Walking Amalfi

by Erik Olsen on

Here’s another great summer trip idea. Walking the Amalfi Coast.
There are so many incredible trips offered through Backroads, that it’s hard to choose, but hikers should take a look
at this one. We’ll post about others for other sports in the
future.

So for this trip: You’ll meet in Naples and then continue to Capri on a private boat and ascend Monte Solaro,
the highest point on the island, you’ll walk through the tiny coastal villages of Positano and Amalfi, and enjoy fresh
seafood. It goes on and on.

It ain’t cheap, but what a way to spend a few weeks.

Na Pali Coast by Boat

by Erik Olsen on

You can hike into the verdant
slopes of the Na Pali Coast in Hawaii, but the best way to see them is unquestionably by boat.

We’ve just slipped out of the time when humpbacks can be seen in cetacean plentitiude, but the diving is great and
the view of the hills is unreal, like something out of Jurassic Park.

For a tour by boat, check out Napali Explorer, a tour company that will
find you the best spots to hang out and will take you to a few secret swimming holes.

40 Best Vacations

by Erik Olsen on

Not sure how many of these I agree with (Philly?!), but there are some goodies here.

Budget Travel has listed the 40 best bargain vacations for
all of us penny pinching vagabonds. Let’s just take a quck look, shall we?

So many of the mainstays are here…Vegas, Cancun, Prague, London…but there are a couple of recs that you might not
have considered: Malta, Budapest, Curacao (great diving) and the Dominican Republic. Again, this stuff may be too tame
for you, but it is vacation planning time, and it couldn’t hurt just to take a look.

On Patagonia

by Erik Olsen on


I have raved before about one of
my favorite places on earth:
Patagonia. It is without question one of the most beautiful and interesting regions for travel. In fact, right now I am
reading the book Savage, the story of a Yaghan Indian named Jemmy
Button who was taken aboard the Beagle (yes, the one with Darwin…although he was on the return trip to Patagonia,
not the one that initially grabbed Button) and spirited off to Britain to be “civilized”. It’s immensely interesting,
and a fine example of a particularly silly kind of manifest destiny, not to mention a timely story about how our
notions of societal superiority lead us to try odd and sometime dangerous things.

Anyway, all of that is a long-winded way to get

to this story in the New York Times about Welsh Patagonia. Farmers and herders from Wales came to Patagonia early
in the 19th century to settle. Over the course of many years, they changed the landscape and the local economy, and
endured numerous booms and busts. It is a fascinating history, one recounted in the superb book by Bruce Chatwin
In Patagonia.

Some of this is mentioned in the

article here, that is worth a read if you, too, are interested in Patagonia. But I should add that the brilliance
and wonder of Patagonia is not just in its storied hiistory, but in its outdoor delights. Patagonia is one of the best
places in the world to paddle, hike, climb, fish and photograph. Trust me on this one.

Travel the Midwest

by Erik Olsen on

When you think of the great places in the country, I suspect you don’t often ponder sites in the midwest. No,
usually it’s Califorrnia, Colorado, Utah, the Northeast. You know what I’m talking about.
CNN runs a feature about
a guy who’s got a show coming out where he extolls the wonders of the midwest.

Touting places like the Black Hills of South Dakota or Iowa’s Great River Road, or a scenic drive along the
Mississippi River bluffs…these actually sound like cool places. (Editorial aside: I went to the Black Hills once and
went to Mount Rushmore where I got to hike up to the top of the heads and walk around on Lincoln’s cranium. That, my
friends, was cool.) So perhaps you live in one of the middle states and know all this already, but if you don’t check
it out for some potential traevl ideas.