Travel Innovators at T&L

by Erik Olsen on

Here’s one for travel buffs who are eager to know more about the folks behind the world of travel and tourism. I
didn’t think I’d find this very interesting when I first stumbled upon it over at Travel and Leisure, but I spent some time with it and
think it’s rather cool. The list here of those who are "changing the way you travel in the 21st century"
lists 35 innovators, a wide range of people who’s ideas are having amajor impact on the world of travel.

It’s an impressive group, from the guy who had the brilliant idea that it would be good to provide people with more legroom on airplane flights, to how
we’re going to all be checking email
at 35,00 feet, to a scientist who
developed a non-addictive sleeping pill, and the guys who pioneered building luxury
hotels in unorthodox destinations (about which we’ve blogged several times), it
really is a fascinating look at folks who, in some small (or large) way, affect each of us as we travel.

Lynn Hill Climbs

by Erik Olsen on

She is really
one of the all-stars in the rather quiet and understated world of climbing, but an all-star she is. Lynn Hill was the
first climber (notice I didn’t say female climber…that comes later) ever to make a free ascent in a single day of The Nose on Yosemite’s El Capitan, the monster wall face famous for extreme
climbers.

The fact is she’s one of the best known female climbers in the world,
and Into Thin Air writer Jon Krakauer once said that "Lynn Hill isn’t just one of the best
female climbers in the world, she is among the greatest rock climbers of all time." But Hill, who has been
climbing rock faces now for more than 30 years and wrote the book
Climbing Free, is also a mother and has been taking on other duties over the years. She’s now serving
as an ambasador of sorts for outdoors company Patagonia. The profile talks about Hill’s career and goes into some
interesting depth on her free climb of the nose of El Cap. A good read for climbing buffs.

Ten Off-Season Jobs

by Erik Olsen on

Stellar Magazine, one of my favorite online
adventure mags, has gone a fine
feature on off-season jobs. No, this is not about how to be a data entry clerk or an accountant with a small
tractor parts company. These are the kind of jobs you can get your teeth into. Jobs like tennis pro, exotic dancer
(just don’t get your teeth into one of the dancers…that’ll lead to a law suit) and river guide.

Yes, they
mention office worker..why, I don’t know, but we forgive them. But I like the idea here mucho. After all, you gotta make
some dough when you’re not skiing, and what better way to beef up your cash reserves than exotic dancing…? These jobs
pay well…unless you work around the Duke campus, of course. (OK, bad joke!)

Sespe Creek California

by Erik Olsen on

While we’re talking road trips…let me quickly mention a little spot that I read about recently that is now on
my list of must dos for California. Having grown in up the state I am aware of its bounty of outdoor stuff to do on
weekends or, if you’re really lucky, a nice long week. But it was only recently I’d head about Sespe Creek. This 31-mile undammed,
(damless?) waterway is a place to go to try to spot the elusive (and endangered) southern steelhead, or to catch
yourself (for release) a couple of nice rainbows. There are ample swimming holes and hot springs hidden away so you can
go sans clothing under the stars. The key here, though, is the slot canyon gorge, which may not be as magnificent as
those in Utah, but worth the trip none the less.

And look, up there is in the sky It’s a bird, it’s a plane,
it’s…oh, yeah, it’s a bird. But a big one. Because this is ground zero for the efforts to bring back the California Condor. So get busy and head out towards Ojai and the
Topa Topa Mountains. talk to the folks at Los Padres National Forest
about a permit, and off you go.

Putting the 'F' Back in Adventure Travel

by Adrienne Wilson on

Even if you swore you never saw it
before, chances are you’ll be seeing it more these days. And you’re probably thinking words like ‘funk’ or
‘free-spirit,’ but what I’m talking about is FAMILY. You heard right, according to this Cleveland.com
piece agencies are seeing an increase in adventure packed family vaca’s and I’m not talking about riding the Kinga Ka at Six Flags, folks. Think more towards a
Heli-Hiking tour like those offered by Chilko Lake Resort located 150 miles out of Vancouver. The story touches on the
author’s family fun-filled times bushwacking down a mountain and intense hiking up rocky ridges with her two teenage
daughters. Quite impressive.

Of course putting the ‘F’ in adventure travel is going to require you put the
‘dough’ on the table and these types of trips are certainly not cheap. Parents scraping to take their children on a
pricey trip to see Mickey Mouse at Disney World may be
tempted to look away, but the truth is some far-more incredible destination may only be a few extra hundred dollars.
When you’re talking about the kind of experiences Ogintz mentions like
kayaking along whales in Alaska, it’s soo worth it.

To start planning your own adventure travel family
vacation check out some of the sites found in the story listed below: