Of Guides, Artists & Linchpins
April 11, 2010
“Art is a personal gift that changes the recipient.”
- Seth Godin
I just finished reading Seth’s latest book, Linchpin – Are you Indispensable? It’s a challenging and inspiring call-to-arms for each and every one of us to become a linchpin…”the people that invent, lead, connect others, make things happen, create order from chaos, figure out to do when there’s no rule book, and delight their customers and peers. Linchpins love their work, pour their best selves into it and turn each day into a kind of art.”
It was when I read the word last word line paragraph above—art—that I thought of guides…the trip leaders who I’ve traveled with that made my journey one that exceeded my expectations, surprised me, delighted me, changed me. Their joy, passion and enthusiasm were immense…and genuine. The best guides are ones who routinely and seemingly without effort are able to elevate their work into an art form. And it made me realize that given an identical itinerary, you could have a very different experience depending on your guide.
With good reason, the best tour operators obsess over selecting, training and nurturing their guides. After all, once the trip departs, the operator’s brand is embodied and delivered by the guides and other field staff assigned to the trip. Here’s how Kurt Kutay, who along with his wife Anne are the co-founders and owner of Wildland Adventures, define what makes an exceptional guide:
“Being a really good Wildland guide is a really easy job (hah!). Actually, it requires a knowledge of history, ecology, archaeology, or other areas of expertise, first-aid training, in addition to having leadership skills and being a good communicator and a great listener. But the most important thing is to be, and to share, your genuine Self! If Wildland travelers are the initiates who seek to connect with the people and the places we visit, then our guides are their best friends who take them down new pathways by encouraging, sharing and supporting the traveler to be open-hearted and open-minded to new experiences.
Our goal is to share a real world without artifice, that craves our understanding and compassion rather than our judgment; a world that seeks to welcome us rather than entertain us. And to accomplish this, above all other factors, it’s the guides: guides are the catalyst between travelers and their experience.
Having the right guide that creates the ‘Wild Style’ experience is the difference between magic and mediocrity in travel. There are many trained naturalists, excellent tour escorts, and knowledgeable historians and archaeologists, but we seek native guides with the requisite wide range of skills and character: a sufficient command of multiple languages, the requisite knowledge and the skill to impart the information, the experience to lead, but above all else a personality that is open to sharing a part of themselves, and their personal beliefs and values, which creates an opening that induces heart-to-heart interactions between travelers and their hosts.
With guides like this, who bring with them a smile and good-natured sense of humor, our guests go farther in their journey to know a place deeper, to discover themselves better, and to develop closer emotional ties to others they meet along the way. Therefore, it’s not just about the ability to transmit information succinctly and quickly to the traveler, but more importantly to create experiences unwritten in a published itinerary that often become the most meaningful and memorable simply because they are real, unplanned and in-depth.
The criteria for excellence in guiding have changed from knowing the place to facilitating the most profound and meaningful experiences that travel can provide. This is only accomplished by knowing the individual traveler; not only from knowing what the individual traveler wants, but knowing what the individual traveler should want and how to artfully deliver it.”
Godin says “If art is a human connection that causes someone to change his mind, then you are an artist.” In my experience, an artist guide is the catalyst that sets the stage for the magic of travel that transforms and inspires us as we celebrate and embrace the incredible diversity of our planet and its peoples.
In a future article, I will share with you the key questions you’ll want to ask an outfitter before you entrust them with your money and precious vacation time.
Watching Bonobos Deep in Equateur Province of the Congo
August 3, 2009
At Off the Radar, we usually write about trips you can book immediately – but traveling deep into Equateur Province of the Congo to visit the Lomako-Yokokala Faunal Reserve to see Bonobos in their natural habitat is not something you can do…yet. In April 2009 primatologist Jef Dupain of the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), in partnership with Jengai Tours out of Cameroon, led a group of 12 adventure tourists to test out a trip that AWF hopes to begin running four times a year.
The Lomako reserve is the only place in the world tourists can visit to view Bonobos in their natural habitat. The endangered Bonobos are our closest living relative. They only live in the dense lowlands of the Congo Basin, and are rarely found in zoos, likely because of their sexual repertoire: they use sex for most types of communication, including greetings and conflict resolution.
The group flew into Basankusu, where they climbed in pirogues – traditional dugout canoes carved from one tree, for a four day journey up-river. They floated up increasingly narrower tributaries of the Congo River, squeezing though the dense jungle that looms over the water. As the pirogue glided upriver, the group encountered small communities, living on the riverbanks and subsisting entirely on fishing. Camp was set up in the pitch black of night and goat dinners were cooked over coal braziers.
The days at the reserve were spent on extended forest walks through the wet vines, creeping moss and verdant thistle, led by local guides who have grown up in the jungle. Guests could taste fruits, sniff and touch trees, vines and flowers, or swim in the spring in the middle of the forest and or the fast moving currents of the Lomako river.
AWF built the Conservation Center with three goals: study the bonobos, protect the forest, and develop eco-tourism as an income generator and incentive for conservation for the local people. AWF spent nearly two years in talks with locals. As Jef said, “This was the first time the (planning process) brought local communities together and allowed them to meet with DRC wildlife authorities and government ministers. This sent a clear message that the AWF approach to conservation was really built on a regard for the traditional rights of local people.”
Keep this one in mind for your trips next year (as AWF plans on running trips four times a year starting soon) – the experience is truly unique and contributes meaningfully to conservation and local communities: 60 Eco-guards have been trained and have graduated from the Congolese Institute for Conservation, most of the food is bought from nearby communities, and the building materials and labor was all locally sourced. The custom trips will depart from Bansankusu. You’ll spend a few days at the Reserve learning about bonobos (as well as forest elephants, congo peacocks, and other fauna), interacting with the local community, and participating in the Center’s activities. Click here to see the visual blog from trip participants Sigrid Johnson and Donald McMaster. For the latest news on the trips, be sure to sign up for AWF’s newsletter here.
(Thanks to Sigrid Johnson, Donald McMaster and Kate Gersh for their accounts of this trip!)
Please note that several countries recommend no non-essential travel to the DRC as it remains a difficult and dangerous place to travel. Please be sure to check advisories before planning a trip to the region.
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
Kite the Costa Esmeralda in Veracruz
May 14, 2009
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
May 14, 2009
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
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Off the Radar talks to Eagle Creeks Stasia Raines
May 12, 2009
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
May 12, 2009
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
Some of the best kitesurfing in the world is found over 100 miles from the ocean in Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge. Local kiters turned us on to Big Winds in Hood River, where you can get safety-conscious instruction from people who are passionate about kite surfing, the Gorge and the Hood River community.
Atmospheric pressure differences between the east and west side of the Cascade Range create the wind tunnel effect in the gorge, which generates reliable winds for kiters all year round. Learn on solid ground with a “trainer kite,” and then take it to the water!
And if you find yourself tired at the end of the day, try one of the local sustainable beers and organic wines, as well as local fruit, meat, and goods on the not-to-be-missed Fruit Loop!
- Off the Radar at www.travelofftheradar.com
Follow us on Twitter @traveloffradar
Off the Radar’s Ten Tips for Making Adventure Travel Easier
May 12, 2009
- 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.
- Scan your credit cards, passport, and vaccination certificates and keep them in your email in case you lose them while traveling.
- Don’t bring anything you don’t mind losing.
- Bring one bag. Only.
- Pack a jar of Iodine tablets for water purification.
- Carry a a simple but thorough first aid kit for internal and external problems, from heartburn to puncture wounds.
- Don’t forget your sense of humor!
- 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…
- Tuck a a small headlamp, baby wipes and ziploc bags into one of those suitcase sidepockets.
- 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
May 9, 2009
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
Classic Journeys Sends Single Supplements Packing For Solo Travelers
February 6, 2009
Solo guests can avoid extra charges by being first to book adventure tours
La Jolla, CA – Call it a necessary evil or simply a fact of life; for solo travelers on tour, there’s no getting around the single supplement. Until now.
Effective immediately, on trips to more than a dozen of Classic Journeys’ most popular tour regions, the first two solo travelers to reserve their spots will pay no single supplement, representing a savings of up to $800 per person.
“We’re sweetening the deal for solo guests in 2009 for one main reason,” explains Edward Piegza, president and co-founder of Classic Journeys. “This valuable market segment comprises 35 to 40% of our total business in any given year.”
The company’s newest promotion encompasses cultural walking adventures, culinary tours and family journeys to such destinations as Tuscany & the Cinque Terre, Prague to Budapest, Croatia’s Istrian Peninsula and Peru & Machu Picchu. And, it gets better; after the initial rollout, Classic Journeys plans to add even more regions to the program.
While many adventure travel companies hike their prices by as much as 50% for solo travelers, Classic Journeys boasts an average single supplement of only 15%. In the company’s experience, guests realize it costs more to buy a double room occupied by one person than one occupied by two people, but they don’t want to feel they’re being taken advantage of. Instead, Classic Journeys passes along only the amount the hotel charges the company, without further mark-up.
“When it comes to enlightened, enjoyable adventure travel, the more hurdles we can remove the better,” says Piegza. “One of the best ways to do that is by keeping our single supplements among the lowest in the industry.”
Solo guests are eager to take advantage of experienced local guides, cultural visits and adventure activities, even ground transportation, whose costs are spread among a small group of fellow travelers. And with this special promotion, they’ll now save up to $800 per trip.
As guest Karen Carcione of Solon, OH – a veteran of four Classic Journeys to Tuscany, Sicily, Barcelona and the Pacific Northwest – recently put it, “You offer the best value in small group tours, and kudos to you for encouraging singles like me by not charging a fortune for the single supplement.”
Classic Journeys continues to develop innovative ways to improve its tour experience, especially in challenging economic times when guests need and expect an extra incentive to reserve. Readers who want to learn more about how the company rolls out the red carpet for solo travelers can click on www.classicjourneys.com/single, or speak directly with one of the company’s Guest Services Coordinators at (800) 200-3887.
About Classic Journeys:
Classic Journeys offers cultural walking adventures, culinary tours and family journeys in North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia and the South Pacific. Guests enjoy luxury accommodations and gourmet meals that reflect the best of each region, coupled with soft adventure activities, daily interactions with locals, and native guides who make countries and cultures come alive. Tours are six to 12 days long with two to four hours of easy-going walking per day. Land-only tour prices range from $2395 to $6995 per person (with discounts for small groups and children traveling with parents). Average tour size is 10, limited to a maximum of 18 guests per departure. Full details and links to itineraries are available at www.ClassicJourneys.com.
