Time to go to the Gap

Adventure Travels with GapAmerica, that is: http://www.gapadventures.com/

How about some Adventure Travel in Austria?

From GapAmerica's website:

Mountainous, landlocked Austria was the epicentre of the powerful Hapsburg dynasty for 600 years. Nowhere was its wealth and power displayed more openly than in riotously Baroque Vienna, which the Hapsburgs adorned with talent as much as it did architecture: the city has been home to no less illustrious composers than Beethoven, Haydn, Schubert, Brahms and Mahler. Medieval-flavoured Salzburg, despite being the birthplace of Mozart and home to one of the world's greatest classical festivals, may be best known as the setting for the Sound of Music. And on the natural front, Austria is cut by Europe's greatest and most beautiful river, the Danube, while the over half the country is covered by the Alps, and offers legendary hiking and skiing.

Their tours:

Best of Eastern Europe
Countries Visited: Austria Czech Republic Hungary Poland Slovakia

Paris to Venice Adventure:
Countries Visited: Austria Belgium Czech Republic France Germany Hungary Italy Netherlands Poland Slovenia

Paris to Prague Adventure:
Countries Visited: Belgium Czech Republic France Germany Netherlands Poland

Prague to Venice Adventure:
Countries Visited: Austria Czech Republic Hungary Italy Slovenia

Adventure Travel In Virginia Beach, Virginia

The adventurer traveler will find much to enjoy in Virginia Beach, Virginia (especially now that summer is coming!)

For the bicyclist, there's the Back Bay Refuge at 4005 Sandpiper Road.

Back Bay Refuge contains over 8,000 acres. Habitats include beach, dunes, woodland, farm fields, and marsh. The majority of refuge marshlands are on islands contained within the waters of Back Bay. Approximately 10,000 snow geese and a large variety of ducks visit Back Bay Refuge during the peak of fall migration, usually in December. The refuge also provides habitat for a wide assortment of other wildlife, including threatened and endangered species such as loggerhead sea turtles, piping plovers, peregrine falcons, and bald eagles. Back Bay provides scenic trails, a visitor contact station, and, with advance scheduling, group educational opportunities. Fishing, hunting, bicycling and hiking are available. The Back Bay Refuge is located near Virginia Beach - south of Sandbridge at the southern end of Sandpiper Road.

If you'd like to try horseback riding but don't have much - or any - experience, check out the Easy Does It Riding Academy, at 3581 Muddy Creek Road. They offer summer camps and ranch tours.

Of course, the Beach is the main attraction at Virginia Beach. There is surfing, several locations that offer parasailing, and swimming.

White water rafting in West Virginia

Rafting Season Opens April 10th

http://www.raftinginfo.com/

Ready to start planning your wild, wonderful West Virginia vacation? Get the most authentic experience and the best value with River Expeditions as your host. Count on them to provide all the elements of an exciting vacation getaway while balancing your schedule, budget and interests. Take advantage of their affordable whitewater rafting and area adventure vacation packages while making the most of your visit to the scenic New River Gorge National Park.

Choose a high-energy white water rafting adventure, a relaxing retreat, or something in between. Diverse recreation, lodging and meal options guarantee there’s something for everyone to enjoy – whether you’re traveling with your family, friends, co-workers or a group. Rafting experiences range from moderate, low-impact to exhilarating, high-impact adventures while accommodations vary from primitive camping at our basecamp and along the river to deluxe cabins, hotels and luxury resorts. Let them create your custom West Virginia vacation package.

Discover the excitement of rafting America's Best Whitewater®! Experience the history, culture and fun of New River or challenge yourself on the wild and scenic Gauley River - fall releases create world-class whitewater. Trips are available for beginner to advanced rafters.

River Expeditions goes that extra mile by providing online tools to make preparing for your trip easier with helpful West Virginia Vacation FAQ's, downloadable brochure/adventure guide and rafting forms, testimonials submitted by past guests, and an online newsletter to keep you informed about upcoming deals. For up to the minute information, follow them at Twitter.com/raftinginfo or become a Fan at Facebook.com/raftinginfo

Alaska Adventures from TrekAmerica - Kenai Peninsuala

Alaska in winter is cold, but now that summer is almost upon us, it's time to consider taking a Trek America Alaskan adventure

Alaskan Kenai (late June to July)

7 days, from ANCHORAGE to ANCHORAGE
Trek Type: TrekAmerica (18-38's)
Destination: Alaska
Accommodation: Camping
Trek Code: AK

TOUR OVERVIEW
Wilderness experience, Alaska-style! Clear mountain lakes, salmon-filled streams and majestic fjords are just a few of the Alaskan Kenai's attractions.

INCLUDED HIGHLIGHTS
Luxury wilderness camp, including boat transfers and all meals
Sea kayaking
Wildlife viewing
Visit Alaskan glaciers
Scenic walks and hikes
National parks - Kenai Fjords and Kenai National Wildlife Refuge
Services of a TrekAmerica tour leader
All transportation by private adventure vehicle
6 nights camping fees & equipment (except sleeping bag)

Is it time to TrekAmerica?

TrekAmerica is a business that's been around since 1972. Here's its website: http://www.trekamerica.com/.

TrekAmerica offers six adventure packages:
USA Adventure
Canada Adventure
Alaska Adventure
Mexico Adventure
Costa Rica Adventure
Peru Adventure

So, let's start with USA Adventures:

Here are only a few examples of the multitude on offer:

NEW YORK CITY TO NIAGARA FALLS - 3 days from NEW YORK AREA
TrekAmerica (18-38's) | USA East | Camping
May-Oct from: US$429

Mini Adventure | Niagara Falls | Syracuse
Leaving the bright lights and crazy nights of New York City behind, venture deep into 'up state' New York for a night on the shore of the Finger Lakes with it's many waterfalls and wineries, then on to the thundering wonder of the incomparable Niagara Falls!

LAS VEGAS TO THE GRAND CANYON - 4 days from LAS VEGAS
TrekAmerica (18-38's) | USA West | Camping
May-Oct from: US$699

Cowboy Camp | Grand Canyon | Monument Valley
Cowboys, canyons and Indians - need we say more? Experience an authentic cowboy BBQ and bunkhouse accommodation before a night with the Navajo people deep in the heart of Monument Valley, then top it all off with the grandest canyon on earth!


LOS ANGELES TO THE GRAND CANYON - 4 days from LOS ANGELES
TrekAmerica (18-38's) | USA West | Camping
Apr-Oct from: US$569

Mini Adventure | Grand Canyon | Las Vegas
Escape the hustle and bustle of Los Angles for the best of the best of the Desert Southwest! From Lake Havasu to the Grand Canyon, then follow old Route 66 over the Hoover Dam into Las Vegas for an included limousine tour that you'll never forget!

If you're thinking its time to tour America, give http://www.trekamerica.com/ a look.

Yo ho, yo ho, the ocean cruising life for me

There are some people who do, and some who sit in armchairs and read about those who do, and then there are those who not only read but also do, and I'd wager that it is those people, who read as well as do, who get the most fun out of their trips, because they're the best prepared.

In that regard, I've been reading through Latitudes & Attitudes, published by Seafaring International, which is "an inside look at the cruising lifestyle."

Now, this is the type of life I'd like to lead, or an adventurous couple of weeks I'd like to spend, except for one thing, I get seasick at the drop of a hat and don't get well again until I get off the boat. (I visited a docked tall ship at the Hampton Roads Blackbeard Festival a couple of years ago, and within a minute was seasick, and it wasn't doing anything except gently raising up and down!)

So this kind of romantic adventure is something that I can only experience second hand, by reading about it.

But if you have no such qualms, look into it. The cruising lifestyle requires that you have the funds to purchase a yacht of suitable size, can afford marina fees, and so on, which is getting more and more difficult these days. Nevertheless, if you can afford it, go for it.

How about some nautical terms? (From dictionary.com)

Scuttlebutt:
1805, "water cask kept on a ship's deck," from scuttle "opening in a ship's deck" (see scuttle (v.2)) + butt "barrel." Earlier scuttle cask (1777). Meaning "rumor, gossip" first recorded 1901, originally nautical slang, traditionally said to be from sailors' custom of gathering around the scuttlebutt to gossip.

Chandlery:
[Middle English chaundeler, from Old French chandelier, from Vulgar Latin *candēlārius, from Latin candēla, candle; see candle.]
chan'dler·y (chānd'lə-rē)
In other words, a chandler was someone who sold candles. Today, it's a place to stock up on nautical gear.

Flotsam, Jetsam and Lagan
Flotsam the part of the wreckage of a ship and its cargo found floating on the water (c.1600, from Anglo-Fr. floteson, from O.Fr. flotaison "a floating," from floter "to float" (of Gmc. origin) + -aison, from L. -ation(em). Spelled flotsen till mid-19c. when it altered, perhaps under influence of many English words in -some.) In British law, flotsam are goods found floating on the sea as a consequence of a shipwreck or action of wind or waves; jetsam are things cast out of a ship in danger of being wrecked, and afterward washed ashore, or things cast ashore by the sailors. Whatever sinks is lagan (anything sunk in the sea, but attached to a buoy or the like so that it may be recovered.)

Websites:
oceanwatch.com
www.seafaring.com

Seminars and SAils
Bob Bitchin's [yes, that's his real name] Advanced Cuising and Lee Chesneau's Advanced Weather Seminars: Portofino Hotel and Yacht Club in Redondo Beach. August 21-22.

Lats & Atts Share ther Sail: May 9-16th in Thailand.
check it out at http://www.seafaring.com

Paragliding in Nepal

Here's a video of a trainer and a newbie paragliding in Nepal. Fun to watch, and to know what to expect when you first go paraglding.

Travel resources: iexplore.com

Check out http://www.iexplore.com/ to see the great adventure travels they have on offer at this tour-booking site.

Their top ten tours this month are:
1 Egypt: Temples and Nile Cruise
2 India: Cultural Exploration
3 Expedition to Antarctica
4 Australia: Explore the Outback
5 New Zealand: Active Adventure
6 Japan: Culture & History
7 Ecuador: Active Adventure
8 Chile: Land of Fire & Ice
9 China: Cultural Experience
10 Nepal: Culture & Adventure

The iexplore webiste also has a great feature where you can type in your favorite activity - from biking to hiking to fishing to exploring botanical gardens or architectural ruins, and they'll come up with the top 10 places around the world for that activity.

Again, check it out at http://www.iexplore.com/.

White Water Rafting trip New River West Virginia

Here's a video of White Water Rafting trip New River West Virginia.

Doesn't it look fun?



Check out: http://www.aceraft.com/

Adventure travel with your dog, in Vermont

Ever heard of the Paw House Inns?

It's located at the base of Mount Snow, and nearby Killington, in Vermont.

Here's the website for Mount Snow: http://www.pawhousemtsnow.com/.

Welcome to the charm of Vermont and come home to a special place where dog owners needs and desires are completely understood.

Our most unique pet friendly hotel is located three minutes to the base of the Mount Snow ski area nestled within the majestic valley of the Vermont State Forest.

Awaiting you and your best friends are spacious grounds, tail-proofed luxuries, and easy access to Vermont's dog friendly, four season treasures...dare we say pawfect!

Depending upon your dates, nightly rates range from $155-$295 are inclusive our on-site dog care facility, use of our dog-friendly amenities, and a gourmet breakfast (for humans)

Also available on-site is human pampering at our fabulous Human Pampering Spa and dog pampering too at our State of the art Grooming Facility

Also check out our other wonderful dog friendly inn in Vermont's spectacular Killington Region.

And here's the Killington website:

http://www.pawhouseinn.com/killington-okemo.html

Our historic 1786 farmhouse B&B is an intimate country retreat located in South Central Vermont, just a short drive to Killington and Okemo resorts.

Rates range from $135-$245 and include use of our on site dog care facility, full country breakfast for humans, and a great time for all!

Depending on the type of dog you have, you can fit him - or her, with a harness and go "skijoring." What this means is, your dog will pull you along on skis.

There are hundreds of miles of dog-friendly trails. There's also a doggy daycare center.

Each room comes with a padded doggy bed. Dogless humans are welcome - for a $10 surcharge.

http://pawhouseinn.com

Even the Out-Of-Shape Can go Bicycle Touring

Many people have longed to go for a bicycle tour... of the United States, England, or some country in Europe, but given up that dream because they simply were not in good enough physical condition to do so ... the though of having to bike up a long, steep hill stopped them in their tracks.

Well, with the advent of the electric bicycle, that no longer needs to be a concern. An electric bicycle - depending on the type you get - allows the rider to pedal it like a normal bicycle for most of the ride, and then just press a button to start the motor when a hill manifests itself.

So there's no reason anymore (well, except that of price!) why people can't get on their bikes and go riding around the country.



(Of course, safety is an issue. Many drivers continue to treat bicyclists as if they have no right to the road, when of course they do, and accidents do happen. Worse than that, even when it's clear the driver was at fault, he or she very frequently is not punished at all... there seems to be a tacit agreement that any accident between a car and a bike is de facto the bicyclists fault because he or she had no business being on the road.

So activism in that area needs to continue.

But accidents can happen anywhere at any time, and now that the ebike revolution has bicycle tourng in the reach of so many people, why not do some research and plan a trip...and then take that trip?

Kayaking Events Calender, March 2010

If you're a kayaker, you might be interested in checking out some of these events.

March 12 - 14, 2010
Canoecopia
www.canoecopia.com

March 20, 2010
River Quest 2010
www.HigherGroundBeaufort.com

March 26-28, 2010
PaddleSport 2010
www.jerseypaddler.com

March 27, 2010
Hope Floats
hopefloats.homestead.com/index.html

The Armchair Adventurer: Sea Kayaker

So you're sitting on the couch, watching the snow outside your window panes (or, if you're lucky, watching it melt!) and you can't afford to go on vacation for a few months. So what do you do?

Why, you plan your vacation? Especially in these days when every penny, and really, every second, counts.

Depending on your adventure of choice, there is literature somewhere that will tell you the information you need - reviews of the tools, where to go, and so on. But of course you will always need to practice your hobby or sport, before going off on the wild side.

So Let's talk about sea kayaking. There's a magazine for this, called Sea Kayaker: Experience the World's Wterways. The current issue has a photo of Freya Hoffmeister on the cover, with an article on how she just completed her circumnavigation of Australia by Kayak.

The magazine also has reviews of two kayaks - the Alchemy 140.S by Dagger and the Pinguino Sport by Pygmy Boats.

There are also two features: St. Andrews by-the-Sea, Exploring Passamaquoddy Bay (up in Canada) and Blown Away on Lake Powell (between Utah and Arizona).

Then there's a science article, on understanding plankton blooms.

There's also a cautionary tale, "How-not-to". A mman tells the story of how his kayak and hiis car roof rack had peeled right off while he was driving. Because of the wind forces on a kayak, always remember to tie down the bow of the kayak, and make sure that the points where you tie down the kayak don't have sharp edges to fray the rope.

National Geographic Adventure

"Dream it. Plan it. Do it."

Hopefully everyone has heard of National Geographic magazine, which has been in existence for over 100 years. There is also a somewhat less scholarly magazine put out by the Natioanl Geographic Society, called National Geographic Adventure.

So what's in the latest (Dec/January 2010) issue?

1. Nat Geo in the Field
2. Field Notes
--Go green
--Dream job
--The good stuff
--Leading edge
--Gear crush
3. High performance (Lindsey Vonn)
4. Media (polar bears on thin ice and more)
5. Deep survival (charging people who need to be rescued)
6. Intelligent design (watches)
7. Digital Adventure (cameras)
8. 18 instand adventures
9. Wild roads
10. Adventure Town
11. Argentina uncorked
12. World class (three far-flung retreats)
13. The Visionary (curing preventable blindness around the world)
14. They did it: Adventures of the year
19. Must have gear
20. The Wayfinders (Polynesians sailing the open ocean)

Check out Wend magazine

Wend magazine is an online zine that promotes Adventure Travel activism.

Here's the description of their magazine, from their website:

Wend is a forum for real people, writing real stories about real adventures and real environmental issues. As an independent media group, active in both environmental activism and the outdoors, we realize that part of going off the beaten path means making sure the path doesn’t get beaten. We are a magazine that understands that to advocate for the majesty of nature, we’d be hypocritical to print on paper that comes from destroying it, and thus, every issue of Wend is printed on locally sourced, FSC certified paper.

Our mission is to educate and inspire, as we see travel and experience as revelation that enriches our lives, and makes us better world citizens. We travel not to escape but to challenge ourselves and discover the humanity that every culture, big or small, poor or rich, shares. Sometimes grand adventure takes us to the other side of the planet, atop a towering peak, across an ocean, or even to our own cities, just around the corner. Our narrative style doesn’t focus so much on where we go, or what summit we made, but rather all the nuances of how we get there. We are people who write in our journals, take photographs, and build our understanding of the world one step at a time with humility and respect.

We believe in partnering with outdoor brands and environmental organizations who exist to promote a true green ethic and economy. We have built our growth model so that our love for the earth, in all its vast wonders, translates into a better ability to affect the destiny we face as human inhabitants of it.

Parasailing in Tacoma

Pacific Parasail is a parasail outfit located out of Tacoma.

Summer Hours - consisting of Memorial Day Weekend (May 23, 24, 25) thru September 7, will find parasailing available from 11am TO dusk.

From September 8 thru September 30, parasailing is available through appointment only, doubtless because of the weather. And of course there's no parasailing between October thru April.

What is parasailing?

Parasailing, also known as parascending, is a recreational activity where a person is towed behind a vehicle (usually a boat) while attached to a specially designed parachute, known as a parasail. The boat then drives off, carrying the parascender into the air. If the boat is powerful enough, two or three people can parasail behind it at the same time. The parascender has little or no control over the parachute.

There are six parts of a parasail. The harness attaches the pilot to the parasail, which is connected to the boat, or land vehicle, by the tow rope. The activity is primarily a fun ride, not to be confused with the sport of paragliding. There are commercial parasailing operations all over the world.

Land based parasailing has also been formed into competition sport in Europe. In land based competition parasailing, the parasail is towed to maximum height behind a 4 wheel drive vehicle and then releases the tow line and flies down to a target area in an accuracy competition. The sport was developed in the early 80's and has been very popular ever since. The first international competitions were held in the mid 80's and continue to run today

Here's the history from Wikipedia:

PARASAIL CANOPY INVENTIONS The first towed parachutes were developed by Pierre-Marcel Lemoigne in 1961. Lemoigne is a well known developer of ParaCommander-type of parachutes known as "ParaCommander" or PC-canopies that were derived from free fall parachutes. The date of the first towing of a parachute (parasail)is not known, but one of the first mentions is a flight by Colonel Michel Tournier from France flying behind a tractor in the same year - 1961. In 1963 Jacques-André Istel from Pioneer Parachute Company bought a license from Lemoigne to manufacture and sell the 24-gore parachute canopy he had developed for towing which was labelled as a "parasail".

In early 1974, Brian Gaskin designed, created and tested the first purpose made parasail which was a 16-gore canopy design which he named "Waterbird". The Waterbird was revolutionary in its canopy design, its unique tow yoke harness arrangement its construction and the use of zero perosity fabrics which allowed it to be used over water safely. The majority of commercial parasail operators utilise the 16-gore canopy design that was derived from Gaskin's original invention. In 1975 Gaskin founded his company Waterbird Parakites which is still in operation today, producing commercial and recreational 16-gore parasails worldwide.

Sailing in Seattle

The United States is bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east.

It's one thing to sail on a lake, quite another to do ocean sailing!

So, let's talk about sailing in Seattle.

If you're going to go ocean sailing, and you've never sailed before, or even if you have sailed, but only on a lake, you need to take a few classes, or at least sail with some other, experienced people, until you know everything you need to know.

The Seattle Sailing Club, located out of Shilshole Bay Marina for over forty years, is one place to start.

They:

run American Sailing Association certification courses starting with Basic Keelboat 101 through Celestial Navigation 107 on weekends, weekdays and weekday evenings every month of the year. They also run spinnaker handling courses, racing courses and weeklong cruise-n-learn courses in the San Juan Islands. They keep their class sizes small, no more than 4 people, to give people as much one-on-one time with their instructor and as much time as possible on the helm/crew positions on 24-36 foot racing and cruising sailboats.

Sailnet.com explains some differences between ocean sailing and lake sailing.

In ocean (or "blue water) sailing, the waves are bigger BUT the wind does not gust like it does on many lakes.

Lake sailors spend a lot more time tacking.

Blue water sailors are, usually, better prepared to handle things like chafing issues and securing the interior of the boat for these things as well as things like running preventers.

And then there's the all important issue of navigation. "There's not much to navigation on "most" inland water ways!"

Let's talk Adventure Travel

ProtoTravels is embarking on a new direction - Adventure Travel.

What is Adventure Travel?

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about it:

Adventure travel is a type of tourism, involving exploration or travel to remote, exotic and possibly hostile areas. Adventure tourism is rapidly growing in popularity, as tourists seek different kinds of vacations. According to the U.S. based Adventure Travel Trade Association, adventure travel may be any tourist activity, including two of the following three components: a physical activity, a cultural exchange or interaction and engagement with nature.

Adventure tourism gains much of its excitement by allowing its participants to step outside of their comfort zone. This may be from experiencing culture shock or through the performance of acts, that require significant effort and involve some degree of risk (real or perceived) and/or physical danger. This may include activities such as mountaineering, trekking, bungee jumping, mountain biking, rafting, zip-lining and rock climbing. Some obscure forms of adventure travel include disaster and ghetto tourism. Other rising forms of adventure travel include social and jungle tourism.

Access to inexpensive consumer technology, with respect to Global Positioning Systems, flashpacking, social networking and photography, have increased the worldwide interest in adventure travel. The interest in independent adventure travel has also increased as more specialist travel websites emerge offering previously niche locations and sports

Here at ProtoTravels, we're going to concentrate on "adventure" in the formerly accepted use of the word - going mountain or rock climing, hiking in out of the way locations, sky diving, parasailing, and so on!