ExpeditionTrips’ Founder and President Named ‘The Trip Planner’ for Antarctica Travel

Travel + Leisure Features Antarctica among their 28 Trips of a Lifetime Seattle, WA —Seattle-based travel experts, ExpeditionTrips, is pleased to announce that Founder and President Ashton Palmer has been named by Travel + Leisure as “The Trip Planner” for Antarctica travel in their 40th Anniversary Collector’s Edition. A travel resume encompassing more than 50 Antarctic expeditions garnered Palmer recognition as the go-to-expert for travel to the white continent. “On his 50-plus trips to Antarctica, Palmer has played almost every role: Zodiac driver; naturalist; expedition leader. In addition to tailoring your itinerary, he’ll also serve as an expert on topics ranging from the most stylish rubber boots to the best time to rise to see icebergs in summer’s orange light,” said Lisa Cheung in Travel + Leisure’s Oct. 2011 issue. Online article: http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/tls-guide-to-antarctica-cruises Twenty-eight trips of a lifetime on seven continents are... Read More →

Climb Kilimanjaro Barefoot?!

Adventures Within Reach recently met up with Sonnet Baker who is planning to climb Kilimanjaro BAREFOOT! Sonnet prefers to go barefoot whenever possible and she is an avid barefoot hiker. Living in Colorado allows Sonnet to get in plenty of barefoot hiking on tough trails. As a barefoot hiker this summer she successfully climbed Long’s Peak at 14,259 feet above sea level! Sonnet told us that she has prepared for Kili with her regular hikes in Colorado and walks across snow fields in the late spring and early summer. Sonnet is bringing shoes! She will do as much hiking as possible barefoot, but she is willing to put on her hiking shoes if it is necessary to reach the summit.  Read More →

American Safari Cruises’ Safari Endeavour Sails New Baja’s Bounty Itinerary in Sea of Cortés in 2012/2013

86-guest upscale vessel will sail weeklong cruises roundtrip La Paz, Mexico Seattle, WA – The newest addition to the American Safari Cruises fleet, the 86-guest Safari Endeavour, embarks on a new Baja’s Bounty adventure cruise from November 2012 through April 2013. Weeklong expedition cruises sail roundtrip from La Paz, Mexico to explore this UNESCO World Heritage Site & Biosphere Reserve. In true expedition style, the itinerary is flexible to ensure maximum opportunities to view the array of wildlife found on land and sea. The cruise explores Isla Espíritu Santo, Isla Partida, Isla San Francisco, Loreto, Isla Coyote and Isla San José. Snorkeling with playful, young sea lions at Los Islotes is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. The region’s culture comes alive on included excursions. A port call in the centuries-old mission town of Loreto includes a guided walking tour exploring the town’s plazas, historical buildings and mission. In Bahia Agua Verde, guided hikes explore the... Read More →

Early Adventure Holiday Gift Guide from Cascade Designs

Looking for holiday gift ideas for the adventurous traveler? Whether it’s vineyard-hopping, uncomf­­­ortably long plane rides or keeping documents and clothes safe from in a torrential downpour, we have some products that could fit your story. All products listed are made in the USA and available at retail stores nationwide and online at CascadeDesigns.com. Hummingbird Carry-On Zip – From monsoon rains in Cambodia to floating the upper Yangtze river, these travel bags provide the highest level of environmental protection to keep precious items clean and dry, no matter what. Can be carried like a duffle or a backpack thanks to a unique 3-point carry system. Made in Seattle, U.S.A. $139.95 (also available in a 75L “Carousel Zip” size) hummingbirdgear.com PlatyPreserve – This inexpensive bottle limits oxygen and light exposure to already-opened wine, preserving it for weeks and allowing you to bring it anywhere bottles can’t go. Made in USA. $9.95 (or 4-pack for $29.95) platypreserve.com Hummingbird... Read More →

Baja’s Desert Whales Eyeball to Eyeball

Why this trip: Guaranteed whale sightings, chance to touch a whale and the outfitter has exclusive permission granted by the Mexican government to paddle Magdalena Bay’s remote northern waters. PUERTO LOPEZ MATEOS, BAJA CALIFORNIA — Gray whales more than twice the length of a kayak migrate over 5,000 miles from their Arctic feeding grounds to mate and bear their young in the protected waterways of Baja California’s Magdalena Bay. On Sea Kayak Adventures’ five-day Baja’s Gray Whale Basecamp excursion, guests can get close to, and with luck, touch a gray whale from the safety of a motorized skiff piloted by skilled whale watching captain. “Whale sightings are guaranteed,” says SKA president Terry Prichard, who has exclusive permission to paddle Magdalena Bay’s remote northern waters. Guests board the skiffs daily to view gray whale moms and babies eyeball to eyeball, in this narrow 28-mile stretch of peaceful lagoon bordered by mangroves teeming with colorful birds and... Read More →

Kayaking Adventures of a Lifetime with ROW Adventures

Other than swimming in the water itself, we don’t know of a better way to intimately experience nature’s most beautiful and strongest force than kayaking. Whether you enjoy the flow of the river while paddling an inflatable kayak or the smooth gliding sensation of a sea kayak, we have put together some of the world’s greatest kayaking adventures that explore the wild, scenic and remote places of the earth. Trips depart year round. Be sure to check out our newest trip below that combines the Amazon Rainforest and Galapagos Islands. It has a minimum number of departures in 2012 and they’ll fill up fast! Owyhee River Kayak Expedition: Winner of “Trip of the Year: North America” from Outside Magazine, this trip explores secret canyons unique to this continent. Some refer to them as the “Sistine Chapel” of all canyon lands. Rarely visited, and strictly regulated by the Bureau of Land Management, ROW Adventures is one of the very few outfitters... Read More →

ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Tours Offers $200 Early Booking Discount on 2012 Trips; 90 Percent of 2012 Tours Enjoy 2011 Pricing

New Catalog Out, Website Updated with 2012 Itineraries, Dates, Prices FORT COLLINS, CO – ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Tours, in 1972 the first North American company to offer European pedal tours in Italy, is sending clients 40th anniversary greetings with a book-by-Oct. 31, 2011 early booking discount of $200 per person on all 2012 trips. It is also holding the line on inflation by holding 90 percent of its tried-and-true journeys in 2012 to 2011 levels. The company that bikes throughout Europe, including, most recently, Scotland and Germany, began with a Pisa-to-Venice cycling tour in 1972. For 10 days 12 guests camped in tents; Rick and Paola Malpezzi Price, the company’s founders, led the tour; Paola cooked; the bikes were 10-speed; and the entire trip (except for air) was $245. A June 6-17, 2012 re-creation of the original tour is $4,495 per person (chop off $200 with an early bird booking); accommodations reflect the Italian love of la dolce vita; even though Paola’s kitchen may... Read More →

South African Airways’ Fall in Love with Africa Sale ends Nov 30th

It is the perfect time to take advantage of the terrific deals South African Airways has for fall travel. With our low fares, excellent schedules and award-winning service, the time has never been better to turn that dream trip to Africa into a reality! Fly from Washington DC (IAD) to South Africa (Johannesburg, Cape Town or Durban) or Senegal (Dakar). From $1,099* roundtrip plus taxes and fees. Sale starts now, for travel departing Washington between October 1st and November 30th.  Read More →

World Expeditions launches suite of Gourmet Adventures

World Expeditions is thrilled to announce a suite of Gourmet adventures to a range of six exciting destinations around the world. Each trip is lead by a culinary mastermind and the itineraries have been especially designed to showcase the food of the region while ensuring that the trips take in the best of the countries that they visit. “Our clients have always had a passion for food and we have a long history of culinary tours with people such as Kylie Kwong and Joanna Savill. However this year’s suite of adventures are our most comprehensive to date,” says World Expeditions CEO Sue Badyari. The journeys are characterized by their focus on food – cooking, appreciating and eating. Guided by a culinary expert who will share unique insights and knowledge with the group, guests are treated to hard to find culinary delights, immersed in the cooking process from food source to table and enlightened by the cultural desserts of their chosen destination. Crave Festival Director Joanna Savill... Read More →

World Vision Calls on Tourists to Do More to Protect Children in SE Asia from Sexual Exploitation

As fall is the time when many people think of exotic vacations to places like Southeast Asia the child focused humanitarian agency, World Vision, is calling on them to practice child safe tourism. The latest figures show tourism exploding in Southeast Asia. Countries like Thailand show arrival numbers growing at an annual rate of 26% (over 11 million visitors) for the first six months of 2011. As the number of visitors grow so do the risks to vulnerable children. An estimated 2 million children worldwide, some as young as 5 years old, are enslaved in the global commercial sex trade. World Vision has important information and tips on how travelers can protect vulnerable children in the countries they visit. “Preventing child sexual exploitation in tourism must be about making tourists part of the solution,” says Aarti Kapoor, World Vision’s Child Safe Tourism manager. “This is essentially what ‘child safe tourism’ means. Responsible travellers interact with children... Read More →

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