Intelligent Travel

Tour Guide: Green Tortoise

I'm in the midst of planning a trip to Cabo San Lucas, and while perusing through my guidebooks I came across Green Tortoise, a San Francisco-based company that runs two hostels and operates a series of tours which wind along the Pacific coast, criss-cross the country, and crawl down into Central America. While their two hostels are safely grounded in San Francisco and Seattle, what piqued my interest was that their tours aren't just a series of stops and activities, but actual hostels-on-wheels.

In essence, when you climb into the 36-passenger bus to get to Alaska, Baja, the Yucatán Peninsula, or Yosemite, it turns out that the bus is also your lodging once you get there. Green Tortoise has retrofitted typical tour buses so that their tables and chairs tuck away, allowing a wide swath of mattresses to be spread throughout the cabin, in something akin to kindergarteners putting out their nap-mats (can you imagine if this same idea worked on planes?).

But aside from the comfort you’ll get from snuggling up to your fellow passengers, you’ll be at ease knowing that the company, avowedly committed to green travel, also operates many of its buses using biodiesel fuels, and offers travelers the option of offsetting their carbon count (at $5 per 5,000 miles, it’s a steal).

Teen Trips that Make Us Long for High School

There's not very much that can make us want to go back in time and re-do high school. But when we heard about a set of trips being offered by National Geographic Expeditions, we seriously considered retaking calculus for a chance to come along.

Expeditions has partnered with Putney Student Travel to create a new series of travel programs geared for high school students. Better to get the travel bug early, after all. Then you'll have more time to see everything. And with a great list of destinations, including  Belize, the Caribbean, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador and the Galápagos, India, Iceland, Ireland, Mali, Peru, Spain and Tanzania, there's certainly plenty to see.

Student Expeditions will pair National Geographic's expert writers, photographers, scientists, and explorers with students for three-week "On Assignment" trips that will focus on a whole bevy of fantastic offerings: writing, photography, documentary filmmaking, culture and arts, Spanish language, archaeology and ancient culture, climate and geology, wildlife and conservation, music and dance, and spiritual traditions. As part of the trip, students complete projects like writing a short story, shooting a portfolio of photographs, editing a documentary film or presenting findings from an archaeological dig. Even better, students get the opportunity to give back to the places they visit.

“In crafting these expeditions, our aim has been to build in opportunities for adventure, cultural immersion and community service throughout the trip,” said Lynn Cutter, National Geographic’s senior vice president for Travel and Business Development. On many trips, students can participate in such service projects as helping to build a house, clearing forest trails or tutoring students in English. At the end of the trip, students will receive a community service certificate which can be applied towards their schools’ community service requirements.

Students in the 9th through 12th grades are eligible to participate in the trips, and must submit an application with a 150-300 word statement to apply. Get more information and apply online here.

Photo: Putney Student Travel

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Travels with the Mouse

Would you travel with Disney? More and more people are doing just that. Disney's tour-outfitter arm, Adventures by Disney, which began a mere three years ago with six tours, focused mostly in the American West, has expanded to 17 separate itineraries, including China and Australia. Senior editor Norie Quintos, the magazine's resident tour expert, recently returned from an Adventures by Disney trip to Italy with these thoughts.

"Authentic, immersive, and experiential," are how Ed Baklor, senior vice president of the Burbank-based company, describes the trips. These are all buzzwords I (and our magazine) love. And in truth, everyone on my tour—young and old—enjoyed themselves (including me and my kids, by the way). But it did get me thinking, can a Disney trip truly be authentic? And what is authenticity anyway?

Is it hitting the expected high spots (Colosseum, Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo's David, and a gondola ride) with minimum waits in line because Disney had pre-booked admission? Is it the appearance of no, not Mickey, but another costumed character playing Venetian Marco Polo edu-taining the kids with tales of his voyages? Is it the hands-on pasta making lesson at a Renaissance castle in Tuscany? Or the appointment to create your own Carnevale mask in Venice? What about the opportunities to stop and shop at The Disney Stores in Florence, Rome, and Venice? Or the liberal gifting of Disney-logo pins and baseball caps and canvas tote bags to the guests?

Tour Guide: Saving Animals in Africa

When traveling to environmentally fragile places, one can't help but feel a bit conflicted. But here are some Africa tours that will give you a lot to see, without leaving a big footprint (or giving you a headache).

Terra Incognita Ecotours provides direct financial benefits for conservation and empowerment for local people. For every participant traveling on the “Gorillas in the Mist” tour in Rwanda, Terra Incognita donates to the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project. They are also partners with the African Conservation Foundation and the Jane Goodall Institute. Other Terra Incognita tours include Costa Rica (in partnership with the Costa Rican Conservation Foundation), Nicaragua, and Borneo (with Red Ape Encounters and Adventures).

The 61,800-acre (25,000 hectare) Shamwari Game Reserve has its own wildlife department, breeding center, and anti-poaching unit, and its wildlife director (Johan Joubert) was voted one of South Africa’s Top Ten Conservationists by the Endangered Wildlife Trust. Since 1991, Shamwari has bred more than 5,000 head of game, rehabilitated and reseeded overgrazed land, and created 14 separate farms. Check out Ker & Downey for information about tours to Shamwari.

Image: Terra Incognita Ecotours

Tour Guide: Bhutan

Senior editor Norie Quintos—currently hard at work on the annual  Tours of a Lifetime issue (May/June 2008)—is looking for deals.

You won’t find a lot of discounting in the boutique tour industry. (Mega cruise ships and large resorts have spoiled us into thinking you should never pay rack rate.) Outfitters are typically small and operate on extremely tight margins.  Nevertheless, one company recently found a win-win way to sell some distressed inventory. Vermont-based Boundless Journeys occasionally offers up spaces on upcoming tours to the highest bidder. Explains regional manager Karen Cleary,

Last year, we found ourselves in the position of having a cabin on a small Galapagos cruise suddenly come available due to a last-minute cancellation. We decided to send out a call for bids to our relatively small e-mail distribution list. We received several bids and the couple who got it ended up saving 25 percent off the regular price. In this industry that’s a pretty screaming deal.

Want to try it? Boundless has a few spots open right now on a 12-day trip to Bhutan departing April 15. The retail price is $3,995 per person. All offers must be submitted to [email protected] by January 25. To get on the list for future “Make Us an Offer” trips, sign up for the company’s e-newsletter.

Tour Guide: Go Differently to Asia

"Don't follow the crowd. . . Go Differently" is the motto of a sustainable, responsible tour company offering volunteering trips and "ethical holidays" to Bali, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Laos, and Thailand.

For example, an ethical holiday to the North Andaman in Thailand would include sleeping in a homestay, learning sustainable fishing practices, helping your hosts cook a traditional meal, and listening to tsunami-survivor stories from locals. The more adventurous can see the annual two-day Surin Elephant Festival in Thailand and volunteer for a week at the elephant mahout camp near Pattaya.

Go Differently explains its dedication to sustainable travel:

By keeping groups small, using knowledgeable local guides, local transport (from trains to elephants), local family-run hotels and homestays in rural villages, they ensure that as much of the price you pay as possible stays locally. Itineraries include major sites (who could go to India and miss the Taj Mahal?) but also take you off the beaten track to experience the true culture of the country you are visiting.

The company has also recently developed a "Vietnam Voluntourism Venture"—a tour so new, it's not even on the website, yet. But IT's got the scoop.

Tour Guide: Canada's North

Frontiers North Adventures offers guided tours to the most remote destinations in Canada.

At the Elu Inlet Lodge, located just south of Victoria Island in Nunavut, Canada, a knowledgable guide takes guests in a five-passenger skiff to explore islands in the Elu Inlet, and on nature hikes to see archaeological sites of ancient tent rings, kayak stands, and fire pits. Guests will also have a chance to learn about the cultural arts from local Inuit artists.

What we like about the tour is that the Elu Inlet Lodge is owned and operated by Inuit, which means your money is going to help locals. (Frontiers North Adventures was nominated for Parks Canada Sustainable Tourism Award in 2006 for its efforts to encourage appreciation of Canada's cultural, natural, and aesthetic heritage.) The tour price includes two nights at Cambridge Bay, five nights at Elu Inlet Lodge, most meals, and round-trip airfare.

Frontiers North has many other tours around the far reaches of Canada, including tours to the Hudson Strait, Igloolik (to see walruses), and Cape Churchill (to see polar bears). "We've got the best access in the world to wild  polar bears," John Gunter, Frontiers North general manager, told IT. Because of that, they're able to provide one of their Tundra Buggies, as well as lodging and a wireless transmission to the cameraman for National Geographic.com's live Polar Bear Cam -- check it out!
 

Image: © Frontiers North Adventures

Tour Guide: UN Guide to Guides

Here's a useful tool: Friends of World Heritage has a list of community tour operators in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America that have been approved by the UN World Heritage Foundation.

Tour operators include the Shampole Community Trust in Kenya (offering eco-friendly, luxury accommodations which we wrote about here), the Talamanca Initiative in Costa Rica (a biodiversity conservation group that focuses on reducing poverty) and the Bunaken National Marine Park Management Advisory Board in Indonesia (which offers homestays and eco-friendly lodging on Bunaken Island).

One hundred percent of funds raised through the Friends of the World Heritage Fund will go to World Heritage projects. Likewise, Expedia and the UN Foundation frequently match and triple the amount already raised.

Tour Guide: A Presidential Christmas

Since it's increasingly hard to step inside the White House for a tour, we offer up two presidential homes just outside Washington, D.C. that have festive holiday tours every year.

Visit Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home in Charlottesville, Virginia, just two hours south of the District. The guided Holiday Signature Tour will take guests through the main house (designed and built by Jefferson himself) and includes a peek at the third-floor Dome Room, which is excluded from regular house tours. Construction on the mansion began in 1769 and was completed in 1809. Tours begin at 5:30 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. on select Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays throughout December ($40 per person).

George Washingon's Virginia home (16 miles south of D.C.) can also be toured during the holiday season. Tickets for evening "candlelight" tours (hosted by "Martha Washington") of the Mount Vernon mansion sell out quickly, but visitors can still enjoy a tour of the house and grounds during the day. Enjoy hot cider and cookies, listen to stories about how the Washingtons celebrated Christmas, and take the stairs up to the usually closed third floor. Be sure to bring home the first First Lady's Great Cake recipe, which calls for 40 eggs, four pounds of butter, and four pounds of sugar. (The recipe has been adjusted for "modern" tastes, but still includes ten eggs, one pound of butter, and one pound of sugar.)

Holiday tours of Mount Vernon run everyday through January 6 (adult/child $13/$6; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.). When you need a bit or warming up (the 18th-century mansion does not have central heat, after all), check out the estate's new $24-million Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center, which has 23 gallery and theatre exhibits, and also serves as Washington's presidential library.

Photos: Dining room at Mount Vernon (above) and Martha Washington's Great Cake (right); Mount Vernon Ladies' Association

Tour Guide: San Fran's Chinatown

In many major U.S. cities, you'll find a cultural hub we all know as Chinatown (unless you're in Seattle, where it's the politically-correct "International District"). As many people flock to Chinatown for its cheap eats, the history and cultural aspects of these places often get forgotten.

That's why the Chinese Culture Center in San Francisco offers guided Chinatown Walking Tours through one of the largest Chinese communities outside Asia. San Francisco's Chinatown was settled in the 1860s along what is now Grant Avenue. The tours begin at the Cultural Center (750 Kearny Street) and may stop at the Tin How Temple (the oldest Chinese temple in the U.S., founded in 1852), the Chinese Historical Society of America, and churches, schools, tea shops, and food markets, along with other interesting historical sites.

The two-hour tours cost $18.00 and are available Tuesday-Saturday. Don't miss the Cultural Center's Chinese Culinary Walk, which visits the poultry market and fortune cookie factories, and also includes a dim sum lunch. The Culinary Walk is temporarily unavailable, so be sure to check with the Cultural Center before planning your tour.

If you'd rather brave Chinatown on your own, be sure to check out our Places of a Lifetime walking tours of San Francisco, which include Chinatown, Union Square, and Telegraph Hill.

Photo: Heather Allamon