Visit Yellowstone Offseason

by Kraig Becker on

Yellowstone National Park is one of the most popular destinations in the U.S., welcoming nearly 3 million visitors per year. Most of those come during the summer months, when the weather is consistently beautiful, and the travel season is in full swing. But this article suggests that we should go now, to beat the crowds, and enjoy springtime in the Northern Rockies, where no matter what time of the year it is, Old Faithful erupts, whether anyone is watching or not.

The Park covers more than 2.2 million acres, spreading out across Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana. It was first established back in 1872, and is home to hundreds of species of birds and animals, including sixty distinct species of mammals, such as elk, moose, bison, wolves, and bear. Yellowstone also contains diverse terrain, with rivers, lakes, canyons, and mountains dominating the landcsape.

Of course, all of these natural wonders are also what attracts the large summer crowds, which makes visiting the park in the offseason such a popular idea for outdoor enthusiasts. For instance, even though it is spring, and temperatures are on the rise, there is still plenty of snow in the high country, allowing for some late season skiing or snow shoeing. At lower altitudes, the trails are now open, granting access to much of the park, and since the crowds haven’t arrived yet, there is plenty of solitude as well.

The article offers some excellent links to websites that cover Yellowstone from top to bottom and have plenty of great tips on how to maximize your visit, including the best places to stay, both inside and out of the park. Beat the rush in Yellowstone. Go before Memorial Day weekend, to have the park mostly to yourself.

Millions of Brits are camping, world confused

by Tom Johansmeyer on

When I saw the headline in The Sun – the tabbiest of the British tabloids – I half dismissed it as nonsense and half looked out my window for four horsemen with a hell of a lot of attitude. Brits are flocking to the forests, it seems, thanks to a brutal drop in the British pound relative to the Euro. Camping is what they can afford.

This does seem like a just punishment for a nation that thought putting money in Icelandic savings accounts was a good idea.

According to a survey by travelsupermarket.com, more than 4.5 million Brits are going to be cracking out their tents this year. Apparently, however, camping has changed. Bob Atkinson from travelsupermarket.com says, “The humble holiday camp has come a long way since its invention in the 1950s. The entertainment has been updated to reflect today’s needs.” He cites examples such as indoor water parks and spa activities.

For a change, youth is not wasted on the young. Several travelers from this demographic are skipping the campsites and heading out for Spain. For younger British travelers, trips to this country are up – despite being down 23.4 percent for Brits as a whole.

Ten Great Unknown Treks

by Kraig Becker on

Every adventure traveler knows about the Inca Trail or the Annapurna Circuit. They’re amongst the best known hikes in the world, and the amount of traffic on those trails reflects that. While they both offer amazing scenery and a great travel experience, that experience can be tempered by the crowds.

Thankfully, Backpacker is here to offer us ten great unknown treks, a list of outstanding long distance hikes that are, for now, relatively unknown and off the radar for most travelers. Backpacker thinks they’re all destined to eventually become classics in their own right, and I would argue that some of them already are, so they recommend that we get there before everyone else does.

The treks stretch from Europe to New Zealand, with a number of stops in between. They also range from a few days in length to several weeks, with accommodations running the gamut from backpacking tents to comfortable inns. For instance, they Pyrenees Traverse in France is 500 miles in length, with the trail winding through quaint mountain villages. At night, hikers stay in rustic huts that offer great food and ample access to local wines.
Looking for something a bit more adventurous? Then check out the Simien Mountains in Ethiopia. This eight day trek covers roughly 83 miles and is an interesting mix of culture, wildlife, and scenery. The trail crosses through gorges and rock canyons, and up 14,000 foot peaks, with active volcano vents dotting the landscape. Along the way you’ll pass through remote Ethiopian villages, while wild baboons wander the surrounding countryside and unique birds soar over head.

Each of the treks on the list is accompanied with great information for planning your own hike, including suggestions for a guidebook and map. You’ll also find other tips such as the best time of the year to visit and what essential gear you should take with you. Backpacker even goes so far as to recommend a top guide service to hire for each of the treks as well.

So, if you’ve already hiked most of the great trails of the world, or you’re simply looking for a trek that offers up a unique experience while still providing plenty of solitude, then this is the list for you. You’ll find outdoor adventures from around the globe, and some great ideas for your next trek that you may not have thought of before. Just make sure you get there before everyone else does.

Bargain Europe: Camping Across The Continent

by Kraig Becker on

In these economic times we’re all looking to find ways to save a little cash without giving up our travels. Airfares are more affordable than they have been in a long time, which means that we can at least afford to get to the places we want to visit. But what happens once we get there? Are there any affordable places to stay?

Most travelers making their way across the pond to Europe tend to stay in nice hotels. Some, looking to go on the cheap, will stay in hostels along the way. But the Times Online has another suggestion, one that often goes overlooked. They recommend frugal travelers consider camping their way across the continent.

In their first article on the subject, they recommend the best place to camp in Paris. Yep, that’s right, camping in Paris itself, within sight of the Eiffel Tower, on a small river island on the Seine, at a place called Paris Camping International. The place offers a quiet escape from the sights and sounds of the City of Lights, but is just minutes from the chic cafes and art houses that Paris is famous for.

And if that wasn’t enough, the Times followed up that story with a list of the 20 coolest campsites across the rest of Europe. The list has suggestions for Portugal, Spain, France, Holland, Germany, Italy, and more. The camp sites offer some amazing scenery, with backdrops ranging from the Swiss Alps to the Mediterranean Sea, and they are all rich in charm, but short on expense.

Looking for a bargain trip to Europe this year? Perhaps you should pack a tent when you go and take advantage of these unique places to camp.

Classic Treks: The Inca Trail, Peru

by Kraig Becker on

Peru is, beyond a doubt, one of the top adventure travel destinations in the entire world. It offers an amazing array of things to see and do, perfectly blending culture with both mountain and jungle settings, along with ancient artifacts and ruins that rival those found in Egypt. Of course, the most spectacular and famous of those ruins is the lost city of Machu Picchu, located at 8000 feet above sea level, in the Andes Mountains, near the town of Cusco.

Machu Picchu is the number one tourist attraction in a country full of tourist attractions, and there are multiple ways of getting there. Most take a train to the site, preferring to enjoy a scenic ride through the mountains. But one of the other ways of reaching the “Lost City of the Incas” is hiking the Inca Trail, an option that has grown in popularity over the past few years.

The Inca Trail traditionally consists of four days of trekking through the Andes, culminating with hikers catching their first glimpse of the fabled city while passing through the Sun Gate, another small ruin not far from Machu Picchu itself. Along the trail, travelers will experience tropical jungles, cloud forests, and high alpine passes. They’ll also have the opportunity to visit several other ruins as they travel the ancient Incan highway.This option for reaching Machu Picchu is obviously more demanding than taking the train, but more rewarding as well. At least three of the days on the trail are fairly rigourous hiking, and altitude comes into play, with the trail reaching as high as 13,800 feet in a place called Dead Woman’s Pass. Nights are spent camping in tents, and the weather can vary greatly depending on the time of year. But the hikers taking the Inca Trail are there to soak in the scenery and rough it a bit anyway.

In recent years, the trail has become extremely popular, forcing the Peruvian government to put a cap on the number of hikers who can set out each day. During the peak season of June through September, the permits for the trail can sell out weeks in advance, so if you’re planning to hike the trail, get your reservations in early. During the high season, you can expect larger number of hikers, up to 500 per day, and crowded campsites, which can ruin the experience for some. Off peak season means a bit more solitude and open trails, but less predictible weather, usually resulting in more rain or snow.

The payoff for the days on the trail is at the end, when the hikers emerge from the mountains and descend the Incan Staricase from the Sun Gate into Machu Picchu, much the same way that ancient travelrs did hundreds of years ago. Completing the hike is a reward in and of itself, but finding the lost city at the end, and exploring it for several hours, just caps the whole experience.

The Inca Trail is considered by many to be one of the great treks of the world and still holds a high place on many hiker’s “life lists”, despite the fact that it has now become so popular and crowded. For many adventure travelers, it’s still worth the hike, and will always beat taking the train.

If you are interested in trekking the Inca Trail, there are dozens of guide services to choose from. A guide is required by all trekkers, and you are also required to book at least a month in advance, although that too can be flexible when you’re in Cusco. Expect to pay between $300-$500 for the trek, depending on the guides and services they offer.