Articles tagged “adventure travel”

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Roadmonkey Combines Adventure with Volunteer Opportunities

by Kraig Becker on

Travel company Roadmonkey has created unique travel experiences that combine the thrill of adventure travel with the satisfaction that comes with making a difference in the places we visit. The goal is to offer phsycially demanding outdoor adventures with deeply gratifyng volunteer opportunities to create what they term as “Adventure Philanthropy”.

Currently the compnay has two expeditions in the works for 2009. The first is a climb of Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa, scheduled to take place this June. Travelers will spend the first seven days of the trip climbing to the summit of Kili before venturing overland to a small village near Dar Es Salaam. Once there, they’ll spend an additional four days building a clean water system and painting classrooms in a school for children orphaned by AIDS.

If climbing a mountain doesn’t sound like much of a vacation, then perhaps Roadmonkey’s other planned expedition is more your speed. This November they’ll take their second cycling trip through Vietnam, leading a team of 11 adventurous travelers as they mountain bike through the rugged hill country to the northwest of Hanoi. In 2008, the team stopped in a village along the way to build a playground at an orphanage, and a similar volunteer opportunity is planned for the 2009 expedition as well.

Volunteer travel is a growing trend in the industry, and when combined with adventure travel, it provides the opportunity for very unique and satifiying experiences on a cultural, physical, and intellectual level. Roadmonkey is offering just those kinds of journeys.

Travel Read: Step Back from the Baggage Claim and book giveaway

by Jamie Rhein on

To win a signed copy of Step Back from the Baggage Claim, follow the directions at the end of the post.

For Jason Barger, an airport is not only a place where people depart and arrive on airplanes in their quests to get from one location to another. Airports are a metaphor about life. In his book, Step Back from the Baggage Claim, a slim volume that is a perfect size for slipping into a carry-on, Barger does a tidy job of illustrating how we might make the world a nicer place by starting at the airport. Airplane behavior is included in the mix of what can make or break us as a society.

To test out his theory about the power of air travel and airports, Barger hatched out a plane to travel to seven cities in seven days with the goal of never leaving any of the airports. Along the way, he’d be the observer, testing out his ideas. He figured that in in the midst of airport activity he’d find people from different backgrounds, cultures and ages–all going to or coming from somewhere for a variety of reasons. In the process of their arrivals and departures, Barger theorized there would be behaviors that would illustrate each person’s version of the world.

The result was he logged 6,548 miles, 10,000 minutes, 26 hours and 45 minutes of sleep, and a whole lot of writing fodder to condense into palpable bites. Throughout the book–which I’ve read twice, Barger weaves in details about his life that prompted this undertaking.

Barger is is a guy who notices things. Like when the ding goes off on an airplane to signal that retrieving bags from the overhead bins is a-okay, who leaps up, who stays put and who helps others? It’s not just about what other people do, but what do we do?

At a baggage claim, who lets the older person struggle, and who offers a hand? In Barger’s world, wouldn’t it be a lot easier for everyone if we all just took a few steps back from the conveyor belt and worked together? He saw that system work with a group of adolescents he traveled with. Instead of each elbowing his or her way to the circling bags, those in the front, passed bags back making the task easier for everybody.

Even though the book is a missive in a way of doing better, but Barger also looks at the circumstances that creates a situation where we might not try harder. Frustration is a big one. (I have to put in a plug for stupidity.)

Seriously, haven’t you wanted to lob a shoe at someone while you’ve been stuck at an airport? I have. But, there is always the high road option of flowing more easily with a smile, no matter our circumstances. Barger saw the pinnacle of great decorum, for example, when one woman’s neatly packed carry-on was rummaged through by TSA as part of a random check and her belongs left in a pile for her to repack. Instead of fuming and fussing, she remained pleasant, repacked and dashed off to catch a flight–still buoyant.

Even if you want to remain a crab when you travel, Step Back from the Baggage Claim offers a glimpse of the various airports where Barger headed, and what it’s like to hang out in them for extended periods of time. After reading Barger’s book, I don’t think I’ll be throwing elbows anymore as I haul my own bag out of the mix of belongings that are circling by. (Actually, I don’t think I ever have thrown an elbow. Maybe growled, but nothing more.)

Oh, yeah. Where did Barger go? He started in Columbus to Boston to Miami to Chicago to Minneapolis to Seattle to San Diego and back to Columbus.

Here’s one of Barger’s thoughts to take with you when you travel. It might help you have a much better day.

“I’m going to embrace the quiet moments an airplane seat offers us. When the ding sends most into a frenzy, I am going to sit still.”

To read more about Barger and the book, here’s an article that was published in the business section of The New York Times.

To win a copy of the book Step Back from the Baggage Claim:

Leave a short comment about an act of kindness you witnessed while traveling. Maybe it was your act of kindness–or someone else’s. Even the smallest act counts. The winner will be randomly picked.

  • The comment must be left before Friday, May 1st at 5:00 PM Eastern Time.
  • You may enter only once.
  • One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
  • The winner will receive a signed copy of the paperback book Step Back From the Baggage Claim, (valued at $14.95)
  • Click here for complete Official Rules.
  • Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, including the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.

    • The Return of the Classic Safari in Kenya

    by Kraig Becker on

    When it comes to African safaris, Kenya has always been the place to go for most travelers. The country’s abundance of wildlife, stunning scenery, and legendary hospitality have been considerable draws for adventure travelers for decades. Unfortunately, that changed in 2007 and 2008 when political unrest gripped the nation, as a disputed election caused riots and looting, causing many countries to issue a travel advisory for anyone heading to the East African country.

    But stability has slowly returned to Kenya, opening the door for travelers to return, and experience the classic safari once again. That’s exactly what Glenys Roberts, writer for the U.K.’s Daily Mail, discovered when she recently made the journey, and went on safari for herself. For Glenys, it was an eye opening experiencing, as she, and her companions, encountered zebras and elephants while they were barely off the plane from Niarobi to Amboseli National Park, where their adventure began.

    The author notes that British visitors to Kenya will feel right at home, no doubt because of their colonial ties. But the country’s economy has long been built on tourism, and visitors from any country will no doubt feel welcome as well. Airfares to Africa are at the lowest they’ve been in years, making 2009 the best year to visit the continent perhaps ever, and with Kenya stable and safe for the first time in months, travelers can once again experience the classic safari adventure, in the quintisential safari destination.

    Adventure travel in India: Rafting

    by Jamie Rhein on

    One could say that any travel in India is an adventure and that could be accurate–even if you have loads of cash and are sticking close to swank establishments. If you head out of the mainstream, adventure is guaranteed. One option to add some thrills into your trip is to take in a rafting trip.

    Arthur Max’s article published in The Columbus Dispatch gives details about his six-day rafting trip on the Kameng River. The river passes through the rain forest of the Valley of the Hornbills and through bamboo villages of the Nishi ethnic group. For anyone thinking of taking such a trip, Max’s article is a terrific place. Along with describing the experience, he gives the how-tos, the cost and what to expect. There’s also a handy sidebar of other options and rafting companies. One detail to note, is what a travel bargain such a trip can be compared to what you might pay elsewhere.

    When we lived in India, the timing stunk for me to go rafting. While my husband headed down the Ganges above Rishikesh with our nine-year-old daughter, I waited for them at the take-out point. At seven-months pregnant, I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of a possible spill into the Ganges. I was having my own adventure.

    What I can say is that the water was gorgeous, and my husband, daughter and the other friends they were with had a wonderful time. Theirs was a half-day trip that they hooked up with thanks to the staff at The Glass House, one of the Neemrana Hotels where we stayed for a three-day weekend, also above Rishikesh.

    Backpacker Tourism “booming” Down Under

    by Kraig Becker on

    While the travel and tourism market in general is suffering, thanks to the international economic crisis, Australian newspaper The Age is reporting that that country has seen a steep increase in backpacker tourism in recent months. In fact, visas from the U.K. and Germany alone are up more than twenty percent. Deeply discounted airfares are helping to spur the budget travel trend as well it seems.

    The article says that young people who have lost their job are electing to travel abroad, many of them deciding to head Down Under for their extended holiday. Others, looking for a budget vacation, are also heading to Australia, taking advantage of good deals, but watching their money while in country as well.

    It seems things are not completely rosy for the Australian tourism market however. Overall, the industry is way down already, and the number of visitors to the country is expected to drop by more than 250,000 people, costing the economy over $1 billion.

    Still, the Minister of Tourism, Martin Ferguson, is bullish on the future, and will tell more than 300 tourism representatives that this week when the Australian Tourism Export Council or ATEC, meets to discuss their concerns. Ferguson will tell them that the outlook for next year is far better than 2009, but the government is encouraging Australians to stay home, and spend their holiday locally, and they’re giving them stimulus checks to help the process. So far, that seems to be working.

    As usual, these awful economic conditions mean bargains and cheap travel for those who do have the money and are willing to go. You may never be able to visit Australia for so little money again.