Intelligent Travel

The Trek Against Trash

For the past three months, Jordan Price and Carlie Roberts have been hiking along the Appalachian Trail on a "Trek Against Trash" to raise $150,000 toward Keep America Beautiful's efforts. As if the hike wasn't enough, Jordan and Carlie have been picking up garbage along the trail the entire time and stopping to work on local cleanup efforts in cities along the route. They've been chronicling the journey on their blog, and last week, they hit the 1,000-mile halfway mark. IT Editor Janelle Nanos caught up with them on a recent stop.

Update: As of the team's most recent posting on July 2, Carlie left the trail. But she will continue to help Jordan plan his journey as he continues to the end. Next stop, New Jersey and New York state!

How did the idea for the Trek Against Trash come about?

Jordan: It's always been a dream of mine to hike the Appalachian trail, and we liked the idea of hiking the trail for environmental awareness. We stumbled onto the KAB website and fell in love with their organization.

Carlie: KAB knew we wanted to hike the entire trail, and they immediately embraced us. Their beliefs paralleled ours. You don’t necessarily have to hike for six months or buy a hybrid car, but everyone should take the responsibility to do their part on their planet.

Were you both active hikers before you embarked on the trip?

Jordan: I’ve done a lot of hiking before, but this is Carlie's first backpacking experience.

Carlie: It is an adventure every single day, and it's awesome to be able to undertake this big of a challenge right off the bat. I've run marathons and other long-distance races, but on my first day, I walked more miles than I've ever done before on a hiking trip.

Where the Buffalo....Still Roam

Back in September, I blogged about the concept of the Buffalo Commons, whose goal was to revert the Great Plains to its pristine condition by creating a nature preserve for free-roaming bison. So when I read a recent article in the New York Times about this very topic, I was delighted to discover the eco-initiative has continued to gather momentum over the past several months.

The NYT reports:

The lions won’t be arriving anytime soon, but travel operators have already come, to take advantage of the return of the wild. “When my wife and I first started, two decades ago, we were one of only two operators in the state,” said John Hanson, owner of the Logging Camp Ranch in Bowman, N.D. “Now there are thousands.”

NYT suggests some highlights among the "thousands" of eco-operators, like Off the Beaten Path. Based in Bozeman, Montana, the outfitter offers guided, seven-day trips through the Dakotas, where travelers visit a working bison ranch to learn from bison rancher and author Dan O'Brien (in addition to indulging in a can't-get-fresher-than-this barbecue).

Tours of a Lifetime: Jane Crouch of Intrepid Travel

In the May/June issue of Traveler, we highlight 50 of the world's best tours in our third annual Tours of a Lifetime issue—using the criteria of authenticity, seasoned expertise, sustainability, unprecedented access, and local connections—that offer truly transformative travel experiences. Intrepid Travel fit the bill with their 14-day "Food Lovers Japan"  tour, where travelers visit a sake brewery, learn how to make soba, and meditate with Buddhist monks. Another reason we love Intrepid? Their Responsible Travel Manager, Jane Crouch. We caught up with her recently for a more in-depth look at their sustainable philosophy.

Why should the "average" traveler care about responsible travel?

The “average” traveler needs to be aware of the power they have to impact a community positively or negatively by the choices they make. And if they would like future generations to be able to share in the very special experiences they may be privileged to have had—then they must do what they can to contribute to the positive protection of destinations and their inhabitants.

What are the challenges you face trying to balance responsible travel with travelers' interests?

Making them aware of the bigger picture of their impacts—they might think it “doesn’t hurt if I just do such and such,” but it can do a lot of damage if everyone does it. Travelers often want to drop into schools and orphanages to meet the kids, give them stuff, teach them English, or kick a football around with them—but if all travelers do this it can be really disruptive and exploitive. Some travelers can change their standards and morals overseas—and behave in ways they wouldn’t back home, and be very offensive to locals. This is often in areas where the local people are very gracious and polite and will not necessarily voice their displeasure to visitors. You wouldn’t sun-bake nude on a beach in most Western capital cities, so it’s certainly not acceptable on the beach anywhere in Asia or the Middle East.

Florida: Somewhere in the Middle of America

Writer Amelia Mularz uncovers an authentic two-step hidden in the heart of Tampa.

I never thought a trip to Florida would be an opportunity to revel in a bit of authentic Americana. Growing up, there was always time reserved for trips through the Midwest, driving on the quiet back roads of Illinois up to Door County, Wisconsin, for a weekend. As kids, the big excitement was visiting a small shop in Fish Creek where we’d each get to pick out an animal chiseled out of rock. Florida, on the other hand, seemed so shiny and new, with Orlando and its many major theme parks. Now I imagine the kids at Disney World, with their Hannah Montana souvenir MP3 players, would scoff at the pet rocks of my youth. Then they'd run away laughing, on their way to some virtual reality space shuttle ride.

On a recent trip to Tampa, however, I was surprised to find a bit of old-time charm when I happened upon the coolest country line dancing bar this side of Nashville. Tampa, known as the "unofficial birthplace of Death Metal," doesn’t seem a likely place for a honky tonk. Yet, the Round Up (13918 W Hillsborough Ave, +1 813 855 1464) and the hundreds of cowboy boot-clad patrons who flock there every weekend prove otherwise. Situated in between a store called "Guns" and another simply named establishment, "Parrot Stuff," Round Up is a country music lover’s dream. The dance floor is constantly packed, and everyone keeps to the designated choreography. Not only is it surprising that people still country line dance, but the moves have been updated and are actually really cool. These aren’t the same dances taught in junior high gym classes. There’s no “Achy Breaky Heart” here (meaning at least one Cyrus has loosened his grip on Florida). Many of the dances are set to country/hip-hop remixes, and there’s one dance in particular with moves so scandalous it’d make an MTV spring breaker blush. On Saturdays, the bar even treats guests to free pizza. How’s that for old-time hospitality?

The morning after my visit to Round Up, a friend and I headed just down the block to the weekly flea market in Oldsmar. Apparently hung up on the whole idea of Americana, I purchased a switchblade with a sketch of Ronald Reagan on the handle, and my friend snatched up some old Nintendo games circa 1987. Yes, we’ve moved on from the days of pet rocks as souvenirs, but we still went with classics.

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Hang Ten in Munich

National Geographic Executive Vice President of Digital Media Mark Bauman just is back from a trip to Munich, where he uncovered a Bavarian brand of surfing in the heart of the city.

As I pulled into the city of Munich last week, I was a bit surprised to see a stocky dark-haired German in a wetsuit with a short board under his left arm. Munich may be better known for Oktoberfest, its notorious concentration camp, and the murder of 11 Israeli Olympic athletes in 1972. But it also has a shockingly vibrant surfing scene, as I recently discovered.

Still curious about the wetsuit-clad Bavarian after two days of business meetings and a few too many wheat beers, I gently asked my hosts whether I had been hallucinating: Was the gentlemen with the surfboard that I thought I saw merely the result of the fatigue-plagued 6 a.m. drive from the airport? They quickly tossed me into the back seat of a BMW, and introduced me to the standing river wave on the Eisbach, where dozens of Bavarian surfers carve, hang ten, and try out such difficult maneuvers as aerials, 360s and floaters.

The Eisbach, or "Ice Brook," is a tributary of the Isar River that begins where two underground canals meet. Rows of concrete blocks, which were thrown into the river to weaken the flow of water surging up from underground, are situated alongside wooden boards wedged into the canal by surfers. The combined effect are waves that would get any adrenaline junkie stoked. And this is all just a few minutes from Munich's beautiful city hall (a nice piece of Gothic architecture complete with its own giant glockenspiel) -- and the city's famous 419-year-old Hofbrauhaus, providing the kind of great beer that brings memories of Oktoberfest all year round. Like the Hofbrauhaus, Munich offers travelers a taste of the light and of the dark. Oh yeah, and beer-house pretzels big enough to surf on.

Photo: Julien Narboux via Flickr

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Experiencing Swiss Mobility

After arriving in Switzerland for the launch of the SwitzerlandMobility project, Brian Schott has been exploring the new linked network of trails that crisscross the country. He sends this dispatch from his travels.

LAKE GENEVA—Over the past week, I’ve spent time wandering the landscape in this stunning area of Switzerland by bike, foot, and train—inspired by the launch of the SwizterlandMobility project—and I’ve been surprised around every corner.

We biked past Roman ruins in Avenches. Bottled our own wine in a festival in Espesses. Witnessed a fire ceremony in a Russian Orthodox temple in Vevey. I ate guinea fowl in Morgues. I visited Audrey Hepburn’s grave in Tolochenaz, and then noticed a giant sequoia down by the lakeshore next to thousands of full-bloom tulips.

In Duillier, I ate one of the specialties of the land—horse (entrecôte de cheval with Bordelaise sauce). It tasted sweet and the texture was closer to liver than steak, and really, it was quite delicious. Shutting off my brain was the hard part.

“I mean the only time in our culture when you eat horse is if it’s the last thing left standing and you’re starving,” I said to my friend.

“Or your dog,” he replied.

In all, I’ve biked nearly the entire 50-mile northern shore of Lake Geneva from Montreaux to Nyon and walked miles through terraced vineyards built by monks in the 13th century.

From the press conference on SwitzerlandMobility, it had been time to put the spin to the test.

Beyond the City Limits

Mid-April, I decided to visit my hometown of Seattle. Seeing as the Emerald City is in the peak of its rainy season at that time (believe it or not, the rain does stop eventually), my mom wondered why I'd ever want to visit for a week of gray drizzle. Well, I found round-trip airfare for $178 (which I ended up paying for in the end, when my MD-80 flight was canceled and I spent an extra six hours in BWI—I'm not bitter), and I knew visiting in April would allow me to see my favorite parts of the Pacific Northwest sans camera-toting tourists. Fortunately, I ended up bringing with me about 36 hours of sunshine, so my mom and I ventured out of the city.

Our first stop: Whidbey Island. About 30 miles north of Seattle is the ferry from Mukilteo (its small port has no more than a lighthouse, small market, and Ivar's restaurant—their smoked salmon chowder is to die for) to Whidbey Island.  There's not much on Whidbey, either, but that's the beauty of it. We stopped by Greenbank Farm, a 1930s berry farm on the south-central part of the island. In 1972 Greenbank was considered the largest grower of loganberries, a cross between a raspberry and blackberry, for which the farm is now famous (stop by in July for their Loganberry Festival). Unfortunately, we arrived before the farm actually opened for the day, so instead of testing some delicious loganberry products, we were instead greeted by some of the farm's furry friends (pictured left).

We continued north through Deception Pass, a 4,134-acre marine and camping park with great views and wildlife-watching opportunities. Stop your car before Deception Pass Bridge and take a walk along one of the short trails, or check out the view from the lookout on the other side (for more information, the visitor center is located about one mile south of the bridge). After leaving Whidbey Island, we continued east on Route 20 and north on 237, on a mission to make it to Edison, Washington, for lunch.

Tour Guide: Hike and Feel Good About It

Mount Rainier National Park

If there's anything I miss the most about living on the West Coast, it's the mountains. Sure, D.C.'s got the nearby Appalachians (I visit Shenandoah National Park as often as possible in summer), but there's nothing like looking out your Pacific Northwest window and seeing snow-capped peaks in every direction (Seattle is blessed with the Olympics to the west and the Cascades to the east).

The American Hiking Society has a solution for folks like me who live in a city where the mountains aren't quite at your doorstep. The AHS offers weeklong Volunteer Vacations in 25 states (and even the Virgin Islands) from February through November every year, for hiking gurus, beginners, and everyone in between who are capable of doing trail maintenance. Best of all, their website allows you to search for the volunteer tour that might work best for you. Just select your state, difficulty level, what kind of accommodation you prefer (even the avid backpacker likes a comfortable cabin every once in a while), and age range (from family friendly to 21+).

Tour Guide: These Streets Are Made For Running

What do Charleston, S.C., San Diego, and New York have in common? They are all cities with these new-fangled things called jogging tours.

Ladies and gentlemen, a new and improved way of sightseeing: City Running Tours. They're more time-efficient than leisurely walking tours, and they're a heck of a lot more eco-friendly than bus tours. And the best thing? They aren't necessarily tailored for running fanatics. The tours (led by an expert jogger/tour guide) span anywhere from six to 13 miles, but there are frequent photo-op stops, giving you and your legs time to regroup and snap a shot.

Free EcoCabs, Eh?

Starting today, a fleet of 28 EcoCabs has descended upon the smoggy streets of downtown Toronto.

What’s an EcoCab, you ask? In addition to being an adorably goofy alternative to the iconic yellow cab, the EcoCab runs mostly on a trained driver’s pedal-power (in other words, a modern-day rickshaw) and is powered by a rechargeable electric battery. The emission-free three-wheelers clip along at a sprightly 7.5 miles an hour in bike lanes and offer residents and tourists short-distance transport between Toronto's shopping, dining, and entertainment destinations as well as office buildings and transit stations. Each cab is equipped to carry two adult passengers. The best part? Rides are free of charge, funded by advertising on the exterior of each vehicle.

According to speculation, EcoCabs will hit Vancouver and Montreal next year.

Photo: Kazuyoshi Ehara/CNW Group

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