Mud Season Escapes: Where Ski Towns Go After The Snow

by Laurel Miller on

The countdown has begun; most ski resorts will be closing in roughly three to four weeks, and then they’ll temporarily become ghost towns. Welcome to mud season, the bi-annual, post-season time when businesses shutter and residents escape to hotter climes – usually (die-hards head to South America to chase the snow).

Be they lift op or millionaire, most locals have their favorite vacation spots – most of them affordable and south of the border. I’ve lived in my share of ski towns (and thus enjoyed mud season exodus), and there’s just no avoiding the fact that certain destinations are southerly extensions of the mountains. What can I say? Ski bums have great taste.

The following are some of the most popular places locals flock to for mud season. The good news is, you don’t need to live in a ski town, or even be a skier, to appreciate them. Book your tickets!

Sayulita, Nayarit, Mexico
Also known as “Telluride South.” There’s just no escaping your neighbors, clients and customers, but this sleepy fishing village has managed to retain its charm, despite being less than 30 miles from Puerto Vallarta. Main activities: slurping ice cream, scarfing fish tacos, reading on the beach and watching the sunset.

Costa Rica
Crested Butte loves it some CR, especially a specific treehouse community (started by former locals) called Finca Bellavista. Tamarindo, Jacó and Mal Pais are also popular beach getaways for the off-season ski crowd. What better place for winter thrill-seekers to transition to warm weather pursuits such as whitewater rafting, surfing and volcano bagging?
Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Formerly known as the jumping off point for the ferry to Cozumel, Playa has become a bona fide resort, popular with families, couples and singles who desire a bit of luxury minus the crowds and squalor of Cancun.

Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Located close to Playa, this buzzy village is better known as the home of some of Mexico’s most spectacular Mayan ruins. Popular with the backpacker crowd thanks to beachfront bungalow and palapa accommodations (alas, camping isn’t as prevalent or permissible as it used to be); Tulum is now a target destination for food lovers making a pilgrimage to Hartwood Restaurant, a solar-run operation that specializes in locally-sourced, contemporized regional cuisine (note it’s closed March 18-April 3 for annual maintenance). Also, don’t miss the cenotes, or sinkholes, that dot the countryside; you can swim in their crystalline waters, or even explore them via scuba.

Caye Caulker, Belize
Both diving and hammock enthusiasts are drawn to this laid-back island in the Caribbean Sea. Lobster at 9,000 feet can’t compare to freshly-caught.

Hawaii
A popular destination for trade wind-craving ski town refugees, especially Oahu, Maui and Kauai, depending upon budget and inclination. The diversity of outdoor adventure and relative ease of getting there is the draw.

[Photo credits: Sayulita, Flickr user waywuei; sea turtle, Flickr user -NINETIMES-]

Outside Magazine Announces Winners Of Annual Active Travel Awards

by McLean Robbins on

It’s award season, and we don’t just mean the Oscars or the Golden Globes. Travel publications the world over have announced their annual “bests” and “favorites,” but we at Gadling are particularly excited to see a new award ranking that focuses on a subject close to our hearts: adventure and active travel.


Outside magazine has just announced their annual 2013 Active Travel Award winners. To select this year’s awards, Outside’s correspondents spent months on the road traveling from the Philippines to Switzerland to Namibia and then some, to report a definitive roundup of the best new adventures, secret paradises, mountain epics, stunning beaches, airline deals, gorgeous islands and more.

“In addition to truly award-worthy destinations and travel providers, this year we unearthed a handful of amazing new frontiers in active travel. Our annual edit franchise honors the year’s best trips, hotels, lodges, luggage, islands and new destinations that will be an invaluable travel resource for years to come,” said Outside editor Christopher Keyes in a release.

Check out a few winners we think adventure travel lovers will be excited to learn more about, after the jump:

Best Family Destination:
Winner: South Africa
Runner-up: The Appalachian Mountain Club’s Gorman Chairback Lodge (Maine) and Highland Center at Crawford Notch (New Hampshire

Best Islands:

Winner: Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada


Best Adventure Hub:
Winner: Kununurra,

Best Airport Food:
Urban Garden Farmer’s Market, Terminal 3, Chicago O’Hare International Airport

Best New Frontiers:
Suriname

Don’t miss their new Facebook contest to celebrate the awards either. Five grand prize winners will get the chance to go on their dream adventure: Rafting Idaho’s Main Salmon River with OARS; backcountry glacier skiing/boarding in Alaska with Alaska Mountain Guides & Climbing School, Inc.; a Galápagos islands expedition with Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic; an Amazon rainforest adventure in Ecuador with ROW Adventures; and cycling and wine tasting in the Santa Barbara countryside with Duvine Cycling + Adventure Co.

What do you think of the winners? Have you visited any of the destinations or tried any of the outfitters?

#OnTheRoad On Instagram: Gadling At SXSW In Austin, Texas

by Robin Whitney on

As beautiful at they may be, it’s time to say so long to serene beaches and howdy to the heart of Texas as we shift Gadling’s Instagram feed from a Hawaiian paradise to the raucous party that is South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin.

Each year, thousands descend on the city – adding upwards of 300,000 to Austin’s population – to discover new music, attend industry panels, tackle food trucks and realize that they too can pull off a pair of cowboy boots.

Throughout this week, I’ll be riding the whirlwind of all-day parties and food truck treats – and maybe even a few eye-of-the storm moments, documenting some of the beautiful landscapes of Ladybird Lake and Barton Creek Greenbelt, where lucky locals indulge in an awe-inspiring oasis busy with a different kind of crowd – wildlife.

Snap a photo worth sharing? Mention @GadlingTravel in your own photo AND use the hashtag #gadling, and your photo will be considered for our Photo Of The Day.

[Photo by @germanustariz on Instagram]

Chinese Airline Says It Will Sell Cars On Board

by Libby Zay on

The next thing flight attendants will be pushing to sell in the skies isn’t a new style of jewelry or brand of alcohol – it’s automobiles.

According to Bloomberg, China’s Spring Airlines Co., the nation’s biggest privately-owned carrier, plans to start selling Chinese-branded automobiles on flights as early as next month. Zhang Wu’An, a spokesman at the Shanghai-based company, said the cars will be priced from about 100,000 yuan ($16,000), but details on makes and models have not yet been publicized.

“We wanted to start in-flight sales a few years ago, and decided cars are suitable for our passengers,” Zhang told the news outlet. “Car sales are very popular in Shanghai and our passengers can have time during their flight to study details of the models available.”

Zhang also noted flight attendants will be trained on car details, while passengers may be eligible for in-air discounts. Initially, car sales will be available on flights from Shanghai, but there’s a possibility the service will be introduced to other flights.

Founded in 2005, Spring Airlines is China’s only no-frills, budget carrier. The airline made headlines a few years ago when they considered standing-only flights. The carrier flies to more than 20 cities throughout China, plus to international destinations in Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Thailand and Cambodia.

[via Skift.com]

[Photo credit: AFP/AFP/Getty Images]

Paraguay Makes It Easier To Obtain Tourist Visas

by Laurel Miller on

Planning a trip to Paraguay? Don’t know where Paraguay is? Haven’t heard of it? I feel you; it’s not the most well known destination (psst, it’s in South America). But I’m headed there in a few weeks for Gadling, and until yesterday, the biggest stressor in my life was obtaining my Paraguayan visa.

For the intrepid few who venture to Paraguay, the rewards are many– rich indigenous culture and cuisine; a sub- to tropical climate and virgin rainforest; amazing biodiversity; gorgeous campo (countryside; Paraguay has a strong ranching heritage); generous people; inexpensive everything; exquisite handicrafts; remote national parks; and Jesuit missions. Until last month, however, getting a visa (required for U.S. citizens, among others) was a bitch.

According to the Paraguayan Embassy & Consulates website, in order for me to enter the country, I had to cough up $100 (money order or cash, por favor), and two copies each of a utility bill with my current address, proof of “financial solvency (oh shit) or company letter, and round-trip tickets – this in addition to the usual passport/visa photos/pre-paid, SASE. Paraguay may be the poorest country in South America, but they sure don’t want you setting up shop there.

After several calls to my “local” consulate in Los Angeles, I was told that I could have my visa back within a week. This was all well and good, but my tickets were delayed due to a processing glitch until several days ago, and I leave on March 17. Experienced travelers know better than to expect their passports or visas to arrive in a timely fashion, especially when coming from a Latin American consulate (I’m not trying to be a jerk; it’s simply a cultural difference with regard to the concept of time). By yesterday morning, having returned the previous night from a three-day backcountry ski trip, I was seriously wondering if I was going to make it to Paraguay.

Since the L.A. Consulate had apparently decided to take a long siesta (no one ever picked up the phone, despite my calling them obsessively since late last week), I finally got ahold of someone who spoke fluent English in the New York office. And guess what I found out? You can now get a Paraguayan visa in-country, right at the Asuncion airport, for $160!

Weeks of anxiety melted away. I went to the bank, had them shred my money order, and tucked a crisp Benjamin into my passport holder. Stay tuned for my upcoming adventures in South America’s most under-rated country.

[Photo credit: Flickr user marissa_strinste]