Hiking in Mt. Cook National Park, New Zealand

Aotearoa, the Maori word for New Zealand, means "Land of the Long White Cloud." There wasn't a cloud in the sky, though, the day we ascended the ridge to the Mueller Hut in Aoraki/Mt. Cook National Park. The shadow of the ridge in the late afternoon was welcome between stretches of sun-baked boulders on the formidable and rocky slope. We came that morning from Christchurch, only our second day in New Zealand, driving over expansive dry valleys and by turquoise lakes to suddenly see ...

Blindsight- A movie

As adventurers, we see a mountain and we want to conquer it. We might do it for the experience, to test our limits, for a good story... the list goes on. For blind people from Tibet, the odds they have to overcome are much higher. In Tibet, many people think blind people are possessed by demons, and they face a difficult life of prejudice and social exclusion. When Sabriye Tenberken, the founder of Braille Without Borders, a school for the blind, heard how ...

Adventure Travel Companies Save the World in Geotourism Competition

"Geotourism Challenge 2009", sponsored by Changemakers.net and National Geographic is looking for innovative examples of responsible tourism around the world. Off the Radar's Christina Heyniger was recently invited to the group of "official commentators," reviewing competition entries. She joins Kathy Dragon, another representative from the world of adventure travel among the group of commentators. Scanning the entries we were thrilled to see some familiar faces from our adventure community - PEPY andSEE Turtles for example, as well as numerous other adventure operators offering mission-oriented adventure tourism to responsible travelers. To learn more about how we ...

Kenyan-based Wrestling the World Receives IMF Grant

We were thrilled to learn former Xola client Wrestling the World, recently received a $10,000 IMF grant to support its work in Kenya. Led by Phill Klamm, Wrestling the World is in located in Barut, Kenya. Its International Village operates as a volunteer tourism hub for travelers and a permanent educational and job-training center for Barut residents. In addition to volunteering, guests can choose tours led by trained local tour guides for exploring Lake Nakuru National Park, Masai Mara National Park, Amboseli National Park, Mombasa, Nairobi, Baringo, ...

He Got his Job Thanks to Off the Radar!

Who doesn't love a success story? When we received this note from a reader we had to publish it: "When I graduated from George Washington University with a Masters degree in Sustainable Destination Management last year I faced the daunting task of finding a job in an industry particularly hard hit by the worst economic crisis since WWII. Brief flirtations with job opportunities in Tanzania and Mali were ultimately unfulfilling and led me down a road I was not convinced I wanted to follow. With patience running low I fell upon a headline ...

Meet Off the Radar’s New Intern

Our team is happy to welcome Tania Segura to Off the Radar; with a background in marketing and spanish language skills, Tania's well suited to support the development of a new series of Guides and our online marketing. "Recently in Mexico to visit family, my Dad and I hiked Itzaccihuatl, a dormant volcano. The challenges and rewards of that hike, along with spending two weeks in one of the villages near Mexico, encouraged me to look into adventure travel jobs. What Off the Radar does is great, and I'm happy to be part ...