Articles tagged “adventure travel”

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Introducing Vagabond Tales: A new series by Gadling

by Kyle Ellison on

Many travelers spend a disproportionate amount of their time telling stories.

Regardless of if it’s family members over Christmas dinner, friends around the office, or to other travelers who you swear are actually listening to you, stories are arguably the currency of travel. Whether it’s that time you crashed the rental car during your bachelor party in Baja (whoops!) or scored free helicopter rides across New Zealand, there’s bound to be a great travel story behind every day on the road.

Did you hop a train in Italy? Get kidnapped in Borneo? Witness a coup in Ecuador? These things all can happen in the often thrilling, sometimes challenging travels we take abroad.

Similarly, everyone travels for different reasons, and for some of us the stories that arise from our travels are the most precious thing we can take away. Some prefer photographs, others souvenirs, but for many people it’s the long-lasting memories and tales of adventure which stick with us the longest after the credit card has been repaid and the t-shirt doesn’t fit any more.

More than stories, however, there is an intrinsic curiosity that many travelers possess; an individual search for knowledge to see how people do things over the next hill, what type of language they speak around the bend, and an attempt to gain a greater perspective on this fascinating place we call Planet Earth.

In travel there is so much learning to be had, and such an exotic strangeness about a place that’s different from our own. As writers, it’s actually our job to tell stories, which is why I am so excited about “Vagabond Tales”, a new series to be featured on Gadling.

As fellow Gadling blogger Dave Seminara so adeptly (and correctly) pointed out in his ongoing “A Traveler in the Foreign Service” series, “wanderlust is a romanticized concept but it can also be an affliction, a malady that prevents people from becoming settled, productive members of the rat race.”

While I am currently attempting to accomplish those difficult verbs (settle, be productive, etc), what the wanderlust has provided in their place is a laundry list of travel stories and curious global experiences waiting to be shared. When you vagabond for 5 years across 60 countries, you’re bound to see some weird things along the way, and similarly, some weird things are bound to happen.

So buckle up, enjoy the ride, and welcome to the quizzical world of Vagabond Tales.

Whale sightings at record numbers off California

by Kraig Becker on

Whale sightings off the coast of California are at record high numbers already this season, as the annual migration of Pacific gray whales appears to have started about two weeks earlier than normal. This news has surprised and delighted whale experts, who see the large numbers as a great indication that the species is healthier than expected.

Gray whales generally pass the summer above the Arctic Circle, where they spend several months feeding in the Bering and Chukchi seas. As winter sets into the northern hemisphere however, they begin their long migration south, covering as much as 12,000 miles along the way. For several weeks, they’ll linger off the coast of California, breeding and nursing their young, and offering prime opportunities for travelers to encounter the giant mammals in their natural environment.

What has whale spotters the most excited this season is that the numbers of gray whales is considerably higher than last year. According to this story at Adventure Journal, in December of 2010, just eight grays were spotted in the waters off California, but this year that number has exceeded 30. Even more encouraging is the overall health of the pod, as the creatures seem well fed after their summer layover up north.

It is believed that between 1998 and 2002, the population of gray whales dropped by as much as a third due to poor feeding conditions and high mortality rates. But it appears that those population numbers are now on the rebound, which bodes well for the future of the species.

If you’re in California over the next few weeks, and want to have an amazing experience, you’ll find that there are plenty of commercial boats that conduct whale watching tours. Those boats have reportedly been booked solid in recent days, so you may want to buy tickets early and plan ahead for your own whale watching excursion. If you’re not lucky enough to be in the area, check out the video below. It was shot on December 18th by two scuba divers who had their own encounter with a young gray whale.


Dry-tooling, an exciting yet controversial adventure sport

by Jessica Festa on




I’ll admit that when I first heard the name dry-tooling I thought it was some kind of maintenance and repairs technique. In reality, it is a type of rock climbing that involves using ice axes and crampons to traverse areas without any snow or ice. Apparently, the techniques for dry-tooling were developed on winter routes in Canada where “sections of rock had to be crossed in order to link icicles or ice smears”. The range of techniques created as well as the necessary skill required allowed dry-tooling to become a sport of its own. While many love the recreational activity for the adrenaline rush it gives them, others look at it as nontraditional and controversial as it can cause long-term damage to certain types of rock formations.

Want a better idea of dry-tooling? Check out the video above.

My adventure travel year: a look back and a look forward

by Sean McLachlan on


This was a strange year for me. I didn’t see any new countries but I still had some great adventure travel. I spent two months living in Harar, Ethiopia, writing a series about it for all you fine folks. I’d visited this fascinating medieval walled city back in 2010 during a road trip in Ethiopia and passed through on my way to Somaliland. The three weeks I spent in Harar in 2010 convinced me I had to come back and learn more.

This time, however, I came to settle in for a while. My colleague–local historian, author, and guide Mohammed Jami Guleid (harartourguide @gmail.com)–helped me explore Ethiopia’s Somali region and meet the Argobba, a little-visited tribe. Other highlights included feeding a pack of hyenas and meeting a traditional African healer. The best part of my stay, however, was the day-to-day life of visiting friends and making new ones. Harar is a small town and it seemed that by the end of my two months there everyone knew me.

Sadly, that was my only adventure travel in 2011. I didn’t get to do my usual long-distance hike, scheduled in late August right after my birthday. I like to do these to prove to myself that I’m not old yet. In previous years I’ve blogged about hiking the East Highland Way and Hadrian’s Wall. Hopefully I’ll bring you another long-distance hike in 2012.

My main adventure travel destination this coming year is the Orkney Islands. My family will be along for this one and we’ll be exploring these rugged isles far to the north of Scotland. I’ve always wanted to see the Orkneys for their bleak grandeur and archaeological sites such as the mysterious brochs and stone circles like the Ring of Brodgar, pictured below courtesy flickr user joeri-c. Last summer I checked out an Ordnance Survey map of Orkneys and found that the farm right next to it is called “Sean”. Looks like I’m fated to go.

Other plans include a short trip to The Gambia and another trip back to Ethiopia. I need to get some funds for both of these adventures so I can’t guarantee they’ll happen. If they do, you’ll certainly hear about it!

Of course I wasn’t the only Gadling blogger to have adventures. The one that made me most jealous was Alex Robertson Textor’s series on Far Europe, and of course Jon Bowermaster is always doing something cool.

What were your adventure travel highlights for 2011? What are you plans for next year? Share your adventures in the comment section!

Famous Sherpas to hike the length of the Great Himalaya Trail

by Kraig Becker on

Two famous Nepalese Sherpas are preparing to hike the entire length of the Great Himalaya Trail in an effort to raise awareness of the effects of climate change on the region. The duo will set out on January 15th and hope to encourage economic development along the new trekking route as well.

Apa Sherpa and Dawa Steven Sherpa will begin their journey in eastern Nepal in the village of Ghunsa and will travel 1056 miles west until they reach the town of Darchula. The entire hike is expected to take roughly 120 days to complete, passing through 20 different districts along the way.

While the GHT is an impressively long trek, it is the altitude that presents the biggest challenge for most hikers. It is considered the highest long distance trail in the world, rising above 18,880 feet at its tallest point. That altitude isn’t likely to be a problem for these two men however, as they have both climbed Everest multiple times. In fact, Apa holds the record for most successful summits, having scaled the highest mountain on the planet 21 times. Dawa Steven has stood on the summit of the mountain twice as well, giving the men plenty of experience at high altitude.

In addition to the altitude, the GHT is known for its incredibly scenic vistas as well. The Himalayan Mountains make a breathtaking backdrop for the trek, but climate change is having a dramatic impact on that place. As the planet has warmed, the glaciers throughout the region have gone into retreat, severely limiting the amount of fresh water that is available to the people who live there. Even now, many of those people have to walk several hours each day just to collect water for their daily use. The two Sherpas hope to spread the news on this impending crisis in their home country.

Climate change isn’t their only priority however, as they hope to encourage economic development along the Great Himalaya Trail as well. The route opened earlier this year, and while hikers have begun walking the route, the infrastructure to support them is not fully in place yet. Apa and Dawa Steven hope that their hike will help bring attention to the trail that will also inspire new restaurants and inns to open along its length, making it easier for adventure travelers to undertake the long distance trek.