National Geographic and AllTrails.com partner on map website

by Kraig Becker on

National Geographic Maps and AllTrails.com have announced that they are joining forces to create a new online resource for adventure travelers and outdoor enthusiasts alike. The new venture will provide a wealth of information on hiking trails from across the United States, while mixing in elements of social networking and member generated content.

AllTrails.com already sports an impressive database of more than 40,000 trails and a membership that tops more than 200,000 users. Those members rate the trails on a scale of one to five stars, while also sharing their personal experiences and tips from their favorite routes as well. The site includes detailed information on the hikes, such as overall length of the trail, change in elevation, allowed activities (hiking, mountain biking, etc.) and a measure of how potentially crowded it could be. In short, it’s a one-stop shop for anyone looking for new hikes in their area or for suggestions for other places to trek throughout the country.

Visitors to AllTrails.com are encouraged to create a member profile, or simply sign-in using their Facebook account, and contribute to the growing community of hikers, backpackers, and other outdoor enthusiasts there. The site automatically recommends trails close to home, and allows users to save routes to your “favorites” lists, while also making it incredibly easy to share those same hikes with others. The site also includes a reputation system that allows members to follow other users whose interests match theirs, while also building a following of their own.

In the weeks ahead, AllTrails will expand their site and introduce a new premium service that will offer exclusive online access to National Geographic‘s iconic line of maps, including their Trails Illustrated and Topo! Series. These maps are incredibly detailed and are a fantastic resource for hikers and backpackers everywhere. Perhaps best of all however, is the fact that this deal extends to the AllTrails mobile app, granting access to those Nat Geo maps while on the go as well.

There is no word yet on how much the new premium service will cost, or when it will officially launch, but it is likely to be a popular one with outdoor enthusiasts. Nat Geo’s topographic data is second to none, and having access to it in a digital format will certainly be a major feather in the cap for the AllTrails website.

The diverse diving destination you probably haven’t heard of: Raja Ampat

by Jessica Festa on

Located off the northwest point of the Bird’s Head Peninsula on the island of New Guinea in Indonesia is Raja Ampat, an archipelago full of diverse habitats. The name literally means “Four Kings” and is a great destination for adventure travelers who want to get off-the-beaten path and explore a location with more fish, coral, and invertebrate species than anywhere on the planet.

To experience Raja Ampat, travelers can catch a connecting flight from Jakarta or Bali to Sorong. While Sorong is not actually in Raja Ampat, most Raja Ampat resorts pick up their guests here and transport them to the facilities. If you plan on scuba diving, liveaboard dive boats pick up guests in Sorong and motor them to the dive areas. While Raja Ampat is not typically a tourist destination, it should be as there is a lot do in terms of exploring the waters and marine life, from kayaking and snorkeling to diving and beach combing.

I got the chance to speak with Burt Jones, who has spent the last three years in Raja Ampat doing photography diving tours for Secret Sea Visions and consulting for Conservation International. He explained to me how, while Raja Ampat is full of life and beauty, it is also in need of help, especially because not a lot of people have heard of it.

“If we, as a people, can save any place on the planet, Raja should be high on the priority list,” he explains. “It has the highest marine biodiversity of any tropical reef system on the planet, but fewer than 8,000 people visit Raja Ampat yearly. Part of our job [at CI] is to promote tourism within the region so that it will be considered as a viable local income resource. Most Raja Ampat villages profit very little from their land’s natural resources: timber, fishing or mineral wealth. And, exploiting these resources damages the environment while sustainable marine tourism promotes environmental protection and directly benefits local people through jobs. In our books, we explain local customs and encourage traveling divers to stop by receptive villages where casual contact can enrich both hosts and visitors.”

For more information on diving in Raja Ampat or taking a tour with Secret Sea Visions, click here. And, to get a better idea of just how beautiful Raja Ampat really is, check out the gallery below.

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America’s baddest badlands

by Sean McLachlan on


One of the greatest things about the United States is its environmental diversity. From towering forests of pine to sun-hammered deserts, from snowy peaks to steaming swamps, this nation has it all.

Some of the most compelling places are also the harshest. Take this view of the sand dunes of Death Valley, taken by talented photographer John Bruckman. This is the worst part of the Mojave Desert–lower, hotter, and drier than any other spot in the country, yet it has a subtle beauty this image captures so well. With the majority of us living in cities or suburbs, these open, empty spaces call out to us.

They certainly do to me. When I moved from the leafy upstate New York to southern Arizona for university, I discovered what people really mean when they talk about America’s wide open spaces. They set you free, and they can kill you if you’re not prepared, yet somehow their deadliness only adds to the feeling of freedom.

America’s badlands remind us that life can cling to even the bleakest of landscapes, that the empty places can sometimes be those most worth visiting.

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10 best national parks in South America

by Jessica Festa on

In South America, there are myriad diverse landscapes, unique flora, and endemic fauna to experience. With so many destination options on the continent, however, it can sometimes be hard to decide exactly where to go. National parks can provide beautiful and educational experiences in nature and, depending on where you visit, you can experience enormous glaciers, white sandy beaches, tropical rainforests, gushing waterfalls, jagged limestone cliffs, and hot thermal springs, sometimes all in one place. If you love birdwatching and wildlife viewing, South America is also home to many rare species that cannot be found anywhere else, like the giant tortoises of the Galapagos Islands or the spectacled bear in Peru. To help you plan your next trip to South America, or just to give you some inspiration from nature, check out the gallery below.

[Photo by Samuel Rochas, Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA-3.0]

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10 hidden travel expenses backpackers often overlook

by Jessica Festa on

When planning for a backpacking trip, most people try to create a budget of how much they think they are going to spend. While the flight, accommodations, and daily meals are often factored in, there are still many others expenses that still need to be covered. Here is a list of some of the expenses I’ve encountered in my travels that can add extra dollars to your budget.

Laundry

When backpacking, I’ve tried to get around doing laundry by doing things like:

  • Bringing a small bottle of detergent and creating my own human-powered washing machine by using a giant Ziplock bag, adding water, and shaking
  • Using shampoo and hand soap to wash my clothes in the sink and then hanging them all over the room
  • Trying to forgo washing my clothes as long as I could

Unfortunately, these options never ended up working out perfectly, as they were messy (that detergent bottle always ends up breaking open in my backpack, without fail), inefficient (the clothes are always wrinkled and damp when I put them back into my pack, no matter how long they hang up), somewhat inconsiderate (I’m sure there were people who didn’t like having my dirty socks next to their heads while they slept), and dirty (obviously, not washing your clothes when backpacking doesn’t smell great). The point is, you’re probably going to end up having to go to a laundromat and wash your clothes, or at least pay someone to wash them for you. And, a side note, the laundromat dryers usually take a long time to dry your clothes, so you’ll have to put in a little extra change. Make sure to set aside some cash on your trip for washing, drying, and detergent.Internet/Wi-Fi

Many hotels and hostels will charge extra to use their computers, and even if you bring your own device they still may charge you for Wi-Fi. You also may find yourself having to use internet cafes when computers aren’t available, and while the starting price is often cheap, it’ll still add up depending how often you use it. If you want to get around this charge, I would suggest searching ahead of time for a hotel or hostel that has internet and Wi-Fi included in the price.

Visas/Passports

If you don’t have a passport and are a U.S. citizen, you should expect to pay $135, plus the money it costs to have your photos taken. And if you travel frequently, you may find yourself needing to pay for extra pages, which isn’t cheap (I just paid $82 for mine). Visas are another hefty add-on, depending on where you are going and what country you’re from. If possible, I would recommend forgoing a visa agency unless you’re really confused or have a special issue, as they often tack on a hefty fee for themselves. For example, a friend and I both recently applied for Brazil tourist visas. While I filled out the application form and brought it straight to the nearest Brazilian consulate myself ($140), she used a middle man to help her ($250). While she paid $110 more than me, we both ended up with the same final product.

Vaccinations

One thing I will recommend is to keep a detailed record of all your vaccinations so you never repeat one that you already got. It also matters what form of a vaccination you get, so jot that down too. For example, while the pill vaccination for Typhoid lasts five years, the shot only lasts two. Also, if you’re going to a certified Travel Doctor they often won’t go through your insurance and will charge an expensive fee for the visit. If you only need something small like a bottle of pills, ask them if they can waive the fee, or see if you’re primary doctor can prescribe you what you need. Usually when you call to make the visit the travel specialist office will ask you where you are going anyway, so you can find out before the visit what vaccinations you need. For example, for an upcoming trip I called a local Travel Doctor’s office and told the receptionist where I was planning to go. She looked up all of the destinations in their system and confirmed that I would only need Malaria pills. She also told me my visit would not be covered by insurance and would cost $80. Instead of making an appointment I called my primary doctor who said he could prescribe me the Malaria pills, and I wasn’t charged for the visit.

Cell phone

Using your cell phone out of the country is a sure way to tack on hundreds of dollars to your bill. And if you have a smart phone, you’ve got to be careful to turn your data off or be prepared to pay. During a recent weekend trip to Aruba, I only brought my Android device along to use as an alarm clock, and even turned the Wi-Fi off when I arrived. When the phone bill came, I realized my morning wake-up call had cost me $130 because of incoming data. Luckily, there are a few ways around the cell phone dillemma. For one, buy a phone when you get there and use a local SIM card, or put the local SIM card into your phone. Even if you call home, doing this usually saves a lot of money. There are also a ton of great calling and messaging plans that are very affordable and sometimes even free, like Skype and Rebtel.

Mishaps

I know, who wants to think about something going wrong before you even leave for your trip? However, it’s not unlikely for a mishap to occur, whether it’s someone getting sick and you need to buy medicine, missing a train and needing to re-purchase a ticket, or losing your luggage and having to buy supplies to hold yourself over. When I was backpacking Europe, two pretty big mishaps happened to me that set me back a few hundred dollars. The first was when my backpack got lost on a flight from Berlin, Germany, to Nice, France. While I kept being told it would be delivered to me when found and I could continue traveling, I actually ended up having to take the train from Florence, Italy, back to Nice to retrieve my bag and then back to Florence, all in the same day. And, while I was told I would be reimbursed for my troubles and for the toiletries and clothes I had bought to get by, I never received a penny. The next incident was about a week later when I tried to board a bus in Naples, Italy. The bus driver actually told me I could buy my ticket on board and then, moments later after I had stepped on, fined me $100 for not pre-buying a ticket. While it was absolutely ridiculous, his threats of calling the police kind of (really) scared me, so I paid. The point is, things can happen and you don’t want to let them ruin your trip, so be prepared.

Activities

While almost every city has free and fun things to do, you should set aside some money to do activities that really interest you. While it’s a good idea to add budget-friendly activities to your itinerary, if there’s a tour that really interests you, a show that looks entertaining, or an extreme sport you’d love to try, you’re probably going to pay to participate, and should. Make sure you bring extra money so you don’t have to miss out on these fun and cultural opportunities.

Water

This is probably the biggest expense people forget to calculate. If you’re in a country where the water isn’t drinkable, you’re going to need to purchase water bottles. There’s really no way around it, although some countries may have cheaper options. For example, in Ghana they sell waterbags which cost about two cents each and are the same size as a water bottle. Also, if you’re in a country where the water is consumable bring a reusable water bottle and drink from the tap. Many companies, like bobble and hydros, even make filtering water bottles so that you can transform your dull tap water into a fresh and pure liquid.

Snacks

While you probably calculated your meals into your budget you may have forgotten those in between hours when your stomach starts growling. I’ve never gone on a trip where I didn’t purchase snacks in between meals, especially when the markets in other countries are one of the best places to witness culture up-close. Luckily, shopping at these open-air markets as well as grocery stores can help you buy snacks for cheap. And, if you have access to a kitchen, can also give you inspiration to cook for yourself and save money on meals.

Hostel extras

If you’re backpacking, there’s a good chance you’ll be staying in hostels. While hostels make fun, affordable, and social accommodations, you sometimes also end up paying for extras that are often included elsewhere, like linens, towels, airport pickup, breakfast, lockers, luggage storage, internet, and sometimes even hot water. Before booking a hostel, check to see what’s included and then compare it with other hostels in the area to see who gives you the most for your money.