Results tagged “Tours” from Intelligent Travel Blog

I'm setting off on a group tour to Morocco next week, and throughout my travel planning, I've been somewhat apologetic as I explain that yes, as a travel editor, I signed up for a tour. So I was heartened to read Daisann McLane's column in our current issue espousing the benefits of group travel, which she noticed on a recent bus trip through Guangzhou, China:

As I sat on a bus wearing a silly cap, eating pork buns, and being serenaded by a karaoke-singing tour guide, I had to laugh at myself. Not that many years ago I was so allergic to anything remotely "touristy" that I even refused to carry a camera when I traveled. I kept a list of "not for me" places--popular attractions, neighborhoods, even nations, that I refused to visit because I thought they'd be "too full of tourists." I considered myself a class apart, a traveler, and that meant going places nobody else did, and going, mostly, alone. Tour groups? No way.

Irony was not lost on Elizabeth Seward when she climbed into a Hummer to take an eco-tour through the Mexican outback. But the rugged terrain in Baja Sur, while being tough to navigate, offers hidden delights. 

Baja California Sur swells with tourism, despite the drug cartel wars intimidating those watching the news everywhere--or at least in the U.S. The state's pristine beaches draw in vacationers from around the globe. They're hooked on the teal waters, dolphin-gazing, rocky landscape, and perfect weather. But I never hear anyone talk about the Baja Sur outback.

The outback is in Australia right? Well, not if the trip I recently took, on the southern stretch of Mexico's peninsula, is any point of reference. I was invited to embark on one of the most ironic adventures I've experienced so far: a drive through the Mexican outback to the organic farm Rancho La Verdad... via Hummer. At 60 gallons of fuel wasted every 20 miles or so, I couldn't quite grasp the concept of taking a Hummer as an eco-enlightening adventure. But with my interest piqued, I slathered on my 70 proof sunblock for the day and did something I never suspected I'd do in Baja Sur--I turned away from the crystal blue waters and drove off into the desert mountains. I quickly learned that the sun beats down so abrasively on the terrain that the area's only 'river' reminds me of a dried up creek that ran, or tried to run, behind my house in Ohio growing up.

The hawks sound like pre-climatic death-whistles in a western movie in this area of Baja Sur. And as analogies would have it, the area I explored with the company, Baja Outback, was, in fact, the set for the movie, Troy.  If you've seen the film you can be assured that not much was altered from what is an everyday reality for the few daring to live in this seemingly post-apocalyptic graveyard. Coyotes hang dead from already dying trees--a kill and show tactic embraced by local farmers desperate to drive the culprits away from their prized livestock. But beneath the dried and aging shell of the Baja Sur outback, life flourishes--secretly.

Watching the Tour de France the past few days has me dreaming of pedaling along the French countryside. (We'll just ignore the prospect of taking on the Alps for the sake of this post - I'm no Lance.) Which is why I was so intrigued to hear about the latest offering from the swoon-worthy Tour d'Afrique. This tour company, which specializes in trans-continental bicycle trips that let you transverse Africa, slice through Europe, follow the Silk Road, and ride around South America, is now letting you plan your own cycling "DreamTour."  Touting "if you can dream it, you can do it," these trips incorporate a web 2.0 touch and seem pretty incredible.

Here's the deal: You log on to their site and design and name your trip, plotting the route, uploading photos and picking out the places you'd want to visit. You set the costs for the number of riders, plus hotels, food, crew, and support, and if it's a "do-able" trip, Tour d'Afrique will set you loose to convince your friends and family -- via the social web of course -- that they need to come on board. They can comment and make tweaks, and if you get enough to commit to going, Tour d'Afrique will make it happen, and better yet, you'll get to go for free.

Convinced that this was a novel way to make my dream trip happen, I immediately got the scoop from Henry Gold, the founder of Tour d'Afrique and builder of the Dream. Check out the interview after the jump.

What better way to explore some of the country's greatest natural treasures and historic sites than a bicycle tour through the back roads of Florida? And now, you can do it any time of the year! In an effort to help make Florida tourism greener, non-profit organization Bike Florida is bringing back year-round, long-distance bicycle touring for the first time in 25 years.

To inaugurate the new initiative, Herb Hiller and Linda Crider, co-founders of the modern-day Florida bicycling movement, will lead a week-long bicycle tour this October 10-16, starting and ending at Palatka, a rural county seat by the St. Johns River in northeastern Florida.

"For too long there's been no organized comfortable cycling way to discover backroads Florida," says Crider.  "These tours are organized for that, but also for fun."

We recently touched base with Dominique Callimanopulos, founder and CEO of Elevate Destinations, a boutique travel services company specializing in high-quality, environmentally responsible travel and philanthropy, to learn more about her company, their trips, and the good work they do in the communities they visit.

What is Elevate Destinations?

Elevate Destinations is a philanthropic travel company that gives back to the communities we visit. We donate five percent of the net costs of all our trips to vetted NGOs active in conservation and community development in the destination countries. Wherever possible, we select eco-hotels and sustainable lodges that also give back to community. We incorporate community engagement and service elements into our customized itineraries. We have become specialists in the area of donor travel: bringing board members and donors from A-list international organizations to visit projects in the field. We've designed trips for Direct Relief International, EcoLogic, KickStart, The Global Fund for Children, and WaterPartners International, among others.

I see you offer trips in Latin America, Africa, India and Bhutan, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia. Which trips/regions are the most popular?

African safaris are very popular. Central America is on the rise, because it is easy to travel to. We are also getting a lot of requests for Southeast Asia and Bhutan is emerging as a compelling destination as well. This month we will also be introducing trips to Mongolia.

Fifteen years ago, a recently-graduated British archaeologist decided to walk 2,000 miles across Turkey, following a section of Alexander the Great's ancient path from Troy to Iskenderun (with a heavy backpack and plenty of stops at ruins and ancient battle sites along the way).

Sound crazy?

Well, maybe a little. But it seems to have worked out, because right now Peter Sommer (the aforementioned archaeologist and Alexander the Great enthusiast) is embarking on yet another tour that hits many of the same highlights he explored back in 1994. These days, however, he is paid to do it.

Sommer runs Peter Sommer Travels, which offers expert-led tours throughout Turkey and Greece. Given the background of the tour guides (historians and archaeologists - many with PhDs), the tours are certainly educational, but there is also plenty of time for fun, relaxation, and eating wonderful Turkish meals...oh, and did I mention that the tours get from one place to the next on hand-built gulets?

"We tend to cruise for about three to four hours per day, with stops in idyllic coves for swimming, snorkeling, or something more physical like kayaking or windsurfing," says Sommer. "We normally visit one ancient city per day, usually in the late afternoon, when the heat of the day has passed. That's when our specialist guides bring the ruins and the history to life."

So, basically, sail through paradise, then let an expert tell you stories of past civilizations while you stand on the ground where history was made. I'm sold!

A variety of tours are offered spring through fall. Check out www.petersommer.com for more details. And stay tuned for more amazing and enriching tours in the May/June issue of Traveler.

Photo courtesy of Peter Sommer Travels

It's no secret here at Traveler that we'll go just about anywhere for a good cupcake. So when our Geotourism Intern Christina Stockamore told us about an actual bike tour with cupcakes built in we immediately demanded she share the details.

Will work for baked goods: Christina, far left, poses with the group.

After purchasing my first road bike a few months ago, I was anxious for the weather to turn a little warmer to join a group bike ride. I noticed that City Bikes, a full-service shop in D.C., offers a weekly 18-mile bike ride called the Cupcake Ramble. The route starts at their shop in Adams Morgan, passes through Rock Creek Park and ends at their other location in Chevy Chase, Maryland. The best part: The ride is led by pastry chef Sol Schott, of the popular D.C. eateries Open City, Tryst, and The Diner.  

So on a recent weekend I decided to try it out, and I met the group at 11 a.m. on Sunday outside City Bikes in Adams Morgan. Sol arrived a few minutes later apologizing for his delay--he had just wrapped up his work in the bakery. I noticed we had a mixture of bikes--road bikes, hybrids, cruisers--and as we got moving, I was grateful that mine had gears.  

There are a some things that you "must" do in any city. Kiss the Blarney Stone. Walk the Golden Gate Bridge. Get the view from the top of the Eiffel Tower. But few of those musts are as contemplative as visiting Jerusalem and placing a prayer in a crack of the Western Wall.

We arrived in the city late on a Friday afternoon, and had just enough time to stroll through the cacophony of the marketplace before heading over to the wall. Known as the most holy site in the Jewish faith, its significance lies in the fact that it is the last remnant of the original retaining wall which surrounded the Second Temple, which was built over 2,000 years ago. After the temple was destroyed in AD 70, the Jews were exiled from the city, and it became a place of pilgrimage where they would return to lament their loss (it was long known as the Wailing Wall for that reason). Now it is essentially an open-air synagogue, with divided sections for men and women to pray independently.

I have to admit, I did not really anticipate the sheer amount of outdoor activities that are available in Israel. I guess part of me suspected that between the religious artifacts and ruins, and the city of Tel Aviv, there wouldn't be much time left to get outside and get dirty. But I found three ways to get covered in the stuff. Here are some highlights:



Desert Touring

After our Dead Sea soak, I was just about ready to turn round and head back to Jerusalem. But I'm so glad that we didn't, as we ended up heading over to the protected land just south of the Ein Bokek hotel quarter, where we were met with two Jeeps that looked like they'd been props in an Indiana Jones film. Our drivers took them out onto the salt mountains of Sedom, which are thought to be the site where the Biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah took place. Perhaps it was because it was the "magic hour" - that time when the sun makes everything seem as though it's lit from within - or because it was, after visiting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, so distinctly remote. But the ride was incredible. The region is protected parkland, and hiking and cycle trails crisscrossed our route, but all comers should plan on making their way up to the peak to take in the stunning views of the Dead Sea and Jordan. The group we went with, Shkedi, also offers moonlight tours (which they say are enhanced by not using headlights, which makes me a little nervous) and camping within the park grounds. It's the warmest place in all of Israel, and I would have easily spent the night.