Orbitz Worldwide launched a new online search tool, called AdventureFinder.com, earlier this week with the intention of making it easier than ever to help you discover new locations to explore, then customize and plan active, outdoor escape to those places. The site replaces GORPTravel.com, which was formerly used as an adventure travel resource as part of The Away Network.
Visitors to the website will find a variety of ways to search for their next trip, including by destination or activity. So for example, if you’re looking for a trip to Africa, you’ll be presented with a list of the many options for that continent, from some of the top adventure tour operators in the world. But if you want to see the best places to go mountain biking or white water rafting, you can do that too. The AdventureFinder front page also offers featured destinations and activities as suggestions as well, with Japan and Hiking/Backpacking getting those respective nods at the moment.
The unique “Who’s Going” search option allows you to find trips designed for specific types of travelers. Options include “singles”, “couples”, “family”, and so on. This option is great for helping you select a trip that will ensure you’ll be joining a group with which you have a common approach to travel, which can sometimes mean the difference between an enjoyable vacation and an awful one.
With so many great destinations to choose form, a tool like this is always welcome. I’ve found a couple of nice deals on places that I would certainly like to visit, and it seems that this will be a great resource for adventure travelers before they head out on their next escape.
Outside magazine and the Aspen Chamber Resort Association (ACRA) have announced the first annual Outside in Aspen adventure weekend set to take place in Aspen, Colorado June 11-13. The three day event will be filled with hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, and other outdoor activities, with a host of professional adventure athletes, such as Olympic gold medalist Tyler Hamilton and mountaineer/photographer Jake Norton, on hand to take part in the fun.
The festivities get underway on Friday night with a welcome party at the Sky Hotel which will be used t for the Leave No Trace organization. Then, on Saturday the Base Camp will open, which will serve as the adventure headquarters for the weekend’s activities. Visitors will gather at BC to meet up with guides who will take them rock climbing, trail running, cycling, fly fishing, and much more. Then, following a full day of active outdoor pursuits, it’ll be time to head over to a pool party at the Hotel Jerome. An after party at the Belly Up Aspen, will round out the evening.
On Sunday, it’s back to Base Camp for another full day of outdoor fun. The weekend will be capped by a panel discussion moderated by Outside editors, with adventure athletes fielding questions from the crowd and discussing issues in the adventure community. Lunch will be served following the panel discussion, with a gear give away soon there after.
In order to make Outside in Aspen as affordable and accessible as possible, special packages are being offered through Stay Aspen Snowmass, where you can get two-night lodge packages starting at $99. Additionally, the Outside in Aspen Activity Package is available for $250 and includes entrance to the welcome party, half day outdoor activities on both Saturday and Sunday, access to Base Camp festivities throughout the weekend, and entrance to Saturday’s Pool Party as well. The package also includes admission to the adventure athlete panel discussion on Sunday, and includes lunch after that event too.
For a great weekend of outdoor fun and adventure, plan on being in Aspen on June 11-13. It is sure to be a great time. Register here.
Summer is fast approaching. Where are you going to spend your vacation? How about visiting one of our country’s many fantastic beach locations? Bring your lover or family, a bathing suit, sun lotion, a blanket and a picnic basket, and you are all set for a romantic get-away or a relaxing family get-together on one of these magnificent sandy stretches.
Delray Beach, Florida
Delray boasts a great family-friendly stretch of sand, with youngsters playing Frisbee games and teens surfing the waves. Enjoy the well-preserved dunes and the warm, snow-white sand and comforting turquoise water. After a day on the beach, take a stroll in the European-style town and dine at the sidewalk bistros.
Mexico Beach, Florida
Mexico Beach is located on Florida’s panhandle near St. Joseph Bay and Cape San Blas on the Gulf of Mexico about 30 miles east of Panama City. This secret, romantic location is still mostly free of the crowds because it is exceedingly hard to get to. Enjoy long stretches of rosy-white sand and crystal blue water.
Kauapea Beach, Hawaii
Kauapea Beach is the most spectacular of all beaches in Hawaii and also one well-known for nudists. The cliffs and plantation in the background are stunning, and the beach is covered with pinkish-yellowish sand, stretching into warm cuddling bluish-greenish water. Though nudity is illegal on all beaches in Hawaii, the laws are rarely enforced. To get there you need to hike down a dirt road and then down a narrow trail from Kalihiwai Road, just about half a mile North of Kilauea on Rt. 56. Consummate your relationship in the most ravishing and breathtaking scenery in the US.
Ocracoke Island Beach, North Carolina
You will need to take a ferry boat from Hatteras Island to get there, unless you own a private helicopter. The degree of isolation afforded by Ocracoke is a big part of its appeal. There is an aura of natural beauty surrounding Ocracoke Island, which features miles of silvery sand and surf that have been well protected.
Wildcat Beach, California
Wildcat Beach is located 30 minutes from San Francisco. A 5-minute hike is all that’s required to reach this sandy gem. Take a soothing stroll hand-in-hand bare-footed on long stretches of ivory sand facing a turquoise and tranquil Pacific Ocean.
New Smyrna Beach, Florida
New Smyrna Beach is located on the central east coast of Florida, south on I-95. Enjoy long stretches of white sand, free of the crowds and noise. This is probably also one of the least polluted beaches in Florida. Perfect for a romantic getaway, pre-baby furlough or fertility vacation.
Poipu Beach, Hawaii
Say “aloha” to paradise at beautiful Poipu Beach on the South shore of Kauai. This island retreat gets the vote for best exotic getaway in the U.S. White sand beaches are decorated with enough lush tropical foliage to make Jimmy Buffet jealous. Visitors often find themselves overwhelmed by the beach’s wealth of activities, many of which include snorkeling, diving, kayaking, surfing, deep-sea fishing and horseback riding.
Sanibel Island, Florida
Sanibel Island is located just off the mainland of Florida’s west coast. Though tourism has increased in recent years, Sanibel still retains much of its natural appeal. Green palm trees set a background for the pristine white sand of Sanibel – all of which is complimented by the crystal blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico. For beach-goers who want to do more than soak up the sun, a variety of activities including golf, tennis, shopping and boating are available to islanders.
South Padre Island, Texas
If you are like most, when you think Texas, the beach is not the first thing to come to mind. However, the Lone Star State is more than just cowboy hats and barbecue. South Padre Island is a stretch of land near Corpus Christi that draws thousands of visitors every year. With a beachside waterpark, parasailing, resort accommodations and enough sandy coastline to last for days, the beaches of South Padre make for an ideal weekend vacay.
Catalina Island, California
Catalina Island is a SoCal dream. Known as “the island of romance,” honeymooners are swept away by the privacy and romance that Catalina offers. Luxurious resorts with ocean-view suites are scattered throughout the island’s shores. Some resorts offer access to champagne, strawberries, chocolates, spa services and even glass-bottom boat tours. Whales and dolphins are no strangers to the area, and couples can view marine wildlife at its best on one of Catalina’s underwater sea excursions via semi-submersible submarine. After a long day at the beach, relax with an intimate couple’s massage or an evening bike ride on a bicycle built for two.
Old Orchard Beach, Maine
Beach season in Maine may be fleeting, but award-winning Old Orchard Beach in Maine has families visiting its shores year-round. The area has a distinct community atmosphere that seems to make time slow down. A traditional pier darts into the waters where families can peruse shops and eat seafood at seaside restaurants. At the center of it all is Palace Playland, a beach side amusement park popular with the kids. Seven miles of white sand exude Old Orchard’s 200 year history as one of the top beaches in Maine.
Cannon Beach, Oregon
Travel to the northwestern corner of the U.S. and visit Cannon Beach, Oregon, a serene encounter with nature and the arts. The premier attraction is Haystack Rock which is said to be the third largest monolith in the world. Towering a staggering 235 feet high, more than 2,000 birds nest on the rock and large amount of delicate sea life resides below it. The beaches here are unusually wide and stretch a lengthy nine miles. Beach comers can browse through the shops that line the beach and select souvenirs amongst an endless supply of homemade crafts and works of art.
Malibu Beach, California
If you are looking for the beach to see and be seen, look no further than Malibu Beach. One of the most popular beaches in the world, Malibu Beach draws even the biggest celebrities to its vigorously maintained coastline. The likes of David Letterman, Tom Hanks and Demi Moore are known to have called Malibu home in addition to many others. The beaches of Malibu are great for morning runs, family picnics and intimate seaside gatherings, and getting a glimpse of your favorite silver screen actor is a welcome bonus.
Panama City Beach, Florida
Panama City Beach, or PCB as the locals call it, is a descended upon by thousands of college students looking to make the most of their spring break vacations each year. Keg parties and white t-contests rule the day, and bars, nightclubs and restaurants offer a variety of entertainment when the sun goes down. It is not unusual to encounter film crews from networks such as MTV looking to promote spring break programming. Though the beach is popular with families year-round, you may want to avoid bringing the kids along during spring break.
Galveston Beach, Texas
According to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the gulf coast allows for the best shell collecting in all of North America. Galveston Beach, which is already popular with tourists due to its large indoor waterpark and Moody Gardens, offers premier shelling – especially when windy cool fronts from the North push the waters back, revealing an abundance of natural shells ripe for the picking. Children and parents alike will love scouring the shores for these tiny treasures.
Biscayne National Park, Florida
Snorkeling is perhaps the most popular water sport because it requires virtually no skill and minimal physical requirements. Biscayne National Park in southern Florida is home to the best snorkeling in the U.S. Snorkelers observe entire underwater ecosystems, coral reefs, pirate shipwrecks and colorful marine wildlife. Unlike most national parks, Biscayne is 95 percent underwater and is highly preserved due to the government’s stringent protection of the park.
Hanalei Bay, Hawaii
Hanalei Bay’s location is somewhat off the beaten path of the Hawaiian islands. Yet this beach offers vacation seekers adventure within a wide-assortment of activities including surfing, canoe rides, stand-up paddle and surfboard rentals. Lined with palm trees, and covered with white sands. This beach sits between a backdrop of stunning waterfalls and green mountains which stretch across the sky-line of Hanalei Bay. The 2-mile coast is home to spectacular plant and animal life, and gets more rain than any other Hawaiian island.
Siesta Beach, Florida
Consistently rated as a top 10 beach in the USA, Siesta Beach holds some of the finest, whitest sand in the world. Soft to the touch, these unpolluted sands are a tourists delight, as the county of Sarasota takes extra care in making sure the sands stay clean. Off shore, there are amazing coral reefs, supply recreational opportunities, for snorkelers including unique underwater formations. Siesta Beach, attract snorkelers and scuba divers as the warm crystal clean water is ideal for swimming. The beaches extra wide shore is ideal for sports and fun activities.
Cooper’s Beach, New York
New York, Cooper’s Beach is surrounded by large sand dunes, dotted with long beach grass. The beach sand is made of grainy white-quartz sand, (dark brown in color). What makes Cooper’s Beach particularly special is the view – when night comes, the moon shines off the water and is very romantic.
Coronado Beach, California
Coronado Beach has lush subtropical vegetation, a Mediterranean climate, and a warm and mild surf. The Hotel de Coronado, a local landmark, was built more than a hundred years ago. This timeless treasure offers “spectacular” architecture. Coronado Beach’s sunsets are truly spiritual, when viewing the San Diego shore-line. Seeing the sunshine collide with ocean, is so amazing. The climate is warm and the air is truly freshening.
Hamoa Beach, Hawaii
Who could turn down a beach once frequented by writer Ernest Hemingway? Ranked as one of the world’s best beaches, Hamoa Beach includes a coral-and-lava-sand shore, rimmed by tall cliffs. Hamoa Beach is covered with coconut palms and “beautiful” flowering vegetation. The beach has unbelievable waves, which attract thrill seeker surfers, from around the world.
Cape Hatteras, North Carolina
If you want to see what a beach looked like when the native Americans inhabited the region, Cape Hatteras is the place. With its historic fishing villages and some of the best surfing along the East Coast. Cape Hatteras was the first U.S. National Seashore, designated as coastal areas for preservation. Make sure you bring insect repellent the sand fleas and mosquitoes are ferocious. The Cape Hatteras lighthouse, is the most famous lighthouse in the country. The lighthouse has 257 steps and is 210 feet tall.
Cape Florida State Park, Florida
A large offshore sand shoal makes the emerald-colored waters off Cape Florida State Park ideal for swimming, humans, and sea life. You can watch –sea turtles, swimming near the shore. The Cape Florida Lighthouse allows for a breathtaking view of this beautiful beach. There are coral reefs, which divers can explore year around. The beach has a romantic, appeal and allows lovers to go on sunset strolls.
Coast Guard Beach, Massachusetts
Accessible only by bike or shuttle bus. Coast Guard Beach of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, has a ponderous view and soft sand that slopes down to the water’s edge. If you visitor, swimming is only feasible during the summer. Water temperatures get no warmer than 65 to 70 degrees. Coast Guard Beach is named, after the old Coast Guard station, it offers an astonishing, view of the bay.
Beachwalker Park, South Carolina
Beachwalker Park is a public beach with an abundance of recreational resources. Visitors can canoe and kayak through the tidal inlets. The beach is home to thousands of birds. Individuals can walk along the compact sand of the 10-mile barrier island. Those who love fishing can catch amazing shrimp, big enough to eat and even large eatable game fish, frequent the shore-line. The sun is heavy and the surf is smooth and calming. At night, walking the beach, stir at the moonlight and share an unique experience where phytoplankton, luminosities the sand.
Assateague National Seashore, Virginia
Four wheelers and surf fishermen can ride side by side with the famous wild horses. Like other Atlantic beaches, the surf is kind to swimmers. Maryland’s Ocean City is a short drive to the North for plenty of food and fun for adults and kids.
East Atlantic Beach, New York
Like many overlooked Atlantic beaches, “EAB” is vast and wide. Weekdays are quiet, giving this expansive stretch an exclusive vibe. The neighboring “West End” rocks with restaurants and bars that feature cold drinks, hot crowds and great live music. Less than an hour from New York City as well.
Deerfield Beach, Florida
This South Florida spot is the perfect “grab a book” escape. Somehow the water at Deerfield Beach manages to be a perfect 78 degrees. Great cocktails (and shrimp cocktail) at one of the little food shacks that line the boardwalk. You can also rent a bike to cruise A1A and check out the trendy scene in nearby Delray.
Andrew Molera State Park, California
Right off the breathtaking Pacific Coast Highway. Set up camp, then hike dense trails that lead to the dramatic bluffs and cul de sacs of this Northern California coastal gem. Wildlife (deer, seals, sea turtles) can all be seen in abundance either at sunrise or sunset.
Ditch Plains, New York
Low key and hassle-free, Ditch Plains, located on the far Eastern tip of Long Island, is literally “The End.” The local beaches are home to world-class east coast surfing and Hamptons celebrities galore. Paul McCartney’s a regular, but only because no one bothers him. One of the best food trucks in the country holds court in the parking lot.
Hailewa Beach, Hawaii
Hale’iwa Beach is one of Hawaii’s great surfing Meccas. In winter, be awed as the pros and hardcore locals take on the 50-70 footers (The ground literally shakes when the waves hit the beach). The rest of the year is safe for swimming, kayaking and snorkeling. The perfect blue water and crystal white sand are true paradise.
Sea View Beach, Massachusetts
Sea View Beach is another lesser known Atlantic Coast gem. Wide and quiet with gorgeous bluffs. Legendary surf fishing and pods of dolphin are a normal occurrence. The expansive quietude makes this spot quintessential Cape Cod. Great shopping and eating on adjacent Route 28.
Acadia National Park, Maine
Acadia is among the East Coast’s more popular national parks, but the beaches are underrated and transcendent. Rugged hikes spill out onto the most Northeastern point in the United States. The town of Arcadia Bar Harbor is authentic and bustling with great food and nightlife.
South Beach, Florida
South Beach is probably the only” mega-star” on our list. Crank up Pet Sounds, slip on the shades, take the top down on Collins Ave. and let the rest speak for itself. You’ve arrived.
Oval Beach, Michigan
The Atlantic and Pacific Coast beaches of America usually get all the love, but the state of Michigan boasts some of the longest stretches of prime beach you’ll find anywhere in America. Head for the state’s Western shore bordering Lake Michigan where you’ll find lovely beach gems like Saugatuck Michigan’s Oval Beach. Not only is this beach consistently named among America’s best, the lovely sand dunes and beautiful sunsets will have you in beach heaven. Midwest beach lovers represent!
In 2009, Alexandra Coustau’s Blue Legacy Expedition took her and a small team of documenters to five continents in one hundred days, in search of clean drinking water. Though occasionally far from the ocean, she found herself constantly seeing the link between the sea and mankind’s sustainability, as well as to her grandfather, Jacques-Yves Cousteau, who would have been one hundred years old this year. Below, as excerpted from OCEANS, The Threats to Our Seas and What You Can Do To Turn the Tide she reflects on her career.
The ancients told of water. Carved deeply in stone and crafted carefully in story and song, their superstitions and histories and wisdoms cascade across centuries and flow through our lives today: “From the heights of a mountain…” “By the banks of a river…” “Upon the shores of a homeland…” and so the stories go. And so we tell them still. For history has always been written in water.
And yet, for all the wonder and worship, throughout most of human history, the mysteries of this water planet were out of sight and beyond understanding. The oceans were vast unknowable surfaces across which ships sailed bravely in search of wealth or distant lands and adventure. Beneath this plane lay a mysterious void filled by the wild creatures of myth, an inexhaustible supply of fish, or some combination of both. Rivers cradled civilizations, nurturing the evolution of societies while carrying away the waste and transgressions of communities. And the rains came as they would for reasons most everyone could explain but seldom in the same way or for the same purpose. So man spoke of water as one who sees without knowing- hoping somehow to explain the wonders beyond and beneath the water planet he called home.But as time passed, the siren call of exploration tempted the hearts of both pilgrims and wanderers to pierce the dark night of ignorance and see the planets spinning-to step beyond the binding traditions of mortality and think the thoughts of gods. And they too told of water. Some throwing sheets into the wind would rush to the edge of the world to drown echoes of scorn beneath a bending horizon. Some would chart water’s course through our veins and some would harness its steam to build a bigger and better life. So story follows story as man wielded reason and exploration to unravel the mysteries of his world.
But in spite of centuries of charting the expanses of her boundaries, no one had yet searched out the depths of her oceans and this frustrated my grandfather Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Tethered to shallow, short dives by the aching in his lungs he longed to see more, to know more and so, as centuries of explorers before him had done, he sat down with a friend to rewrite the boundaries. The invention they would call the “Aqua Lung” in 1943, allowed humans to explore the underwater world for the first time, opening new fields of study and changing how we understand much of our natural surroundings.
The thrill of what he saw-of what he discovered-was more than he could contain and soon, he was back at the drawing board to design gear for my grandmother Simone and eventually even for my father Philippe.
Just four years old when his father taught him to dive, my father was so exuberant about all he saw beneath the calm surface of the water – a darting school of fish here, a brightly colored coral there, a waving forest of life just beyond – that he repeatedly tried to call out to my grandfather. He was blissfully unaware that each exclamation caused the regulator to fall out of his mouth, which my grandfather deftly and repeatedly replaced to keep his small, excited son from drowning.
When they finally got back aboard the ship, my grandfather scolded my father for his reckless enthusiasm saying, “You must be quiet underwater because it is a silent world.” My grandfather’s description of the new world to which he had introduced my father that day later became the title of his best selling book and Oscar-winning documentary The Silent World. And so we Cousteau have joined the generations of those who tell the stories of water.
Twenty-six years, a host of inventions, discoveries and awards would pass from that day. President John F. Kennedy would bestow the National Geographic’s Gold Medal on my grandfather at a White House ceremony honoring his work. The award-winning series he developed with my father, The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau, would be welcomed into living rooms around the world. His storytelling would launch a new generation of environmentalists and forever change how we see the oceans. And then Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.
I remember my grandfather telling me that the day he saw the headlines “Two Men Walk on the Moon” (knowing my grandfather, probably not without some healthy envy) was the day he knew our perception of the world would forever change. For the first time, we saw ourselves from outer space and realized unmistakably that our planet is in fact blue. Finally, people would see what he saw everyday from the deck of the Calypso: We live on a water planet.
The upcoming Earth Day (April 22) will be the 40th; I’ve been lobbying, quietly, that this time-round the day be labeled Ocean Day instead. In part because this is without statistical question more of an ocean planet than a continental one, and because I think right now around the world there is a tsunami wave of interest in all things “ocean,” particularly the threats to its health and its fisheries.
(To that end, my new book is called simply OCEANS, Threats to the Sea and What You Can Do To Turn the Tide. Companion book to the new Jacques Perrin/DisneyNature film of the same name (OCEANS), both are officially out on Earth Day/Ocean Day. )
Who isn’t made blissful sitting at water’s edge staring at the horizon, hypnotized by that delicate, nearly imperceptible-yet-somehow-distinct line where blue meets blue? Who among us doesn’t count those solitary, sun-washed moments – whether afloat on a boat or feet dug deep into the sand — as among the favorites of a lifetime?
Cliché? Perhaps. But if the views off land’s edges are not the most soothing, the most renewing on the planet, why do so many of us flock there to live, to work, to rejuvenate? Which raises the issue of why is it that this planet is called Earth, when seventy five percent of it is Ocean? That this is not known as Planet Ocean speaks only to the ego of man, since it has nothing to do with reality. It also raises the question of exactly how many oceans there are. Go get your atlas. Inside you’ll find five mildly distinct bodies with labels (Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic and Southern). I, like most whose writing graces these pages, believe there are no real distinctions, that this big body of water encircling the planet is just one ocean.
Put me on the edge, on or in the ocean at sunrise, sunset, under a blazing midday sun or even a small storm and I am content. For the past twenty years I’ve managed just that countless times. A wide variety of explorations have given me a unique perspective on both the health of the ocean and the lives of people who depend on it, a meandering route leading me from remote Bering Sea and Pacific islands, down the coasts of Vietnam and all of South America, around the various seas that surround Europe, parallel long sandy beaches in Gabon and India and rocky ones in Croatia, Tasmania and Kamchatka. At each stop I have spent time with the people whose days are most defined and shaped by the ocean.For all the differences each place offers – from browsing forest elephants and surfing hippos along the beaches of Gabon to eighty-mile-an-hour winds raking the Aleutian Islands, from horrifically-polluted bays off the South China Sea to centuries-old ritual celebrations still practiced on remote South Pacific atolls — similarities link them all. The same is true for ocean people. Though their cultures may differ – dress, food, religions and more – the people who live along coastlines have far more in common than they have differences. Instinctively, the very first thing each does in the morning is scan the horizon line, the seascape, checking the morning sky for what it might portend. Increasingly too, each is impacted by a handful of environmental risks now impacting the ocean, its coastlines and both its marine and human populations.
As the human population grows, headed fast towards nine billion, the planet’s coastlines grow ever more crowded. Fourteen of the planet’s seventeen largest cities are built on the edge of the ocean. Nearly half the world’s population – more than three billion – lives within an hour’s drive of a coast. The rich go for the views and refreshing salt air; the poor for jobs and big dreams; holiday-goers for a brief respite. But we humans are a rapacious species, seemingly incapable of taking good care of any place; over the past five centuries or so we’ve done a very good job of taking from the ocean without pause to consider its fragility and the damage we’ve done to it by our indifference.
How many of those billions who glimpse a sea with frequency, I wonder, stop to ask, How is this big, beautiful ocean of ours doing? While it has long seemed limitless, its resources infinite, there are myriad signs that we’ve now abused the ocean to the point of no return. The list of harms is long and includes threats from climate change (rising sea levels and acidification), various pollutions and over fishing. Eat fish? If so, you have to be concerned about the ocean; experts predict that by 2050 all of the fish species we currently survive on will be gone. Like tuna sashimi? Get it now since all of the world’s bluefin is anticipated to be gone by 2012. Forever. Fresh water supplies are endangered globally, with new reports suggesting that even in the wealthiest of nations (the U.S.) twenty million people drink polluted water every day.
There is some room for hope and optimism, with marine reserves and both national and international laws in the works that may help make a difference. Let’s hope they are enacted and enforced quickly enough that they can have an effect rather than just preceding an inevitable demise; around the globe, for example, far too often marine reserves have been set up only after the last fish was taken.
At each of my coastal stops during the past twenty years I have paused for long minutes, sometimes an hour and occasionally more, often far off the coast in the middle of the vast ocean, to ponder the horizon line, to watch the sun fall into the sea, or rise again. In each of those scenes I have found an incredible renewing energy. And it is the memories of those horizon lines – and the people I’ve met along the ocean’s edges — that keeps me going back for more.