Voice of the Traveler

The Travel Industry Association reports that more than 35% of travelers said they were currently interested in traveling to places that cater to children. Among those who are interested, the majority (51%) are 18 – 34 years old, presumably young families with young children. Nearly one in five travelers (18%) said they were MORE interested now compared to five years ago in traveling to places that cater to the junior globe-trotting set.

Let It Snow!

The flakes are falling! Where will you be?

Honor Roll

George Wendt is one of only four recipients to be awarded the Lifetime Achievement award by the Adventure Travel Trade Association. The award honors Wendt’s dedication to 37 years of pioneering excellence in the realms of whitewater rafting, ecotourism, and adventure travel.
Wendt realized his dream of rafting for life after being one of the first 1000 to raft the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. This single event ignited his passion for rafting, and transformed the former middle school science teacher into the iconic adventure travel visionary the industry honors today. Wendt and the O.A.R.S. organization employ the lead-by-example approach in every aspect of the business from enriching the lives of everyone involved to practicing diligent environmental responsibility.
During a recent luncheon conversation he shared stories of his love and respect for Arizona's Grand Canyon and offered that perhaps the rivers of Fiji are his favorite.

Vanishing Cultures

During a recent meeting of adventure travel professionals and enthusiasts, I had the pleasure of hearing Wade Davis, National Geographic Explorer in Residence, deliver a most extraordinary lecture. If you have the chance to hear him speak don't miss it. A short note from his comments: Light at the Edge of the World: A Journey through the Realm of Vanishing Cultures
"One of the intense pleasures of travel is the opportunity to live among peoples who have not forgotten the old ways, who still feel the past in the wind, touch it in stones polished by rain, recognize its taste in the bitter leaves of plants. Just to know that nomadic hunters exist, that jaguar shaman yet journey beyond the Milky Way, that the myths of Athabaskan elders still resonate with meaning, is to remember that our world does not exist in some absolute sense but rather is just one model of reality. The Penan in the forests of Borneo, the Vodoun acolytes in Haiti, the wandering holy men of the Sahara teach us that there are other options, other possibilities, other ways of thinking and interacting with the Earth."

Plan your own adventure!

Free Hugs?

If you have somehow missed all the chat about free hugs, here's another chance to tune in to the video. Share the love!