Sustainable Travel Agents Make Impact, Educate

by Chris Owen on

Sustainable travel aims to yield a net beneficial gain, or render at least neutral, every aspect of the travel process. When rating elements of a travel plan, from booking flights online to hotel operational policies, everything is considered. At one time, sustainable travel was the domain of tree-hugging environmentalists, out to get travel suppliers. Now, Earth-friendly travel agents are making it their mission to educate consumers.

Andrea Dixon and Lindsay Batchelar founded Green Motion Travel in 2010, making sustainable tourism the prime focus of their Canadian travel agency. Batchelar, an experienced travel consultant, and Dixon, with a masters in Tourism, were frustrated that the research on sustainability never trickled down to consumers.

“A big part of Green Motion’s work is providing information about options available for travel choices,” Batchelar told Travel Market Report.

The two met five years ago when their sons entered kindergarten together. Initially, Green Motion Travel devoted resources to educating potential clients about key sustainability concepts. Explaining how those concepts could be applied to the travel experience, Green Motion circulated handouts with titles like “What to Ask Before You Book,” and “Sustainable Tourism While You Travel.”

They also sent questionnaires to travel suppliers and ranked them according to each supplier’s commitment to sustainable tourism. The results yielded a relationship with hotels, tour operators and other service providers eager to offer green travel options.

“It took a long time to find out which companies are committed to sustainability. So many are trying to be environmentally friendly and want to promote their effort, which is great,” said Dixon.Now with more than double the manpower, Green Motion Travel’s mission continues to educate and promote their website. There, visitors can easily make transportation choices that suit their evolving needs and criteria.

So what is trending in the sustainable tourism world?

“We are seeing a growing number of our clients choose rail over flying when the option is presented by us. In Canada, our rail network is decent in the Ottawa-Toronto-Montreal corridor. It is these types of trips that are hardest on the environment when flying, so every convert to rail – which also avoids airline security hassles – is a benefit,” said Dixon.

“Tourism can never be neutral,” says the Green Motion Travel website. “It will always have an impact but the key is to try and make the impact as positive as possible.”


[Flickr photo by The Brit_2]

Mindo: A Nature-Inspired Day Trip From Quito, Ecuador

by Jessica Festa on

Quito, Ecuador, is a big, bustling city that can sometimes be overwhelming. For those who need a change of pace, one great day trip idea is to head to nearby Mindo, a tranquil town filled with nature-inspired activities. Located in the Los Bancos canton of the Pichincha province, the area is renowned for its dedication to ecotourism, plentiful bird watching and breathtaking cloud forest.

Getting In

From Quito, you can catch a bus from the Terminal Terrestre Norte, La Ofelia. The bus to Mindo takes about 80 minutes and is $2.50 each way, although you can’t buy your return ticket until you get to the destination. Because the buses can get crowded, it is wise to purchase your return ticket immediately upon arrival into Mindo. Moreover, I would recommend taking the very first bus of the day from Quito, and the very last bus of the day from Mindo to ensure you have a lot of time. In fact, many people spend the night in the town because there’s so much to do.

Quito To Mindo Bus Schedule:

Monday To Friday: 8:00 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 4:00 p.m.
Saturday: 7:40 a.m., 8:20 a.m., 9:20 a.m., 4:00 p.m.
Sunday: 7:40 a.m., 8:20 a.m., 9:20 a.m., 2:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m.

Mindo To Quito Bus Schedule:

Monday To Friday: 6:30 a.m., 1:45 p.m., 3:00 p.m.
Saturday: 6:30 a.m., 2:00 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 5:00 p.m.
Sunday: 6:30 a.m., 2:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m.

Renting a car or hiring a taxi is another pricier, but more convenient option.To Do

Waterfall Sanctuary And Tarabita

This was the first thing I did in Mindo, and it was a really great start to the day. For $5 including the tarabita, or cable car, you’ll get access to picturesque hiking trails that take you to seven different waterfalls. Each one is completely unique to the others, making the trek worth it. Bring your bathing suit and a picnic. To get to the trailhead, a taxi costs $8; however, to save money you can take a $4 cab to the canopy area and walk about 1.5 miles to the start.

Canopy

To explore the cloud forest and farmland from a different point of view, Mindo Canopy Adventure offers an excellent option. Ten dollars gives you access to 13 ziplines, and the course takes about an hour. The highest cable is over 1,300 feet, so it will definitely get your adrenaline going. You’ll not only get great scenery, but also a chance to see many beautiful birds, like toucans and hummingbirds. It’s also possible to bring your camera while flying, to get great shots from midair.

Mariposas de Mindo

While I expected Mariposas de Mindo to be nothing more than looking at a few butterflies, I was completely wrong. There are 1,200 butterflies living in the garden – making it the largest butterfly exhibit in Ecuador – featuring different colors, sizes and species. You get a short tour and see really tiny butterfly eggs and caterpillars. Furthermore, the guide will bring you to something that looks like a jewelry display, but is actually a wall of butterfly pupae. Depending where a butterfly lives in nature, its pupae could look like a leaf, stick, green stone or shiny piece of metal (shown right). The best part of the trip was getting to hand feed the butterflies some banana, which I never knew they ate. The admission cost was $5.

El Descanso

When visiting Mindo, don’t be upset if you can’t get there before 10 a.m. While you won’t see any birds on the trails in the afternoon, it doesn’t matter because they all come to El Descanso. I went at 11 a.m. and for $2 was able to see myriad bird species like hummingbirds, toucans, parrots and Golden-Headed Quetzals. The word descanso means “to relax” or “be calm,” and there is no better place to do this than in this tranquil setting, lounging on a hammock surrounded by the music of nature.

El Quetzal

Chocolate-lovers will love Mindo’s signature chocolate hub, El Quetzal. Not only can you eat gourmet chocolate – they use the rare process of making their product from “the cocoa bean to the bar” – you can also get a tour of their facilities where they grow a variety of fruits, vegetables and beans like cacao, bananas, ginger, tomatoes and other natural produce. The guide also takes you through the process of picking the cacao beans, fermenting them, separating the shell from the “nibs,” and making the paste. At the end, you’ll get to sample chili chocolate, ginger honey chocolate, cocoa honey, barbecue sauce and a brownie. The tour and tasting is $5.

Tubing

To get off land and in the water, tubing on the Mindo River is a fun way to explore nature. When you get into Mindo there are a bunch of tour and adventure companies offering the activity, so shop around and see who offers the best package.

The Yellow House Trails & Lodge

The Yellow House Trails & Lodge – which has been in use since the early 1800s – is one of the best places to go for hiking, butterfly spotting, bird watching and discovering wild flora and fauna. Some examples of unique natural sights include vibrant Emerald Glass Frogs, huge Dock Spiders, red Slime Mold Mushrooms, long-nosed lizards, Spectacled Bears and translucent butterflies. It also offers one of the best views in town of the mountains and surrounding forest. What’s really unique about The Yellow House is there are over 470 species of birds, more than any other location in western Ecuador.

Olympics 2012: Best Markets And Shops For Food Lovers

by Laurel Miller on

Just because you’re in London for the Olympics and watching world-class athletes torch calories, doesn’t mean you should be deprived of saturated fats and carbs. Despite its former reputation as a culinary wasteland, 21st century London has become one of the world’s great food cities, renowned for its fine dining and ethnic eateries, markets, specialty shops, and food artisans.

Take one for the team and pay a visit to the following for a taste of today’s London.

The city has its share of farmers and public markets, but if your time is short, the Borough Market is, in my opinion, one of the world’s great food markets. I discovered it on my day off from working at a restaurant in Marylebone in 2001, and I’ve found few other markets that offer comparable delights with regard to quality and diversity.

Located in Southwark along the Thames, Borough Market was established in 1755 and is London’s oldest produce market. Today, you’ll also find baked goods, meat and poultry, seafood, charcuterie, cheese and other English artisan foods, as well as international specialty products: argan oil from Morocco; spices, pickles, fruit pastes and preserves from the Eastern Mediterranean, India and Grenada; Croatian patés, French goose fat and fresh Perigord truffles; and Calabrian licorice root.

The Borough Market is open Thursday through Saturday; click here for times and bus and Underground directions.

Maltby Street is a selection of “breakaway vendors” from Borough Market, including Neal’s Yard Dairy, Monmouth Coffee and St. JOHN Bakery (owned by chef Fergus Henderson he of the much-loved St. JOHN Restaurant, a champion of offal and author of “The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating”). Unlike the market vendors, these are permanent shops that primarily wholesale during the week, and open to the public on Saturday mornings. Psst: Go early to get the custard or jam doughnuts at St. JOHN.World-famous Neal’s Yard Dairy has two shops (the other is in Covent Garden). If you love – or would like to learn about – handcrafted cheeses from the UK, be sure to stop by for a taste.

London’s other great cheese shop is La Fromagerie, with locations in Marlyebone and Highbury. Next door is The Ginger Pig, “butchers and farmers of rare breeds raised on the North York Moors.” Opt for a butchery class, farm tour, or some meat pies in lieu of purchasing fresh product. There’s also a location at the Borough Market.

Marylebone has a lively farmers market, held every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Spitalfields, in the East End, started out as a traders’ market in 1666, and today is a fashionable complex with food, fine dining, boutiques, community events and public art. For non-edible souvenirs, check out Divermenti, a kitchenware store and cooking school in Marlyebone.

[Photo credits: vendor, Flickr user nakedsky; cheese, Flickr user Stepheye]

Introducing The Swagon, Australia’s New Take On Glamping

by Jessica Festa on

We’ve all seen the pimped-out safari tents and palace-style camping retreats used for glamping; however, Gawler Ranges Wildness Safaris has taken luxurious camping to the next level with the introduction of the Swagon. The 100-year-old, Aussie-style wagon is “part swag, part wagon.” And for those who don’t know, swag refers to a queen-sized double mattress, used for extra comfort when roughing it in the Outback of South Australia.

Also known as the “Galaxy Suite,” the Swagon features a private shower and toilet, as well as a bed canopied by canvas to pull back for stargazing. Glampers won’t even need to cook, as meals are served at the camp’s outdoor dining room with complimentary drinks.

“The Swagon was built to offer single travellers accommodation without a single supplement. The tents have two bedrooms, so a single person could displace four people,” explains Geoff Scholz, Director of Gawler Ranges Wilderness Safaris. “The wagon was in a dilapidated state parked in the bush, covered in rusty wire when I noticed it and saw the potential to achieve what I wanted. A Swag in a wagon? Yep, Swagon.”

Swagons can be found at Kangaluna Camp, a small wilderness campground on the Eyre Peninsula. Surrounded by salt lakes, volcanic rock and wildlife, the area makes for an excellent destination to get in touch with nature and sleep under the stars.

Video: Iceberg Flips While Ship Passes

by Kraig Becker on

Sometimes the key to making a great video is simply being in the right place at the right time. That happens to be the case with this clip, which was shot on Argentino Lake in Argentina. A ship just happened to be passing by the Upsala Glacier just as a massive iceberg broke apart and then rapidly flipped over in the water.

The calving of icebergs is actually fairly common although it is seldom caught on video. For those aboard that passing ship this had to have been a fascinating yet terrifying scene as that giant iceberg looks like it could do some serious damage to any boat that wandered too close. Watching that huge chunk of ice crumble and roll in the water is a sobering reminder of the powerful forces that are at work on our planet.