BootsnAll Travel Community

Hello! I'm planning to take some time off from mid July to mid Aug, and go somewhere for a month. I have some places in mind (Costa Rica, Spain, Alaska, etc). But needs some suggestions as well!

I'm most interested in adventure travel, hiking, paddling, abseling, etc.

Let me know some good places to go from mid July to mid Aug, any suggestions on tips or tour operators as well! Thanks!

Both CR and AK would be great for adventure travel. I would personaly go to AK! I've already been to CR and if you go there you'll love it, it's awesome. But that is a great time of year for AK and not the greatest for CR (hottest time and rainy) I also think that adventure travel in AK would be more interesting, exciting and diverse.

Well, if you want something that lets you do all the things you list AND is a bit different (and about to be hot hot hot!) then you might consider slovenia....its getting rave reviews in all the travel press at the moment

Philip

www.philipblazdell.com

Wow, I would have never thought of Slovenia! I'll have to check it out! Thanks for the suggestions.

http://www.geocities.com/mumsawas

I would go to Alaska. But then I live here so I would save on airfare. But seriously, you should visit AK in the summer. Where else besides scandanavia can you get that eternal sunlight, animals and crazy people?

Here are some web sites http://www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm
http://www.alaskan.com/outdoors/outdoors.htm (i wish I could handle the hyperlinks)

If you bring your tent and sleeping bag, you can always ask people outside Anchorage to camp on their property. Or if you have a car just pull over.

My favorite trip last year was driving over the Taylor Highway to Dawson city, Canada. I was there for July 1st which is Canada day. Watched the parade and live music for a few days and then drove to Eagle, AK for July 4th. Eagle is great. The 200 people that live there 90 min off the highway are cut off all winter when the road closes. So they are very friendly to new faces. My favorite place to stay is Gakona Lodge, mile 2 Tok cutoff rd. St.Elias-Wrangell park is very pristine and uncrowded compared to Denali.

ok, I can go on and on but I better do some work here...

Karin in Alaska

~ A peacock who sits on his tail is just another turkey

Karin, do you have any recommendations on any of the tour operators (kayaking, glacier hike, hiking, etc) in Alaska?

http://www.geocities.com/mumsawas

I'm currently planning a kayaking trip in Alaska in early September. I found one company out of Homer that looks pretty good. They're a smaller outfit and seem like the kind of mom & pop operation I like to support:
True North Kayak Adventures

Marisa, I have never used any of the companies since I usually do it with friends on our own. I know that NOVA is the oldest running rafting company http://www.alaska.net/~nova/home.htm but I agree with rambleturk that the small companies are good too. I think you should go down to Homer. Its a 5 hour drive from Anchorage but I believe you can camp for free on the spit (sand bar). You will be surrounded by 100s of other tents but it looks fun for the younger crowd.

I like Seward and its only 2 hrs south of me. Seward has lots of day trips by boat to see the puffins, seals, etc. The prices will go down by mid-august to about $60.

Karin in Alaska

~ A peacock who sits on his tail is just another turkey

If you go to homer, on a clear day fly over to Seldovia and stay a night. Get a free tour of the russian orthodox church by the padre and see the boardwalk built by the local transvestite. He built it cuz his high heels got caught in the slough. Eat at Buzz's for great food and coffee. Then take the slow boat or fast boat back to Homer the next day. The plane ride was $25 ow when I did it a few years ago. You can camp anywhere in Seldovia in the park there. There is a beautiful hiking trail that circles Seldovia. If I didnt have to work, I would live in Homer.

Karin in Alaska

~ A peacock who sits on his tail is just another turkey

Awesome! Thanks for the tips! I'll definitely keep these in mind. Where I go really depends on how much I can save. But Alaska definitely looks like a good bet, because it'll be the cheapest - free flight with frequent flier miles!

Marisa

http://www.geocities.com/mumsawas

Ironically enough, this was my very first post/thread to BnA...and now I have a very similar question, so I thought I'd pick up the old thread...

So I've been given the "okay" by my boss to take late July to late August (1 month) off! Yay!

Now..where to go? Last year, I ended up in South America. Passed up Alaska b/c I misread the FF miles..doh!

Anyways, this year, I'll be going with my boyfriend, who is pretty much a travel virgin and a wimpy traveller at that. So, I need suggestions on good places to go for the virgin traveller. Excluding Europe, OZ, New Zealand, and Africa. Where else in the world would be a good place, that wouldn't be too stressful (as for the culture shock factor, crime, etc)? He wants to try the backpacking and hostelling thing out as well.

I also assume that I'll be doing most of the hard work on the trip (hopefully it won't be Amazing Race style...), but I adapt to pretty much any environment.

Any ideas? I'm kinda desperate here

Thx!

Awwwwwhhhh. Your boyfriend is a travel wimp? Has he traveled at all? Ever been out of the US?

If not, and you're still looking for outdoorsy/active.....one easy idea is British Columbia. He gets to be in a foreign country, there is virtually no culture shock other than that whacky Canadian accent, the scenery is spectaculiscious, and it's the perfect time of year weather-wise.
But you weren't real clear on what might appeal to you both.

Cheers,

Travis

Backpacking/hostelling for the virgin traveller?

Thailand, Thailand, Thailand!

Yes, he's a travel wimp! He's been to Cambridge, England for work a few times. And to Wales to watch car rallies. And I dragged him to Belize with me - but it was an organized tour, all inclusive type thing on a private island.

He wants to go to a non-Western country, so that nixes Canada. We'd want some culture shock...but not crazy culture shock. I'd like to go somewhere where the native language is not English, just to throw him off a bit.

I guess I can be more specific here as far as activities go We're both into rock climbing, diving, surf kayaking, wakeboarding. And maybe by the July, we'll be into kiteboarding as well! As a matter of fact, if there's rock climbing, that will be a bonus! I love to hike and don't mind doing multi-day treks, whereas he'd only want to hike for a few hours. He loves cars and car races/rallies, especially World Rally Championship stuff. I love kayaking and would like to go on a multi-day kayaking trip, but he doesn't enjoy sea/ocean kayaking. I love art and architecture, culture, ancient cultures. Beach or mountains suits me! I think he's thinking more of a beach thing?

One more thing, he'd be there only for 2 weeks, whereas I'd be there for a month, so I can do some of the things he doesn't like to do when I'm on my own.

I've been in Spian last year, Madrid is great, I didn't like Barcelona, and Pamplona is great, if you go in July you can see the running of bulls

Another place that comes to my mind is Prague, never been there but sounds good

Gabriela