Icebergs target New Zealand

by Andrew Evans on

Hundreds upon hundreds of menacing chunks of ice are headed straight for innocent New Zealand–a country that couldn’t hurt a fly even if it had flyswatters for hands. Shipping companies haven’t been this fretful since the pirate times of . . . this summer, while the Antarctic tourist industry is rubbing its palms like Mr. Burns.

But is it news? Probably not. It’s springtime for icebergs in Antarctica. Also, Icebergs happen. The real concern is that icebergs are evolving into a major tourist attraction, right up there with sharks and poor people. Every year, more and more tourists are pouring into the polar regions and getting stuck in the ice or struck by the ice. Which reminds me of this movie I saw once where the largest cruise ship in the world (at the time) ran into an iceberg right after dinner and the hot guy drowned. Consider yourself warned: if you play with ice, you’re gonna get burned cold sitting in a lifeboat waiting to be rescued.

Majority of travelers admit they don’t care about their carbon output

by Scott Carmichael on

Dutch bank ING asked their economic survey team to interview travelers about their opinion of CO2 output, and whether they really care about their impact on the environment.

As it turns out, only 15% of the 41,900 travelers interviewed actually do something about the environment. Of that 15%, only 3% actively try to offset their emissions, while others only admit to making a minor effort at it.

76% of travelers simply don’t care, and 9% has “no opinion”. Despite all the efforts to change the public awareness of CO2 emissions, only a small portion of people actually care.

This data is interesting, because people are slowly starting to realize that carbon offsets are not going to be the solution to the problem – the real solution is to actually reduce the emissions instead of trying to offset them by planting a couple of trees. Airlines like starting to experiment with bio fuels, and others are making small changes to their flight procedures. Of course, these measures are still in their infancy, but every little bit helps.

(Data from ING Survey)

In this second survey, all respondents were asked how much they’d be willing to pay in order to offset the emissions from their trip. Once again, 75% said they wouldn’t want to pay a penny. Oddly enough, 2% said they’d gladly pay more than 150 euro for the idea that they are not impacting the environment when they travel.

Five new travel ideas from Intrepid: get off the beaten path!

by Tom Johansmeyer on

After a year of “travel slumps,” “staycations” and other cringeworthy words and conditions, let’s plan to get out on the road next year. Hey, economists are saying that the recession’s already over, and the job market’s recovery can’t be too far behind. So, there’s your motive. Opportunity? That’s your vacation time; you probably have enough. All that’s left to pull the perfect trip together are the means … which Intrepid Travel is happy to provide.

Intrepid Travel has big news for next year, from green travel to exciting excursions in Iceland and North Africa. So, if you’re looking for some ideas for 2010, check out the five below. Intrepid’s definitely making it interesting.

1. Travel green: carbon offset
Intrepid Travel is moving more than 500 of its trips to “Carbon Offset” next year. In 2009, the company played around with the idea on 38 excursions, after having announced in December 2006 that it wanted to be carbon neutral by the end of 2010. With next year’s offering, Intrepid is certainly making progress.

2. Timor-Leste: tops for adventure
Spend 15 days in Dili and its markets, trekking out to Mt. Ramelau and wandering the Suai-area rainforest. Timor-Leste hasn’t been swamped with tourists yet, redefining “off the beaten path.” If you’re looking for the sort of experience where Intrepid excels, this is it.

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3. Cairo to Casablanca: epic journey
Travel through Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco as you see North Africa virtually from end to end. Along the way, you’ll trace the routes of legendary rulers and see how civilizations unfolded and fell. For 39 days, you will gain an incredible understanding of this part of the world.

4. Johannesburg: the urban experience
Intrepid’s Urban Adventures package provides short bursts of insight — from half an afternoon to a full day. Use this time to explore the South African capital on foot or by bicycle. This is a great way to get a quick taste before planning your longer excursion later.

5. Iceland: value for money
Despite the cold fall and winter seasons, Iceland‘s economy still melted down, actually making it an affordable destination. So, get the most of your experience on the ground, starting with the 22 percent discount on Intrepid’s trip up north next year. The 10-day run is available in June, July and August.

[Photo via Migrant Blogger]

Gadlinks for Wednesday 11.18.09

by Brenda Yun on

We’re halfway through November. For those of you living in the northern hemisphere, if you haven’t felt winter yet, you will soon! Here in Hawaii, winter is rainier but the waves are bigger and better. I guess that goes for most parts of the world: the weather may stink, but there’s always a bright side. Here are some semi-bright travel reads for today’s installment of Gadlinks. Enjoy!

‘Til tomorrow, have a great evening!

More Gadlinks HERE.

Explorer hopes to visit “three poles” in one year

by Kraig Becker on

Polar explorer Eric Larsen has just begun an epic adventure that will literally take him to the ends of the Earth over the course of the next year. Eric has set out on his Save The Poles Expedition, in which he plans to travel to the “three poles” within one calendar year. Those poles include the North and South of course, but also the summit of Everest, which is often referred to as the third pole in adventure circles.

The purpose behind Eric’s Save The Poles campaign is to promote the use of alternative, clean energy sources as a method to reduce our carbon emissions. The environments in which he’ll be traveling are fragile ones, and they are all being dramatically effected by global climate change in some profound ways. Larsen hopes that during his year-long journey he’ll be able to collect data that helps demonstrate just how these places are changing.

The expedition officially got underway this week, when Eric, and two companions, set out from Patriot Hills in Antarctica for the South Pole. This will be the first leg of his journey, which is expected to take roughly 40 days, covering approximately 500 miles on skis. In the spring, he’ll turn his sights north, and go after his second goal, the North Pole, which is another major arctic undertaking, but one that will be quite different from his Antarctic travels in some significant ways. Finally, next fall, he’ll make his bid for the summit of Everest, during the post-monsoon climbing season, hoping to reach the summit of the highest mountain on Earth.

You can join Eric on his expedition by following along on his blog, where he has already made several audio dispatches from Antarctica, and he’ll be keeping us abreast of his progress at every stage of the adventure.