19-Year-Old Is First To Cross Lake Michigan … By Windsurfing

by Kyle Ellison on

Sure, this happened almost two months ago, but the video footage for it just came out, which makes the overall experience that much more exciting.

In case you aren’t:

1. A Lake Michigan local surfer

or

2. An avid Kai Lenny fan,

there’s a good chance you never heard about the fact that earlier this year, 19-year-old Maui phenom Kai Lenny became the first person to ever successfully windsurf across Lake Michigan.

Before you ho-hum this accomplishment by passing it off as a casual lake crossing, let me drop some statistics on you that might make you reconsider how ridiculously difficult of an accomplishment this was.

On his crossing, Lenny traveled a distance of 56 miles at speeds of up to 25 knots, which for those of you who aren’t nautically inclined is 30 mph. The crossing took him 2 hours and 50 minutes in water temperatures that only hovered in the low 50s. Do you have any idea the stamina required to windsurf for nearly three straight hours over choppy seas while being pelted with frigid sprays of water on your hands, feet and head?

It’s more than you or I have, I can assure you.

Just to put things in perspective one more time, out of curiosity I wanted to see how long it takes the ferries to zip across the waters of Lake Michigan. The result?

SS Badger: 4 hours
Lake Express High Speed Catamaran: 2.5-3 hours
Kai Lenny: 2.8 hours

Despite a failed attempt two years ago to accomplish the same feat, Lenny has, once again, firmly planted his name in the record books where few have dared to venture.

5 Stages Of Travel Interactive Infographic

by Chris Owen on

Saying that nearly 70 percent of all travelers begin planning online, Google has an infographic that details the five stages of travel. It’s a great look at how travelers move from merely dreaming about travel to sharing their travels with others.

Breaking the process down to Dreaming, Planning, Booking, Experiencing and Sharing, this infographic is part of Google’s multi-media research library of case studies, interviews with thought leaders, sound bites from their industry events and more.

Want to know more about why we click what we click and do what we do online when researching travel? Dive deep into insights around how consumers decide on airlines, hotels, car rentals and cruises for their travel needs with a series of Google studies.

Covering topics ranging from “Media Consumption In Israel” to “Travelers Road To Decision 2011,” trend-setting Google studies have interesting facts on a variety of topics.




[Flickr photo by Scurzuzu]

Themed Cruise Vacations Heat Up With More Choices

by Chris Owen on

Themed cruise vacations are special sailings when groups or organizations charter a ship, bringing like-minded travelers together to share their passion. Themed cruises appeal to groups of people varying from very broad interests like motorcycles and rock music to smaller, more specific interests like Harley-Davidson motorcycles or the Beatles. These events at sea are so popular that several repeat each year.

The Cruise for Beatles Fans (formerly known as the Beatles Tribute Cruises) is bringing back their star-studded cast of Beatles friends and musicians on a sailing of Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas.

During the seven-night Eastern Caribbean sailing, guests will be enjoying private concerts, Question and Answer sessions, and picture and autograph sessions with the special Beatles guests. In addition, passengers can enjoy Beatles Trivia and Name That Tune contests.

The fourth annual Cruise for Beatles Fans sails March 3, 2013, and stops in Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas, Phillipsburg, St Martin and the Nassau, Bahamas. See Music In M’Ocean for details.

The Rock Boat sails for the thirteenth time as the longest running music festival at sea on February 24, 2013. The Rock Boat host Sister Hazel will be joined by Alternate Routes, Bronze Radio Return, Roger Clyne and The Peacemakers, Good Old War, Will Hoge, NEEDTOBREATHE, Ponderosa, Ben Rector, Red Wanting Blue, Rusted Root, Saints of Victory, DJ Soulman, Yacht Rock Revue and many more artists to be announced.Featuring non-stop music and two days on Norwegian’s private destination island in the Bahamas, this musical marathon will showcase both fan favorites and emerging talent across multiple stages around the ship as well as intimate activities with artists and collaborations between musicians that won’t be seen anywhere else but onboard this ocean-based traveling circus.

“We had no idea that The Rock Boat would become the family of guests and artists that it has become when began in 2001. We are fortunate to be able to host some of the most promising new artists each year and are so excited to have NEEDTOBREATHE back for an encore performance,” said Sixthman CEO Andy Levine.

The Rock Boat sails on Norwegian Pearl February 24 – March 1, 2013, from Miami to Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas.

Themed cruises are not just about music either. Sailings are planned that focus on food and wine, history, intellectual pursuits, photography, film and sports. ThemeCruiseFinder has details on these and more.


[Photo: Sixthman]



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Summiting Mexico’s Highest Peak

by Josh Wolff on

I’ll travel wherever and whenever as much as the next nomad. But over the last few years I’ve been really interested in combining this passion for travel with video work that can help bring an issue to either a wider audience or to broaden my own travel experiences. To this end, I’ve worked in places like the northeast of Nicaragua, Uganda, and post-earthquake Haiti.

My most recent adventure brought me to the border of Puebla and Veracruz states in Mexico in order to attempt to summit the third highest peak (18,500 feet) in North America and the highest peak in Mexico, the stratovolcanic Pico de Orizaba.

This wasn’t just any ordinary climb. In addition to the altitude, there was also a cause. Mountaineering pro Jake Norton and the Challenge 21 team are attempting to climb the 21 highest peaks of the world, all in the name of clean water and sanitation for the world’s neediest. It’s one of the most pressing issues of our time. Wanting to push myself, and to do so for a good cause, I signed up to join Jake in Mexico. This short film is the story. To learn more about Challenge 21, to contribute, or to also join the team on a climb, please check them out here: challenge21.com.

Emaciated Hiker Found After Over A Month Missing In Utah’s Escalante Desert

by Jessica Festa on

After not being heard from in over a month, missing hiker William M. LaFever, 28, has been found. He was spotted by a helicopter flying over the Escalante River gorge, where the bearded man was discovered sitting in a shallow river in the Escalante Desert with nothing more than his pants, shoes, underwear, shirt and a lighter. LaFever had been trying to make his way from Boulder, Utah, to Page, Arizona, on foot, and had lost 50 pounds subsisting on nothing but frogs, roots and river water.

Originally from Colorado Springs, Colorado, LaFever had called his father on June 6 or 7 to tell him he was hiking with his dog. He had hoped his father would send him some money to help with the journey. Although LaFever didn’t have a car, his plan was to follow the river until he reached Lake Powell, where he wanted to catch a boat. Unfortunately, the 50-mile desert trek was a lot more difficult than LaFever anticipated.

The hiker was both obsessive compulsive and autistic, the latter giving authorities a clue of his whereabouts. They guessed he might be near the river, after hearing how those with autism are often drawn to water. However, according to officials, LaFever is very lucky to have been found. Although he had camping experience and was in a popular hiking area, he had strayed about 30 miles from where trekkers usually go.”We had no idea if William had stayed along the river, or decided to leave, or got a ride with someone, or was lost somewhere other than along the river,” Garfield County Deputy Ray Gardner told CNN. “We flew along it without any expectation of finding anything at all. The conditions would have to be just right too; unless he was out in the open there was no way we would be able to find him.”

LaFever is currently in stable condition; however, he will remain in the hospital until his strength returns. His dog is still being searched for, although reports are being investigated that he may have been found.

[Image via Big Stock]