Roadmonkey Combines Adventure with Volunteer Opportunities

by Kraig Becker on

Travel company Roadmonkey has created unique travel experiences that combine the thrill of adventure travel with the satisfaction that comes with making a difference in the places we visit. The goal is to offer phsycially demanding outdoor adventures with deeply gratifyng volunteer opportunities to create what they term as “Adventure Philanthropy”.

Currently the compnay has two expeditions in the works for 2009. The first is a climb of Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa, scheduled to take place this June. Travelers will spend the first seven days of the trip climbing to the summit of Kili before venturing overland to a small village near Dar Es Salaam. Once there, they’ll spend an additional four days building a clean water system and painting classrooms in a school for children orphaned by AIDS.

If climbing a mountain doesn’t sound like much of a vacation, then perhaps Roadmonkey’s other planned expedition is more your speed. This November they’ll take their second cycling trip through Vietnam, leading a team of 11 adventurous travelers as they mountain bike through the rugged hill country to the northwest of Hanoi. In 2008, the team stopped in a village along the way to build a playground at an orphanage, and a similar volunteer opportunity is planned for the 2009 expedition as well.

Volunteer travel is a growing trend in the industry, and when combined with adventure travel, it provides the opportunity for very unique and satifiying experiences on a cultural, physical, and intellectual level. Roadmonkey is offering just those kinds of journeys.

National Cherry Blossom Festival in D.C.

by Jamie Rhein on

There are 3,700 cherry trees along the Tidal Basin, the partially man-made inlet along the Potomac River between the Jefferson Memorial and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C. Thanks to an initiative that started back in 1912 with a gift of cherry trees from Japan to the U.S., this stretch of the capitol is awash in pink for a two weeks each year.

The National Park Service Website outlines the history of how cherry trees have become such a prominent feature of D.C. each spring. The first cherry tree planting ceremony included First Lady Helen Herron Taft and Viscountess Chinda, the wife of the Japanese ambassador to the United States. Each of them planted one of the trees that still bloom.

According to the National Cherry Blossom Festival’s official website, the blossoms will be at their peak April 1-April 4, and the festival will continue through April 12. There are several festival related activities that accompany the blooming.

For example, the National Park Service is offering the following programs throughout the festival.

  • Ranger Guided Nature Lantern Walks–From 8 to 10 p.m, during these two-hour guided lantern walks, rangers talk about the history of the cherry trees as visitors enjoy the blossoms.
  • Interpretive Cherry Blossom Talks- Even if you come to each of these talks, you’ll get a different story. Different park rangers offer a variety of stories connected to the cherry trees.
  • Ranger-led Bike Tours: These are three-hour bike trips that go from Hains Point to beyond the Washington Monument.

For details about any of these National Park Service activities, check out the programs page.

The Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival is next Saturday, April 4. The festival includes: five stages featuring a variety of performances from singing to dance; food booths; Japanese crafts and art; and children’s activities. For performance schedule, click here.

For more activities that run throughout the week, click on a particular day on the calendar featured on the Cherry Blossom Festival home page. The parade is also next Saturday.

Gadling Take FIVE: Week of March 21 –March 28

by Jamie Rhein on

I’m psyched. As soon as I set this puppy to post, I’m heading to Cleveland to go to the Cleveland International Film Festival where I’ll meet up with Brook Silva-Braga for the showing of his film A Day in Africa. There’s also a load of stuff going on to commemorate the inductions at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

It’s been busy around here at Gadling as well. Kent has been posting about his Competitours Race in Europe, Aaron is posting about his Heathen in the Holy Land experiences which includes why wearing stripes is a good thing. For anyone who wants to be a flight attendant, Heather has the scoop on that . And Karen, with her artist’s eye, tells about color in photography. Her post is gorgeous.

Here are six more.

Multisport Adventure Destinations From Around the Globe

by Kraig Becker on

When most people go on vacation they like to visit someplace relaxing, maybe spend some time on the beach or hop a cruise ship and spend their days in a deck chair. Others prefer something a bit more active, preferring to hike, bike, and paddle their way across the destination of their choice. For those active travelers, Backpacker Magazine has put together a list of the best multisport destinations on the planet.

This list of adventure getaways spans the globe from Vancouver Island, British Columbia to Queenstown, New Zealand, with several points in between. Each of the places on the list excels in outdoor activities, offering up excellent opportunities for trekking, world class mountain biking trails, and the opportunity to put those kayaking skills to test in a variety of conditions ranging from whitewater to sea water.

Take Vancouver Island for instance. Visitors have the option to sea kayak amongst dolphins and a variety of whale species, including the a pod of orcas that number more than 200. The unique environments of the region also allow hikers to explore rainforests and mountain tops alike, which also happen to offer some great rock climbing. And if that wasn’t enough, Vancouver is famous for its amazing mountain biking trails, with something to offer beginners and advanced riders alike.
But amongst multisport fans, Vancouver Island is hardly a secret. For those looking to go someplace a little less well known, and more exotic as well, check out Darjeeling, India. Backpacker calls the region “one of the world’s great adventure hubs”, and with good reason. The place offers high altitude trekking and mountain biking, going up to altitudes as high as 12,000 feet, and whitewater rafting on the Teesta River, which boasts Class II-IV rapids. And when you’re done playing in the backcountry, you can take a jungle safari on the back of an elephant. Top that Canada!

The other destinations that make the list are equally impressive, and each has their own special attractions to lure in the multisport adventure traveler. Just make sure you pack all the right gear, and don’t worry about getting any rest, you can do that when you get back home.

Photo of the Day (3.1.09)

by Jeremy Kressmann on

When I think about bicycles in the mountains, it tends to immediately remind me of the Tour de France. I picture an aerial camera shot of the riders, decked out in colorful jerseys, struggling up some ridiculously steep mountain pass. Flickr user kyAnosaUm also had cycling on his mind when he took this photo he describes as “Huge Bicycles on the Pyrenees.” I know several Tour de France stages run through the Pyrenees – perhaps there’s some connection here? In any case I love the setting and the random bicycles – it makes for quite the intriguing visual.

Have any photos you’ve taken in the Pyrenees? Or maybe just in the Poconos? Why not add them to the Gadling photo pool on Flickr? We might just pick one of yours as our Photo of the Day.