Travel & Vacation Guide

Is adventure travel getting expensive for the family? The good news for adventure travel and wilderness hiking trails is that the USA has some of the most unique and incredible places to see on earth. Our National, State Parks, Monuments and Wilderness Areas are awesome, but for years there have been reduced number of visitors. Many citizens have said that a four-year program to increase national parks entrance fees to make them more uniform may discourage some Americans from visiting their national parks such as the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Zion and Yellowstone.

The National Parks have been faced with a budget crisis. The parks are struggling to protect the historic, cultural and natural resources that the parks were created for. The parks are short of funds for operating facilities, repairs to roads, bridges, trails and buildings. There was an 814 million dollar shortfall in 2006. There are almost 400 areas of protection covered by the National Parks Service. Almost every park has fewer full time employees now than in 2001, while there were over 273,000,000 visitors to the parks in 2005. The park service needs more funding to provide education, interpretive and for the safety requirements of their visitors. This is a time of controversy about park fees, current plans for oil, gas and mineral exploration in our parks and of course removing the O’Shaughnessy Dam to restore the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite.

Recently the federal government has moved to replace the National Park Service’s $50 annual pass with a new $80 multi-agency pass. Some people think that the fee increases are getting out of line. The park service raised entrance fees at 34 parks over the past two years and plans to raise them at another 124 parks in 2008 and 2009. At Glacier National Park in Montana and Joshua Tree National Park in California, the fees will go up twice, and beginning in 2011, park officials plan to increase fees every three years, based on inflation. There is a proposal to double entrance fees next year at Crater Lake National Park, now $10 per car. Will it drive the local visitors away? In 1997, when the park service began raising fees, the number of national parks visitors has fallen 1% while entrance fee revenue has gone up almost 16%. Many of them are from outside the United States and love to visit the American protected lands.

Will the National Park Centennial Act to rescue our parks before 2016 – the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service? The acts purpose is to eliminate the annual operating deficit and maintenance backlog in the national parks. If it passed, it was to create a check off box on American tax returns to fund the parks. As H.R. 1124 and S 886 it did not get passed in 2006. In spring of 2006 the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report about our National Parks based on research, to the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee that found that funding had not kept pace with need, requiring park managers to reduce services including, reducing visitor center hours, educational programs, basic custodial duties, and law enforcement operations, such as back-country patrolling. Additionally, the park system has been forced to close campgrounds, shorten operating hours, eliminate many interpretive programs, lay off many seasonal rangers, and eliminate many of the parks’ scientific studies programs.

So where’s the good news about our public lands? Being an outdoor writer and avid traveler to our parks and wilderness areas Bob Therrien, President of TrainingPASS Sales, Inc. has created an outdoor recreation message board, he commented “As I’ve visited the outdoors, the hardest part over the years, for me has been the research about which parks, hikes, climbs, locations and activities I want to visit with my family and friends. Exploring federal then state website after site, then mapping the distance from each area of interest is inefficient and many times lacking in information. To solve that inefficiency we have collected all the basic information about our parks, wilderness areas and national monuments and put them into one website. I don’t personally have a problem with the new park fees. It costs me more to take my family to the movies. I’d rather enjoy a full day or two at a place like Denali National Park, the Arches or Canyonlands.

The USA has incredible adventure travel wilderness and hiking trails. To promote these areas AdventureZoneTOURS created a forum for sharing trip reports on National Parks, State Parks, National Monuments and Wilderness Areas.

The Outdoor Adventure Message Board opens up to reveal a listing of U.S. States, separated into travel regions. Click on any state region and there are sub forums for all the parks, monuments and wilderness areas in that region. Many times there are several interesting choices to pick from of federal or state lands, within a state region. For the activity-specific minded, AdventureZoneTOURS.com encourages users to share trip reports for a variety of outdoor activities from hiking, climbing, canyoneering, geo exploring, photography, ghost towns, mines, and cave to water sports such as boating, fishing, jet and water skiing, tubing, rafting, and scuba. Winter travel sports such as snowmobiling, skiing and snowboarding are featured. Hunting locations, ATV and horseback trails as well as the most scenic areas for outdoor photography are also available as individual topic posts. To research or share your favorite adventure travel location, you’re invited to sign up and share today.

A nature adventure travel will provide you the best of entertainment and excitement. However, you need to choose the destination carefully. The destination should suit your specific taste, budget and requirements. This will make your nature adventure trip enjoyable and memorable. Here is a list of some of the top nature adventure tour destinations in the world. Study these carefully and plan your adventure tour accordingly.

a) Madagascar:

When it comes to wildlife, this place comes in the top list. It is a prize-winning destination to all those who want to experience the best of nature adventure travel tour. You would be able to see different kinds of frogs, lemur and chameleon.

b) Great Barrier Reef:

This place witnesses around 1.8 million visitors each year. The place is referred to as world heritage site which is the largest structure on earth built by living organisms and desenes its place within the top ten rankings of adventure sites in this world.

c) Polar Bear Trek: Read the rest of this entry »

Nothing sounds more exotic or exciting than luxury adventure travel to Machu Picchu and the Galapagos Islands. Let’s take these one at a time and see what you would be getting if you indulged yourself with luxury adventure travel of this kind.

First the Galapagos Islands. Luxury adventure travel to the Galapagos Islands is following the footsteps of Charles Darwin and the Beagle, as he formulated his theory of evolution by studying the life forms on these islands, untainted by human hand for thousands of years. You can try to spot the blue-footed boobies waddling among the hundred year old 600 pound tortoises, or seek out the Amblyrhynchus, a three-foot long, iguana resembling a dinosaur that lives only on these islands.

You could make your initial stop to tour Quito, and have a look around one of the Indian markets nearby, such as the Saquisili Indian market, and buy a hand-made Panama hat – these are made in Ecuador, not Panama! Quito itself offers a great deal to the adventurer, and you will be able to straddle the equator – one foot in the northern and another in the southern hemisphere. Quito was destroyed by the Indians to prevent it being taken by Pissarro, and rebuilt by the Spanish colonialists. Read the rest of this entry »

I think it’s safe to say that everyone of us has been on a trip to someplace or another during our lives. But if you haven’t traveled lately, you might not have notice a new segment of traveling that has recently gained popularity. Yup, that’s right; I’m talking about adventure travel. This new way of enjoying a trip is not only for young people. Oh no, not at all. It’s really for that that is young at heart and loves the feeling of an adrenaline rush. Hey, and who wouldn’t love that?!?

If you think back and reflect for a bit, it’s really no wonder that standard travel has lost some of its appeal. Yup, it could even be considered predictable and boring. With the prices of airfare coming down and the common “vacation package” being all too common, conventional travel has become, boring, overcrowded and nearly stifling. The sense of going somewhere, or the sense of adventure is sorely missing in today’s world of standard travel. Until adventure travel busted onto the scene few years back that is. With adventure travel, traveling can once more attain that high that we seek to leave our everyday lives behind.

What exactly is adventure travel, you ask? An adventure travel trip for example can offer you a very different way to experience an otherwise popular or mundane destination. If you think about it, a lot of people have been on a Caribbean travel trip. They would visit the same beaches, relax in the same hotels, the same boat drinks and drive along the same old roads and check out the same tourist attractions. But check out what the same trip but adventure travel style could offer you. You could take an eco-trek hike through the lush rain forests; you can see the bugs up close, the wonderful variety of birds and wildlife. Maybe camp out with local tribes and learn about their lifestyles, their culture, their food and costumes. At the same time, maybe visit unspoiled beaches not frequented by standard travelers. All this while within close distance of popular tourist attractions and destinations, yet far far way from anything remotely considered standard.

What about the land Down Under, Australia. Many travelers normally settle for the same old, staid, boring city hop across the country, while you could, as part of an adventure travel team, hot air balloon your way across the continent, snorkel in the great barrier reef or waltz with the mathilda or two in the wild wild bush country. How does that sound as opposed to sitting in a hotel room just like any other?

There’s reason adventure travel is so popular. We need to experience something different, something more than what our lives has to offer. This unique and exciting type of travel may not be for everyone, but it certainly not restricted to the teens and tweens only. More and more, older folds are trying it out and having a blast. You too could be the one to head out on an adventure travel trip. There’s nothing stopping you. Do it now!

The Kazakhstan OSCE chairmanship reviewed the ninth set of talks in Geneva as a crucial step in maintaining the South Caucasus region’s stability.

As reported by Bolat Nurgaliyev, Kazakhstan Ambassador and Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, it was important to take action in restoring the South Caucasus people’s faith and confidence in their future. Nurgaliyev stressed the need to come up with an agreement in the most creative manner, especially since laying down a permanent security arrangement is not something that can be done overnight.

In addition to this, Nurgaliyev underlined the importance of following a step-by-step method in implementing this movement.

Traditionally, the consultations happen with two parallel parties working together. One party takes on the stability and security in South Caucasus and the other party addresses humanitarian concerns. Nurgaliyev focused on the continuation of providing gas supply and rehabilitation of water distribution systems. He agreed to go over more on these issues.

The ambassador, together with co-chairs Ambassador Pierre Morel and the United Nation’s Marco Bianchini, conversed with other participants on the actions to an agenda that aims to execute international security and potential non-utilization of force deals.

Nurgaliyev, Morel, Bianchini and others met again for the second round of discussions last March 30th 2010 in Geneva.

Russia used to be a mysterious country that few international travelers will go for vacations. Today, it is open to everyone and its tour industry is seeing an upward trend. It has so much to offer regardless you are interested in taking an historical trip around its imperial past or you want to do something a little more adventurous.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union more than a decade ago, more and more foreigners are traveling to Russia now for business and leisure. However, it can still be a difficult place if you are unable to speak their language. Fortunately, you will find that the Russians are incredibly warm and inviting hosts most of the time. If you are looking for some where that takes you away from the normal holiday routes then you should consider Russia as one of your must visit place.
So what kind of Russia adventure travel can a person expect to be able to do when visiting this unique country? Let us take a look at a couple of adventurous types of travel that you can do in Russia.
1. Trans Siberian Railway
The Trans-Siberian Railway or Trans-Siberian Railroad is a network of railways connecting Moscow and European Russia with the Russian Far East provinces, Mongolia, China and the Sea of Japan. During this journey, you will travel from Vladivostok Moscow to the wilds of Khabarovsk in the heart of Mongolia.

You will also get to visit Lake Baikal and the snowcapped mountains of the Urals.
This journey is a total of 6,135 miles in distance and you will pass through 8 different time zones during the journey. The trains are very comfortable, but it is the beauty of the country as you pass through the various areas that really gets an adventurer excited!
However, if you think this a bit staid for an adventurous journey in Russia, you could try the following instead.
2. Journey to the North Pole Read the rest of this entry »

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Adventure travel often conjures up images of mountain climbing, whitewater rafting, scuba diving and four wheel driving. While these are certainly activities associated with adventure travel, adventure travel may involve something as sedate as a wine tasting tour in Bordeaux, France. Adventure travel is simply to go above and beyond one’s normal known area, seeking out experiences which are unfamiliar. The travel destination may be as close as a few kilometers from your home, or it can be thousands of kilometers away in an exotic location in Africa or Asia.

Maybe it has to do with the stressful and fast-paced lives we are leading, that adventure travel has become one of the fasting growing segments of the travel industry. More and more travelers are abandoning the usual beach resorts, and are actively seeking new experiences in their travels. These trips often bring significant personal discovery, development of new skills and knowledge and cross-cultural experiences.

Adventure travel is not for everyone. It is for an individual with the thirst for new experience, one who dares to forsake the well-trodden path. Health and age may restrict the traveler to less-strenuous activities, but that does not stop the traveler from other forms of adventure travel.

It is undeniable that some adventure travel activities carry additional risk. Trekking across the desert is definitely more dangerous than planting yourself under an umbrella at the beach. As in most travel situations, having adequate planning and practicing common sense will go a long way in minimizing risk.

An adventure travel need not be expensive. In most cases, you would not be staying in five star hotels, eating in fancy restaurants and taking limousine rides. Instead, you would probably be staying in guesthouses, eating at local food stalls and taking public transport. These usually more than help to hold the line on the total cost.

If you need more reasons to start your adventure travel, here are some motivating quotations I have collected.

“I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it.” – Rosalia de Castro

“The traveler was active; he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him.” – Daniel J. Boorstin

“All adventures, especially into new territory, are scary” – Sally Ride

“It is in the compelling zest of high adventure and of victory, and in creative action, that man finds his supreme joys.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Take action and start your adventure travel today!

Taking that adventure vacation has its risks and dangers. The adventure travel insurance help give you that peace of mind. The adventure travel insurance that you decide on should cover you for the particular sport or activity you will be undertaking. If you have decided to go kayaking or mountain climbing you will need to make sure you adventure travel insurance covers those activities, so you do have the required coverage incase an accident occurs. You may also add or get options added to your adventure travel insurance to include similar activities.

Imagine we are in the UK to go snowboarding and to do some skiing as well. You should probably consider adding an option to your adventure travel insurance to include the Channel Islands and the beautiful Northern Ireland and distinguish whether your policy is annual, less than a year or whether for a specific time frame you had in mind. Additionally there are two tiers or levels of adventure travel insurance while visiting the UK. The level you select will be dependent on your needs and budget considerations. Read the rest of this entry »

Outdoor adventure travel! What does this mean? Many people are getting excited about outdoor adventure travel that entails a higher risk that normal travel has to offer. Outdoor adventure travel in not restricted to the young but the older generation is also taking part. There’s a trend among people who take regular travel a little boring, mundane or just to predictable. Many now seek out outdoor adventure travel that can put some interest back into their vacations.

When traveling the usual tourist route doesn’t raise any real excitement in travelers who see this type of travel as somewhat mundane. Outdoor adventure travel has changed the modern day traveler and has certainly got them thinking. With new ideas for outdoor adventure travel, blood has been sent to new high levels for the adventurous person.

When thinking about that next outdoor adventure travel just sends my blood rushing to new levels, I’m sure the same happens to you. There are many new opportunities just around the corner when traveling to the off the beaten track. Meeting new people, experiencing new cultures and different places to see. Read the rest of this entry »

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For some people, the perfect vacation is to find a five star hotel or beach where you can every whim catered to and every indulgence fulfilled. Others may seek a more family style excursion with amusement parks and theme parks. And yet others may opt for a cruise or other entertainment vacation. However there are those who desire to go “where no man has gone before”. There are those who enjoy walking on the wild side. For these people, there exists adventure travel.

Adventure travel may take you kayaking in Glacier Bay, Alaska. You may choose to go canoeing and camping in the boundary waters of Northern Minnesota. You may choose to travel the world always seeking the path less traveled. You may travel to the rainforests of the Amazon or the Sahara Desert. You may go on an African Safari or mountain climbing in Tibet.

Beginners can get started in adventure travel easily. Many places offer guided and equipped tours into adventure areas. Experienced outfitters can provide you with all the equipment and the guide you need to start in adventure travel. More experienced adventures may plan their own trips and use their own equipment.

Adventure travel may also include ecotravel or travel with a purpose. Perhaps your adventure travel vacation could include a visit to an African refugee camp or helping to feed the hungry in a third world nation. Read the rest of this entry »