Women’s only adventures becoming a popular option

by Kraig Becker on

As we reported recently, the adventure travel market has grown into an $89 billion industry. With that kind of money being tossed around, it is only natural for the travel options to diversify and one of the fastest growing segments of the industry is women’s only tavel. On these adventures, the men are left behind, and the girls get to have all the fun, as they visit remote, far flung corners of the globe on a trip of a lifetime.

There are a number of travel companies that specialize in this growing trend, including Adventure Women based out of Bozeman, Montana. They’ve been offering ladies only trips since 1982, and have some spectacular options for hiking and skiing in the American west as well as great international escapes to such destinations as Mongolia and Morocco. Perhaps the crown jewel of their offerings however is their trekking excursion to Nepal, during which the travelers hike a lower altitude portion of the Annapurna Circuit and visit the Chitwan National Park for whitewater rafting and wildlife viewing. The 15-day adventure offers spectacular scenery, cultural immersion, and adrenaline inducing thrills all in one complete package.

Rogue Wilderness Adventures, a company that specializes in rafting and hiking expeditions in Oregon, has also begun offering options just for women. Next spring, they’ll lead a multi-day hike along the Rogue River National Recreation Trail, covering more than 44 miles through some of the most pristine wilderness in the U.S. The adventurous ladies on the trek will spend their days hiking a spectacular 110-year old trail and their nights staying in historic lodges enjoying fine meals and sipping local wines by the fire. Travel company Journeys Within offers a number of great tours to Asia, including options to visit Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. But they also offer a unique seven day journey entitled Laos for the Ladies which is an interesting mix of shopping, relaxation, and culture, with a dash of adventure mixed in for good measure. Highlights include hiking Mt. Phou Si, learning to cook Laotian food, shopping the famous night markets, and a small boat tour of the Mekong River. The trip is a great escape for those looking to experience a wonderful culture, not to mention a fantastic getaway with just the girls.

Finally, for the past three years Sheridan, Wyoming has played host to an All Girls Getaway put on by Rangeland Hunting Adventures. Over the course of that weekend, the ladies explore the Big Horn Mountains on foot and horseback, while fishing, camping, and taking in the wonderful natural beauty of the area. The girls stay in a pre-constructed campsite that includes comfortable tents with cots, while gathering round the campfire with their favorite beverage, while a tasty dinner is prepared for them. Next year’s ladies weekend is scheduled to take place August 12-14, but registration is already open and reservations are already being filled.

These women’s only escapes prove that adventure travel isn’t just for the guys any more. The next time you’re feeling the need to put a little adventure back into your life, grab your passport, gather up the girls, and hit the road. After all, why should the boys have all of the fun?

North Korean art show focuses on the familiar

by Tom Johansmeyer on

A new fine art exhibition kicked off in Pyongyang last week, and according to the Korea Central News Agency, it’s a must-see. If you’re down with the “anti-Japanese struggle,” I suspect you’ll be right at home at the Pyongyang International Cultural Center.

There are “at least 60 fine art works” on display, among them pieces created by Pyongyang-area artists during the “period of the anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle.” At the top of the list are paintings with the catchy titles “Return Blood for Blood and Oppose Arms with Arms” and “Arirang on Jiansanfeng,” They highlight the efforts of the Great Leader, Kim Il-sung, and his first wife, the Dear Leader’s mother, Kim Jong Suk. Both, according to the country’s official view of the past.

And, you won’t want to miss “You Should Conduct Combat Training under the Simulated Condition of Real Battle,” which addresses “the commanding trait of General Secretary Kim Jong Il who has strengthened the Korean People’s Army into the invincible revolutionary armed forces.” No exhibition, of course, would be complete without a Kim Jong-il painting!

The KCNA continues:

Among the works on display are Korean painting “Grievance on the Shore of Lake Pujon”, oil painting “Echo in Ulsa Year (1905)”, woodcut “Sea of Blood in Northern Jiandao” and poster “Brigandish Japanese Imperialists Who Forced Koreans to Change Their Names to Japanese Ones!”, which expose the hair-raising atrocities committed by the Japanese imperialists.

Was the Thursday opening well-attended? This is the best we’ll get: “Officials concerned, artists and working people in the city went round the fine art works on display.”

[photo by yeowatzup via Flickr]

Top 15 most impressive hotel rooftop views in the world

by Scott Carmichael on

Our friends at Trivago have assembled a list of the top 15 “hotel rooftop views”. These hotels all feature some of the most impressive rooftop terraces, bars or swimming pools in the world, overlooking some of the most amazing cities.

  1. Jumeirah Beach Hotel (Dubai)
  2. Hotel at Lebua State Tower (Bangkok)
  3. Hotel de Rome (Berlin)
  4. Bairro Alto Hotel (Lisbon)
  5. The Ritz-Carlton (Moscow)
  6. NH Parque Central (Havana)
  7. Hotel Gansevoort (New York)
  8. Grand Hotel Central (Barcelona)
  9. Hotel U Prince (Prague)
  10. Terrass Hotel (Paris)
  11. Hotel St. George Roma (Rome)
  12. The Trafalgar Hotel (London)
  13. Fresh Hotel (Athens)
  14. Palms Casino Resort (Las Vegas)
  15. The Marmara Pera (Istanbul)

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5 tips for a budget traveler’s makeover

by Catherine Bodry on

I travel on the cheap, which means that instead of waking up refreshed and well-rested after a night in first class, I often wake up with dried drool on my chin and crazy hair from trying to get comfortable on an all-night bus or hard-seat train ride. Though I’ve certainly spent my fair share of mornings stumbling around a new city without bothering to wipe the drool or put my contact lenses in, lately, as a travel writer, I’ve tried to step things up a bit so that I’m at least marginally presentable. Here are my backpacker secrets to looking (a bit more) rested and not like you spent half the night in a smoky bus with a Chinese soap opera blaring on the TV.

1. Wash your face. I carry baby wipes in my bag, and these do double duty as face wash and hand sanitizer (and they work well as their intended use, toilet paper). It always feels so good to wipe the road grit and cigarette smoke off of my neck and face, and if I do nothing else to make myself feel and look better, this act can be enough. It’s pretty satisfying, though a little frightening, to see the color of the wipe after I’ve run it over my face.

2. Run a comb through it or cover it up. My hair is too short to pull back in a ponytail, and it’s often pretty kinky in the morning. If you have long hair, brush it out and pull it back – the brushing makes a huge difference. If it’s short, brush it out and put a bandanna on. Sometimes I can get away with using the bandanna as a headband, but often I just need to full-on cover my whole head up. If you’ve run out of baby wipes, the bandanna can also be used as a washcloth – wet it with your water bottle and wipe your face down.

3. Rub a little cream on. Eye cream is fantastic: it comes in tiny little bottles that you can stuff in your bag, and the right stuff will instantly brighten your face. This is something I splurge on; it’s not cheap but I find it a useful investment. I’ve tried, and like, Naturopathica’s Vitamin K Brightening Eye Serum, and Prescriptives’ Vibrant C Skin Brightening Eye Cream. Depending on the product I’m using, I’ll dab it on my forehead and cheeks as well.

4. Use gum or a breath mint. You may not have the opportunity to brush your teeth before going to sleep or after waking up, so pop something minty in there before making conversations. It may seem obvious, but I don’t normally chew gum so don’t usually carry it in my bag. Still, I put it on my travel checklist for the occasions when I need to get close to someone.

5. Drink water. You’re likely dehydrated after traveling long distance. I know I often don’t drink water just so I can avoid having to use the bathroom on an all-night ride. But when you’re about to arrive you can drink away. Downing a small bottle of water will not only make your skin look more refreshed, but it will make you feel better, too. I always travel with Emergen-C, which also helps revive me.

Any other tips for looking and feeling refreshed on the road? Share with us in the comments section.

[Photo Credit: Flickr user stevendepolo]

There’s a (foreign) word for that

by Meg Nesterov on

When traveling to a new place or leafing through a phrase book, have you ever come across a great expression that doesn’t exist in English or perfectly describes a common feeling or occurrence? I remember learning in Chile that taco is used for a traffic jam; now I could use taco supreme to describe the city of Istanbul’s daily traffic flow.

I Never Knew There Was a Word for it, a new book by Adam Jacot de Boinod, compiles his earlier works about foreign words The Meaning of Tingo and sequel Toujours Tingo with his collection of odd or out of use English words and phrases, The Wonder of Whiffling. Gadling reviewed de Boinod’s first book and highlighted some great phrases such as the French Seigneur-terrasse (one who spends too much time but little money in a café) and the German backpfeifengesicht (face that cries out for a fist in it), and this collection provides even more linguistic fodder.

Many travelers can admit to being guilty of catra patra, Turkish for speaking a foreign language badly and brokenly. Long-term travelers may have inadvertently pulled a minggat, an Indonesian phrase for leaving home forever without saying goodbye. How about spending time in a bar with a shot-clog, a drinking companion only tolerated because he’s buying the rounds? Perhaps that same bar buddy is crambazzled, or prematurely aged due to drinking?A few more great travel-related idioms:

  • asusu (Boro, India) — to feel like a stranger in a strange land
  • wewibendam (Ojibway, North America) — being in a hurry to get home
  • far-lami (Old Icelandic) — unable to go further on a journey
  • nochschlepper (Yiddish) — unwanted follower; literally, someone who drags along after someone else
  • Tapetenwechsel (German) — wanderlust, wanting a change of scenery; literally a change of wallpaper

And one more just for the Eat, Pray, Love fans…

  • Henkyoryugaku (Japanese) — Describes young women who rebel against social norms and travel abroad to devote time to an eccentric art form, such as Balinese dancing; Literally, study abroad in the wild.

Those are a few of the wonderful words and expressions in this collection currently for sale in the UK or on Kindle. Never suffer from onomatomania (frustration in not finding the correct word) again.