Here’s a secret: Pay attention to your conversations after you return home from traveling. Listen for the insights and observations you exhale as naturally as your breath—the stories that are so much a part of you that you barely notice. This is where you will find the lessons of your trip.
Do you complain incessantly about the lack of WiFi at the remote Patagonian lodge where you stayed?
Perhaps you tell everyone how much you enjoyed the experience of eating in Italy—the outdoor cafes, the leisurely pace of meals, shopping for fresh produce in the markets?
Are you unable to stop talking about the 10-day silent retreat you’re just back from?
Hidden in each story is a nugget of self-awareness.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Do you wish you could bring your yoga instructor on vacation? Have you vowed to continue your practice when you travel only to find that you don’t? Then check out this new Kenya Yoga Safari with my friend Whitney Bushnell, a private yoga instructor and travel professional.
This spring (May 16 - 24, 2014) Africa safari specialists Extraordinary Journeys and Whitney have teamed up in Kenya to offer a unique safari experience featuring exciting wildlife, bespoke luxury, breathtaking landscapes, authentic cultural engagement and exclusive yoga instruction.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
THIS JUST IN: Aurora Expeditions Becomes First Operator to Offer Snorkeling in Antarctica.
Expedition cruise and adventure company Aurora Expeditions has just announced that they will be offering passengers the chance to snorkel in Antarctica, becoming the first tour operator to offer guests the opportunity to explore the icy waters alongside penguins, seals and whales.
Why go:
In addition to serious bragging rights, you’ll be among the first to witness Antarctica’s extraordinary wildlife and underwater world from a truly unique angle. Passengers who select this option will be provided with all of the training and equipment they need including expert polar diving guides, specially designed Waterproof© Snorkel-Drysuits, gloves, hood, fins, mask, and snorkel.
How it works:
Passengers who take part will enjoy the opportunity to snorkel daily (weather dependant) in sheltered bays, off shore islands and secluded ship wrecks which make for spectacular wildlife viewing. Polar Snorkeling Cost: US$975pp
Dates and rates:
Aurora Expeditions have a selection of voyages that include Polar Snorkeling in February 2014 and 2015
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Is an African safari on your bucket list? Do you dream of photographing the extraordinary wildlife, seeing the vast plains of the Serengeti, and staying in luxurious camps, with all the comforts, in of some of the planet’s most amazing wilderness?
Get ready, because Mountain Travel Sobek (MTS), pioneers in adventure travel, just launched an Ultimate Tanzania Sweepstakes in celebration of their 40th anniversary.
Prize pack includes:
- -12-day Ultimate Tanzania Safari.
- -Roundtrip airfare from Exito Travel.
- -Gear pack with safari clothes and goodies from Magellan’s.
Sweepstakes ends July 18th, 2013. No purchase necessary to win.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
When it comes to adventurous vacation ideas, one of my most trusted insiders is Nancy Harrison, founding partner of Adventure Media. Offering a blend of expertise, connections, and good value, Nancy and her team specialize in introducing travelers to some of the best adventure travel experiences the world has to offer.
When I read through this hand-selected list of summer travel ideas that Nancy sent along recently, I was ready to pack my bags. I hope it inspires you to do the same.
1. Explore the Sights, Sounds, and Tastes of China On An Authentic Cultural Family Vacation
Experience the sights, sounds, and tastes of China with your family this summer on this new Smithsonian Family Adventure by family travel experts, Thomson Family Adventures. From cosmopolitan cities to rural villages, this exclusive family adventure takes travelers to see authentic China, a land that’s in transition between ancient and modern. As with all of Thomson’s tours, children have the opportunity to meet a pen pal while on the trip … Thomson Family Adventures
2. Celebrate Summer With Your Family On A Rafting Trip Down The Wild & Scenic Rogue River
There’s nothing quite like spending long summer days in the great outdoors while breathing in the fresh air of summer and spending time with loved ones. Venture outside to Southern Oregon’s historic Rogue River for some rough and tumble fun on a whitewater rafting vacation that includes riverside camping… Rogue Wilderness Adventures
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
I know I’d love to view tigers in the wild.
I know India is a mind-bending destination that’s been transforming travelers for centuries.
But knowing whether my tourism dollars should, or should not, go to supporting tiger tracking in India… not so much.
That’s why I rely on organizations like National Geographic, Sustainable Travel, and the Adventure Travel Trade Association, to help inform my travel choices.
So ever since Wildland Adventures’ Tigers and Travels trip to India was recognized by National Geographic Traveler magazine as a 2011 Tour of a Lifetime, I’ve been itching to go.
On this 19-day tour, guests search for tigers in the famed Bandhavgarh and Kanha National Parks, explore ancient forts and castles, and are immersed in the contemporary cultural fabric of modern India.
Based from sustainable jungle lodges and restored manor homes and palaces, travelers learn about the current state of tigers in India and how tourism-supported programs such as Wildlands’ 10,000 Tigers initiative are working to bring these big cats back from the brink of extinction by empowering communities to protect their habitat and end illegal poaching.
The best part? By participating on this trip you help save tigers, in part by supporting the local communities around the parks so they benefit from ecotourism.
I’m sold. You?
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".