. Glassy bays and the challenging waves of the Indian Ocean beckon kite surfers to Che Shale where lessons and rental equipment are available for newbies. On the days you’re not in the water, visit Malindi or head to Tsavo National Park, famous for being the real site of the 1996 thriller about Tsavo maneaters, The Ghost and the Darkness.

The founders of Che Shale take their responsibility to the community seriously and eight years ago built a school which now serves 180 students. They also established the Che Shale Kasimani Community Program which offers incentives to local people to identify, develop and manage their own small business projects. The program is managed through an Italian NGO, Terre Solitarian.

Visitors stay in one of Che Shale’s several “Bandas” (swahili for hut), constructed from all natural and local materials and rave about the mouthwatering seafood at the Che Shale restaurant – don’t miss the crab!

Visit their website or send an email to cheshale@gmail.com for more information.

- Off the Radar at www.travelofftheradar.com

Follow us on Twitter – @traveloffradar

Off the Radar talks to Eagle Creeks Stasia Raines

Off the Radar is the online magazine for adventure travelers featuring responsible adventure operators, news from adventure destinations, images and personal accounts from the field.  Sign up for our newsletter here

Ever wonder about the people making the great gear you use when you’re hiking the Annapurna Circuit or cycling through Moab’s Canyonlands? They’re people like Stasia Raines of Eagle Creek, who just returned from a mixed adventure-volunteering trip through Thailand and Cambodia.

In addition to its efforts at creating more sustainable fabrics and equipment, Eagle Creek supports a number of philanthropic projects around the world, often discovered through the traveling adventures of their staff. Stasia visited a couple of projects when she mixed her recent dive holiday with a stint volunteering in a North Thailand orphanage and short visit to Cambodia.

In Cambodia Stasia visited PEPY, a volunteer-adventure tour operator featured in past editions of Off the Radar. And she says that in Thailand one of the best aspects about her time at the orphanage was talking with some of the older girls about to leave the system and enter college – “they’re debating things like, ‘Should I go back to my village?’ ‘Should I go to on to school?’ ‘If I go to school, what should I major in?’ – worries that are really so universal,” she says. “And now, they’re all my friends in Facebook!”

In the outdoor industry it’s not uncommon to discover people like Stasia, finding unusual ways to bring their personal interests and passions into the workplace. Both Off the Radar and ATTA are  proud to have Eagle Creek as a lead sponsor. Thanks Stasia!

- Off the Radar at www.travelofftheradar.com

Follow us on Twitter –  @traveloffradar.com

Kiting Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge

Off the Radar’s Ten Tips for Making Adventure Travel Easier

1. Always pack a shawl or sarong and keep it handy in your pack. It’s good for covering up your legs or your head; good for sitting on; great for wrapping around your waist while you change out of a swimsuit and back into your jeans; excellent for warming up, shading yourself, or replacing a towel.
2. Scan your credit cards, passport, and vaccination certificates and keep them in your email in case you lose them while traveling.
3. Don’t bring anything you don’t mind losing.
4. Bring one bag. Only.
5. Pack a jar of Iodine tablets for water purification.
6. Carry a a simple but thorough first aid kit for internal and external problems, from heartburn to puncture wounds.
7. Don’t forget your sense of humor!
8. It’s nice to have a comprehensive travel guidebook but also the knowledge that it can only get you so far, and there is a lot more than is in the book…
9. Tuck a a small headlamp, baby wipes and ziploc bags into one of those suitcase sidepockets.
10. Always order the local foods - locals make GOOD local food, but you’ll likely be disappointed by their version of American cuisine.

- Off the Radar at www.travelofftheradar.com

Follow us on Twitter: @traveloffradar

Packing List

Download Printable PDF Checklist

Please note:

• Always check seasonal weather and destination activities to further fine-tune your proper attire and gear
• Also check local cultural restrictions to determine appropriate attire
• Gear and vendors recommended by the Adventure Travel Trade Association is in parenthesis following select items

Pre-Departure

• Personal identification
• Passport
• Visa
• Health documentation
• Insurance for trip cancellation/medical/evacuation (Medjet Assist, Travel Guard, Travel Insure, or World Nomads)
• Emergency information
• Transportation tickets (www.Away.com, www.Orbitz.com)
• Frequent flyer information
• Lodging, transfers, and activity reservations (www.Away.com, www.Orbitz.com)
• Hotel/tour contact info
• Traveler’s checks
• Currency
• Money belt (All Terrain Money Belt)
• Credit & ATM cards
• Copies of airline tickets/passport/etc.
• Security pouch and/or organizers for passport, tickets, etc. (Security and ID)
• Reconfirm/check-in online with airline
• Positive attitude and an open mind!

Luggage

(For a variety of luggage options, see the Eagle Creek, Kelty, or Osprey websites)

• Primary travel bag (Take 2 ORV Trunk 28, Big Rolling Duffel, or Sojourn)
• Carry-on bag (Porter or Redwing)
• Packable spare bag (Packable Day Pack)
• Packing accessories for clothes, toiletries, etc. (Packing Solutions)
• Luggage locks (Security and ID)

Clothing:

*Always check seasonal weather and destination activities to further fine-tune proper attire
*Also check local cultural restrictions to determine appropriate attire

Tropical

• Footwear (Newport H2 – M’s, Whisper – W’s)
• Underwear (Give-N-Go Underwear)
• T-shirts (Neptune Tee – M’s, – W’s)
• Pants (Insect Shield® Convertible – M’s, – W’s)
• Shirts (Insect Shield® Halo Long-Sleeve – M’s, – W’s)
• Visor or brimmed hat (Insect Shield® Adventure Hat – M’s, Insect Shield® Sun Bucket – W’s)
• Bandana (Insect Shield® Bandana)

Dry

• Footwear (Voyaguer – M’s or W’s)
• Underwear (Give-N-Go Underwear)
• Socks (Insect Shield® Pro Calf-Length Sock)
• Shorts (Nomad Short – M’s, – W’s)
• T-shirts (Satellite – M’s, Dri Pointelle Scoop Top – W’s)
• Pants (Insect Shield® Convertible – M’s, – W’s)
• Shirts (Air Strip Lite Shirt – M’s, Dryflylite Shirt – W’s)
• Light jacket (Gobi Jacket – M’s, – W’s)
• Visor or brimmed hat (Insect Shield® Adventure Hat – M’s, Insect Shield® Sun Bucket – W’s)
• Bandana (Insect Shield® Bandana)

Temperate

• Footwear (Redmond – M’s, Genoa Peak – W’s)
• Underwear (Give-N-Go Underwear)
• Socks (Insect Shield® Pro Calf-Length Sock)
• Shirts (Insect Shield® Barrier Crew – M’s, Insect Shield® Barrier Crew Hoody – W’s)
• Pants (Insect Shield® Ambush Pant – M’s, – W’s)
• Soft shell (Latitude Jacket – M’s, – W’s)
• Shell (GORE-TEX® Foray Jacket – M’s, Aspire Jacket – W’s)
• Gloves (WINDSTOPPER® Gripper gloves – M’s, – W’s)
• Visor or brimmed hat (Insect Shield® Adventure Hat – M’s, Insect Shield® Sun Bucket – W’s)
• Bandana (Insect Shield® Bandana)

Cold

• Footwear (Growler – M’s, Vail – W’s)
• Underwear (Give-N-Go Underwear)
• Socks
• Shirts (Migrator 1/4 Zip – M’s, – W’s)
• Pants (Takeover Pant – M’s, – W’s)
• Fleece (Alpental Fleece – M’s, Alpental Fleece Hoody – W’s)
• Shell (GORE-TEX® Foray Jacket – M’s, Aspire Jacket – W’s)
• Shell pants (GORE-TEX® Foray Pants – M’s, Aspire Pants – W’s)
• Hat (WINDSTOPPER® Alpine Hat)
• Gloves (WINDSTOPPER® StormTracker gloves)

Polar

• Footwear (Summit County Boot – M’s, – W’s)
• Underwear (Give-N-Go Underwear)
• Socks
• Sock liners
• Baselayer top (Midweight Zip Neck LS – M’s, – W’s)
• Baselayer bottom (Midweight Bottom – M’s, – W’s)
• Gloves/mitts (GORE-TEX® Alti Mitts – M’s, – W’s)
• Glove liners (Midweight Baselayer Glove – M’s, – W’s)
• Hat (WINDSTOPPER® Alpine Hat)
• Balaclava (WINDSTOPPER® Gorilla Balaclava)
• Shell (GORE-TEX® Mentor Jacket – M’s, Enigma Jacket – W’s)
• Shell pants (GORE-TEX® Mentor Pants – M’s, Enigma Pants – W’s)
• Insulated shell (Greenland Baffled Jacket)

Gear

*Always check seasonal weather and destination activities to further fine-tune proper gear

• Watch
• Camera, lenses, memory card/stick
• Camera bag
• Sunglasses
• Binoculars
• Guide books and maps
• Language materials
• Reading materials
• Travel journal
• Pen/pencil
• Electric converters (Converters and Adapters)
• Travel alarm (Easy View Travel Alarm)
• Scarf/bandana
• Games/playing cards
• Snacks
• Water bottle/hydration system
• Travel neck pillow (Comfort Travel Pillow)
• Eye shade/earplugs (Comfort Plus Eye Shade / Ear Planes)
• Tissues/toilet paper
• Cell phone – or not!
• Flashlight with batteries/bulb
• Spare batteries/bulbs
• Sewing kit
• Duct tape
• Clothes washing kit (Clothing Care Kit / Stain Removing Towlettes)
• Sleep sack (Design Salt)

Travel Health

*Please consult your local health center or personal physician for help in planning your trip’s medication needs. (www.travel-vaccines.com)

• Water purification system (Micropur and/or Ultralight Series)

• Travel health booklet

• First aid kit, including:
  • Pain reliever/fever reducer
  • Diarrhea medicine
  • Laxative
  • Malaria or other destination-specific medication (www.travel-vaccines.com)
  • Tweezers
  • Band aids
  • Moleskin

• Cold medicines/throat lozenges
• Extra eyeglasses and/or contact lenses
• Contact lens items
• Insect repellant
• Sun screen/lip balm
• Sunburn relief
• Antibiotic cream
• Hand sanitizer
• Motion bands (Motion Bands)
• Vitamins

Toiletries

• Toiletry kit (Toiletry Kits)
• Prescriptions
• Shower shoes
• Comb/brush
• Toothbrush/paste
• Mouthwash
• Dental floss
• Deodorant
• Soap
• Skin lotion/cream
• Mirror
• Manicure articles (nail file/clippers)
• Shampoo/conditioner
• Razors/shaving cream
• Hair dryer
• Travel towel (Travel Towel)
• Travel bottles (Pack-It Liquid/Gel Set)

Home Checklist

• Advise bank of pending foreign credit card use
• Stop deliveries
• Stop newspaper
• Have post office hold mail
• Advise home alarm company of absence
• Arrange for care of pets, lawn, and plants
• Re-set sprinklers
• Set-up timed lighting system

• Leave house key and trip itinerary with a neighbor
• Leave flights and hotel itinerary with a relative
• Empty refrigerator
• Eliminate possible fire hazards (unplug appliances, etc.)
• Turn off/down heater or air conditioner
• Turn down water heater
• Store valuables in a safe place
• Lock all doors and windows
• Pre-pay bills

Download Printable PDF Checklist