Rethinking adventure travel in the age of technology

by Kyle Ellison on

In a recent commentary on the BBC, the oft-discussed issue of adventure travel in the age of technology was once again brought into the spotlight. The premise of the article is that in an age of smartphones, Wi-Fi, Skype, and 3G networks, can a trip really be considered “adventure travel” if you never lose the ability to leave the familiar behind?

Sure, rafting the Zambezi River or trekking across Patagonia will always physically be adventurous, but if you pull out along the side of the river to briefly check your email or Tweet about the last rapid, you have to wonder, has the inability to disconnect retarded the personal growth such trips are meant to foster?

Furthermore, with the advent of digital nomading, v-logging, podcasts, GPS transmitters, and SPOT satellite messengers, has true exploratory adventure travel lost its edge by removing the danger element of venturing into hidden corners of the map where nobody knows where you are?

The article mentions the famous saga of Shackleton, and while I am sure that if Shackleton had a satellite phone he surely would have used it, you have to wonder if the era of truly epic journeys is in its ultimate twilight.

As someone who has witnessed technology creep its way into developing parts of the globe, I have to say that I am inclined to agree with the stance taken by the BBC. Encountering a sheepherder on an island in Lake Titicaca isn’t quite the same when the sheepherder is busy chattering away on her cell phone. Likewise, there is a certain luster lost when trekking the Annapurna region of Nepal and asking a Sherpa if I could maybe check my email on his iPhone.

Granted, these advances in technology have made the world easier for sheepherders and Sherpas alike, but the question is nonetheless raised that with an ever shrinking, flattening world, could we one day run out of places to simply disappear for a while?

Video of the Day: Earth Hour 2012

by Jessica Marati on

The imagery is powerful: people from around the world, holding hands and candles in the dark, while iconic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and Coliseum shut down their lights in recognition of Earth Hour 2012, one of the world’s largest voluntary actions for the environment. The evocative Sigur Rós soundtrack doesn’t hurt either.

Earth Hour calls upon individual citizens to switch off their lights for one hour to take a stand against climate change. Started in 2006 by WWF-Australia, the event quickly became a movement, spreading to hundreds of millions of people across 135 countries in just five years. Through an aggressive social media campaign, Earth Hour continues to send a strong message for environmental awareness, urging people to learn more about the global climate change crisis and take actions “beyond the hour” to lesson their impact.

This year’s Earth Hour is scheduled for Saturday, March 31, at 8:30 p.m. local time. If climate change is important to you, don’t miss the chance to join a movement for change.

Trails under attack, organization needs our help, today

by Chris Owen on

Rails to Trails, the nonprofit charged with creating a nationwide network of trails from former rail lines is reminding us that Thursday, February 2 is the day congress begins work on a bill that is bad news for trails, walking and bicycling efforts.

“We anticipated some of the terrible provisions; others were simply shocking in scope and shortsightedness,” says Rails to Trails (RTC) in a statement urging us to contact our representatives now, using an online form, and ask that they speak to colleagues on the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee.

“We need those T&I members, in turn, to tell Reps. Petri and Johnson of their support for the amendment. It sounds complicated, but there’s no time to waste-we absolutely need all the support we can rally,” says Rails to Trails.

Rails to Trails say the bill would:

  • Eliminate dedicated funding for the Transportation Enhancements (TE) program-the nation’s largest funding source for trails, walking and bicycling. (Terrible news, but we expected it.)
  • Remove the rail-trail category from TE eligibility.
  • Completely eliminate funding for the Safe Routes to School program.
  • Eliminate funding for bicycle and pedestrian coordinators at state DOTs.

In November, the RTC went to congress as the U.S. Senate began work on the multi-year surface transportation bill. The RTC wanted a focus that provides balanced transportation choices for Americans. Critical to such balance is dedicated investment in active transportation to ensure that walking and bicycling, the most cost-effective, affordable and healthy types of transportation, can continue to grow in communities across the country.

“For a tiny sliver of transportation funds-less than 2 percent– these programs have provided affordable, healthy transportation options, generated jobs and economic development, and preserved historic and environmental assets that provide the quality of life that Americans want and deserve,” said Kevin Mills, vice president of program at RTC.

A non-profit organization, based in Washington D.C., Rails-To-Trails invites us to get involved in a number of ways.

  • A donation will help build, protect and enhance the rail-trail movement.
  • Register to be a member and get periodic e-mail updates and alerts on important legislative issues and RTC-related news. This is an ideal opportunity to become directly involved in RTC’s mission of providing communities with the multi-faceted benefits rail-trails provide.
  • They also put out a monthly newsletter we can sign up for and offer cycling gear, athletic apparel, gifts and more on their website.

Rails-to-Trails knows the value of today’s networking too and invites us to follow them on Twitter (@railstotrails) and Facebook.

Flickr photo by ebis50


Photo of the Day: Monterosso – CinqueTerre, Italy

by Chris Owen on

Our Photo of the Day comes from flickr member stellarviewer and is an HDR composite image of five D-200 images showing the town of Monterosso in the Cinque Terre section of Italy using a Nikon D200.

Cinque Terre is a rugged portion of coast on the Italian Riviera in the Liguria region of Italy, west of the city of La Spezia. About 200 miles to the south is where the island of Giglio is located along with that grounded cruise ship, Costa Concordia.

Upload your best shots to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. Several times a week we choose our favorite images from the pool as Photos of the Day.

The world’s most ethical tourism destinations

by Jessica Marati on

Each year, non-profit organization Ethical Traveler conducts a survey of the world’s developing nations, analyzing their progress toward promoting human rights, preserving their environment, and developing a sustainable tourism industry. The study, run by Ethical Traveler’s all-volunteer staff, factors in country scores from databases like Freedom House, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and the World Bank, then dives into actions that governments have taken to improve circumstances within their countries in the previous year.

The top countries are celebrated in Ethical Traveler’s annual list of the Developing World’s Best Ethical Tourism Destinations, with the hope that increased tourism will help those countries continue to improve. “Travel and tourism are among the planet’s driving economic forces, and every journey we take makes a statement about our priorities and commitment to change,” they say. “Ethical Traveler believes that mindful travel is a net positive for the planet. By choosing our destinations well and remembering our role as citizen diplomats, we can create international goodwill and help change the world for the better.”

This year’s list includes Argentina, the Bahamas, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominica, Latvia, Mauritius, Palau, Serbia, and Uruguay. Explore these countries more in the slideshow below.

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[Flickr image via Lisandro M. Enrique]