Exchange Tourism during Ramadan Creates Equality in Jordan
Be sure to read the full interview with Zikra Initiative's founder, Rabee'.
This year, the Islamic holy month of Ramadan fell during August. Around the world, fears rose and people speculated what would occur in countries that are currently experiencing turmoil, such as Libya or one of the other countries in which the US has issued travel warnings.
In May 2011, Shannon Stowell, President of the ATTA, traveled to Jordan and Egypt, commenting,"...Jordan is unfortunately lumped into 'the Middle East' along with different ... 
Scientists Harness Adventurers in Search of Data
Five months ago, Gregg Treinish (National Geographic Adventurer of the Year in 2008) founded Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation (ASC), an organization that provides a space for collaboration between the adventure and science worlds to protect and learn about the environment. “We need to stand up and fight for the areas we care about,” says Trenish, who described a selfish feeling, common among adventurers, for not being able to do more for the areas that he loves and explores. He wants to give ...
Fiji’s Newest Grassroots Voluntourism Program Takes its First Steps on Garden Island
Community Support Network (CSN) is Fiji’s newest non-profit voluntourism organisation offering a two-week volunteer and island discovery tour program on Fiji’s untouched Northern Islands. This off-the-beaten-track experience prides itself on being an authentic, Fijian, cultural immersion program investing in communities to fund school equipment; solar energy; new business start-up; training; fish wardens and e local community monitoring programs.
CSN brings volunteers who are interested in conservation and understand ...
Stuff Your Rucksack
Some like to travel simply, others to simply travel, and still others travel to provide simple items for organizations in developing countries around the world who can't afford to provide them otherwise. Often times, travel is for the self, but Stuff Your Rucksack (SYR) is trying to change that little by little.
It starts with a small story with big inspiration. Kate Humble, a UK broadcaster and journalist, traveled through a remote village in Mali, and realized as she explained her journey to school kids that they had no ...
Escape into Ecuador: Stay at the Hamadryade Lodge
People’s path to adventure or eco-tourism is never straightforward, and the story isn’t different for the founders of Hamadryade Lodege in the Amazon Rainforest, in Ecuador. After living in Australia for over three years finishing their studies in photography and Anthropobiology,respectively, Melanie and Sebastien Cazaudehore moved to Ecuador. Although it might seem far from the hotel business, in reality this sequence of events naturally led them to the construction and management of what is now the Hamadryade Lodge located in the lush Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest.
Before Sebastien and Melanie purchased the ...
Dive into the Historic Nature of Sangat Island Reserve
On the morning of September 24th, 1944, one hundred and eighteen US fighters and bombers took off from a fleet of US aircraft carriers heading east towards The Philippines. Within a few hours the planes had routed six Japanese warships leaving them to sink in the shallow waters of Coron Bay, about two hundred miles south of Manila. Four decades later British scuba diver Andy Pownall was first introduced to the wrecks as well as the pristine white sand beaches of the nearby uninhabited Sangat Island. In 1994, Andy completed the first ...
Roaming the Streets of History throughout New York with the Street Teacher
Before the morning sun hit the pavement, Bill Goodhart arrived in Los Angeles after hitchhiking across the United States. Bill reminisces, “There was a lot of pavement but no sidewalks; I think I got a message from this city immediately.” Although he eventually made it to his destination, walking on the curbs or very close to the walls of the buildings, the effects of urban layouts and the ways it dictated the way people may live stuck with him.
Within a few years, back on the East Coast, he moved to New York City to ...
Balloons and Boulders: Adrenaline Rushes in Vang Vieng, Laos
This article was first published by our friends at thetravelword, who have agreed to its republication here. View the original article on their blog.
By Miranda Siu
Vang Vieng has gained a reputation as the adventure sports capital of Laos. There is no end in sight to its high-intensity fun and games, including 10-metre jumps from swings into the Nam Song River, cycling, kayaking, rafting and much more. My two greatest experiences here have been hot-air ...
Top Five Travel Picks for Adrenaline Rushes
This article was first published by our friends at thetravelword, who have agreed to its republication here. View the original article on their blog.
Some adventure travellers like to distinguish between ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ experiences. Hard adventure tours are a little more extreme and often involve a heightened sense of risk and danger, with adrenaline as a necessary and obviously exciting part of the ride. Travellers beware ...
Teaching in Tibet
“(I moved to India because…) I didn’t want to be the poorest student among all my classmates. I want to be a useful person, not a destructive man. This was my destination when I left the school in Tibet. I wanted to learn English. I want to become a peaceful person, not like a rude person, not like a negative person and I believed myself that I was a simple man. (…)
This is my golden time to learn more knowledge and to become a useful person. This is my second step to become an educated person."
These are the words ...
Roll, Race, and Float through Mountains, Plateaus, and Canyons: This is Montenegro
Find yourself crossing over, through, and under every imaginable geological feature imaginable when you try Montenegro’s 48-hour Expedition Challenge. You’ll raft the Tara Canyon (the deepest canyon in Europe) and do your best to avoid flat tires as you race through the Sinjajevina plateau. Not to mention about 80 kms of trekking,15 kms of kayaking and other unknown surprises thrown into the mix.
Although these feats themselves are worth a few months of bragging rights they are almost incomparable to the raw beauty that each racer has the chance ...
Driving the Douro
The Douro Valley, the home of Port wine, in Northern Portugal, is a collection of towns peppered along the eponymous Douro River. It's not often that we recommend a driving trip - but trust us, driving stick shift along these narrow winding roads, weaving through the terraced valleys of the UNESCO World Heritage Region is an adventure!
Take the three hour drive up from Lisbon to ...
Last Minute Opening! Spring Through the Rockies and Wildflowers in the Summertime
Today is your lucky day. Nope, we didn't read that off of a fortune cookie. Adventure Running Co. has a few last minute openings on their Colorado Trail Adventure Run scheduled August 9th -13th in Frisco, CO.
Experience the Rockies like none other as you deeply breathe in the alpine wilderness and up to ninety-eight miles of bliss that most don't have the chance to experience in five days. Starting at Kenosha Pass (3,048m) burn some serious trail as you begin to make your way ...
Inca Run 2010
This month the newsletter covers two extreme ski races, but how about a running race through Bolivian altitudes of between 2,800 meters and 5,000 meters, that are sure to leave you breathless? The Inca Run starts at Island of the Sun, Lake Titicaca and ends in Sorata. The route covers a stunningly scenic and challenging landscape, that is set in the heart of the Bolivian Andes. It should take a week. There are two categories:
Self Sufficient Stage Run: (A prologue and then 4 stages for total of 160k for runners, trekkers and expeditioners.)
Non-Stop Ultra Run: Teams of 2 (160 ...
Eco-Renaissance
EcoArts Tours is calling all artists to get out of the studio and into the world! Founder Rosalyn Salters has bridged her passions for art and environmentalism in a initiative that seeks to “unify the arts and travel through environmentally sustainable, authentic and cross-cultural experiences.” Basically – all the stuff we love and promote. Rosalyn believes that art and travel can work together to preserve eco-systems, cultures and art for future generations. There are four areas of focus: dance, music, cuisine and fine arts. Itineraries include visits to cultural sites, discussions with artists and environmentalists, workshops etc. Check out ...
Tristan de Cunha: Profile
Tristan de Cunha: no airplanes, no five star hotels, no busy streets.
Tristan is a tiny speck on the globe. It was discovered in 1506 and inhabited in 1816. It has a remarkable story and is now home to approximately 264 people. The island is 37 square miles in size and is the largest of a group of islands; Inaccessible Island lies 20 miles to the west, Nightingale Island 25 miles to the south west and Gough Island 220 miles to the south. Inaccessible and ...
Winter Ranching!
When snow blankets the Rocky Mountains, many of Colorado's ranches are still open. The region is famous for its powder, making it a veritable playground for snow sports: ice fishing, back-country skiing, sledding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and, of course, horseback riding.
Sylvan Dale Ranch is transformed in wintertime - try a Bunk and Breakfast weekend of winter sports and cozy fireplaces nights. The individual cabins are clustered beneath the giant cottonwoods which sprinkle snow on you as you walk underneath them. Nearby Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park provide miles of trails for crosscountry skiing or hoseback riding.
We especially like Sylvan ...
Try This: Kayak in Quebec
Along with fifteen of our colleagues from the ATTA Summit, during the Day of Adventure we geared up in wetsuits and jumped in tandem kayaks to paddle sixteen kilometers down the coast of the St. Lawrence River, in La Malbaie, Quebec.
As we paddled, our team of guides from Katabatik Kayak regaled us with stories of early tourists to the region: American hunters who traveled to this outpost by train to stay at the Chateau Richelieu as well as explanations of the unusual ...
Try This: Man Camp!
The man-cation now has an option other than golf or Vegas. This November, in Carmel Valley, CA – the Original Man Camp launches its inaugural weekend. The three-day camp offers guys a menu of activities, mostly designed to beef up manly skills like gourmet grilling, fixing a car’s engine, improving poker skills, guitar playing or refining the beer palette – all led by world experts. It is also pioneering a new ...
A Mini Safari in Grand Teton National Park
Check out the Mini Safari in Grand Teton National Park led by non-profit Wildlife Expeditions as part of the National Museum of Wildlife Art’s annual Western Visions fundraiser.
Guests will enjoy firsthand advice and commentary from the featured artists, Lindsay Scott and Leo E. OSbourne, as they travel through the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, experiencing a variety of native birds and animals during prime early morning viewing hours.
The Mini Safari takes place from 6:30 – 11:00 ...
