Rent a Slice of Paradise

by Erik Olsen on

Sure, having your own island is largely the domain of those awash in money, stars and magnates like the late Marlon Brando, Johnny Depp, Leo DiCaprio and Sir Richard Branson. It is perhaps the most vivid expression of conspicuous consumption on the planet. In fact, according to some statistics, more than 200 islands around the globe are available for those with massive amounts of disposable income. But guess what, having your own island, at least temporarily, may not be such a dream after all. In British Columbia, you can rent an island in the Rockies (on a lake, that is), and then there is Sleepy Cove island off the coast of Nova Scotia, a “heavily wooded little chunk of rock in the shape of a human kidney” (two questions here: 1) why “human kidney? Aren’t most kidney’s shaped the same? and 2) why would an organ-shaped island have special appeal?).

Anyway, according to this article at MSNBC, renting islands is all the rage among…well, I’m not sure among whom, but you have to admit it’s a cool idea. The key, I suppose would be pulling together enough friends to make it affordable. So if playing Robinson Crusoe for a week or so tickles your fancy, check it out, and take a look, too, at the following resources.

Vladi Private Islands
A huge range of islands for rent and for sale.
902/423-3202; www.vladi-private-islands.de.

Private Islands Online
With more than 400 listings, an extensive and user-friendly resource for selling, buying, and renting islands.
647/477-5581; www.privateislandsonline.com.

Island Hideaways
Islands and villas throughout the Caribbean.
800/832-2302; www.islandhideaways.com.

Verge Magazine

by Erik Olsen on

Writing a travel blog can sometimes be a daunting task. The reason is that there are so many kinds of travel. On the one hand, there is luxury travel, where folks ho aboard a pristine ocean liner and drop into ports of call where the main activity is being led off like a herd of sheep, perhaps dining in a restaurant and more or less having your whole experience orchestrated by some tour group.

I generally look at this kind of travel with a measure of revulsion. It might be OK when you’re 70 and are less, shall we say, mobile than you used to be, but it seems to me that this kind of travel is rather sterile. Then there’s the whole backpacking adventure, which is much more appealing to most of the folks that read Gadling. But yet another kind of travel involves real commitment…you might even call it work…and that is the volunteer vacation. We’ve posted about volunteer vacations numerous times, and usually we’re quite bullish about the concept.

Our good friend Josh Berman did this and talked about the experience at some length in the podcast we did a while back. But I just recently stumbled upon a whole magazine that’s largely dedicated to the subject, and I figured it was worth mentioning.

Verge Magazine comes out of Canada, and is geared, as you might have guessed, towards Canucks (wait, is that the right use of thee term? Oh, well). It’s got articles galore on the volunteer vacation concept with other fine pieces about conservation, science and profiles of folks who make travel a part of their occupation. The online pickings are actually rather slim, so I’d love to actually get my hands on a bona fide copy, but the site has some pieces online that make it worth a visit. But one section worth checking out is the resources area where you can find links to organizations who offer vacations for activits types and adventureres with a leftie bent.

Self-Heating Dinners

by Neil Woodburn on

Eating a hot meal while camping can sometimes be a huge hassle–especially if you are backpacking and have to trek in fuel and camping stoves.

My friends and I eat pretty well when we backpack, but the hassles of cooking–and the cleanup–can sometimes ruin an otherwise enjoyable evening. And if it happens to be raining, forget it! Cooking in a tent is a very bad idea.

I’m always on the lookout for tasty, quick, and easy food ideas for backpacking and was therefore somewhat pleased to hear about Quick Cuisine. These package meals come with a nifty button that automatically heats up the meal in ten minutes when pressed. And they don’t need to be refrigerated.

I’m not sure what type of mini-nuclear device powers up these meals, but I’m rather impressed with the concept. The big question, however, is does it taste good? I’ll find out soon enough. Quick Cuisine is currently only for sale in Europe but will hit the American market in the next month or so. Available flavors will include Beef Stew, Chili con Carne, Ravioli with Tomato Sauce, and Paella.

That’s four nights of meals, folks!

The Joys of Shoulder Season in America’s National Parks

by Neil Woodburn on

Traveling shoulder season is my favorite way to travel. Prices are lower, crowds are smaller and, if you’re lucky, the weather hasn’t begun to turn.

Although peak season and crowds are the whole reason to go to a location in some cases–such as the Greek Isles, Pamplona, Oktoberfest–most other places are far superior without the omnipresent gaggle of tourists shadowing your every move.

When you’re talking about the Great Outdoors, however, not only do I want it to be tourist free, but I don’t even want to see any locals milling about. Just me, my friends, and a bunch of trees.

This is not often the case in America’s National Parks, however. During the summer months the more popular ones can be crammed with Winnebagos and Boy Scouts. Communing with nature suddenly becomes very difficult with Troop 505 running amuck like a bunch to pre-pubescent savages.

Thankfully Vani Rangachar of the Los Angeles Times also recognizes the magic of shoulder season travel and has put together a thoughtful list of the very best National Parks to visit at this time of the year when crowds are sparse and nature blooming.

For example, one of her suggestions is Yellowstone National Park. Rangachar points out that 905,639 people visited the park in July 2005. That’s about the population of Detroit, Michigan. Can you imagine visiting this lovely park with the entire city of Detroit hassling the bison and geysers?

February, on the other hand, saw only 61,991 visitors. The geysers are still there and so are the bison. Throw in a touch of snow and far less people and you’ve got a whole different National Park to enjoy.

Thanks Vani! You’ve given me some very nice vacation ideas for this winter.

Wrangell-St. Elias

by Erik Olsen on

Several years ago a couple of buddies and I made an epic paddling trip out of Valdez, Alaska. I thought Valdez was lovely, but one place that caught my eye as we made our way to that little town on the water…best known for where the Exxon/Valdez ran aground…was a little, well, NOT so little, place called Wrangell-St. Elias. Now, I’ll bet you if you ask most people what, let alone where, Wrangell-St. Elias is, you’d get a puzzled response. Wyoming? Montana?

Well, it turns out that Wrangell-St. Elias is in Alaska, the country’s largest sate, and keeping to that motif, it is also our country’s largest National Park. I’ll bet you thought that honor went to Yellowstone, didn’t you. Nope.

Well ,in this fine article from the Star Tribune, writer Chris Welsch takes us through the park via the McCarthy Road, a famous stretch of road that is really, says Welsch, just an old railroad bed with gravel sprinkled on it. Welsch heads to the town of Kennicott, once a bustling copper town, but now “a much quieter place” where visitors can hang out near the Root Glacier, a mile-wide river of ice streaming down from the mountains. It’s a fine piece of travel writing that takes a look at a place that most folks, as I say, have probably never heard of.