Posts Tagged ‘culture’

Finding Time In New Zealand

March 8th, 2010

TIMENewZealand253071 2 1024x682 Finding Time In New Zealand

Are you fascinated by global indigenous culture and biodiversity?   Then take a look at New Zealand tours by Auckland tourism company TIME Unlimited Tours.

Recently, the company won the global Indigenous Tourism and Biodiversity Website Award 2010, a collaboration between Planeta.com and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity/UNEP (CBD) and Heidehof Foundation.

This award is presented to an indigenous tourism operation “which has a website that promotes sustainable practices and educates visitors on cultural protocols and biodiversity conservation.”

» Read more: Finding Time In New Zealand

Going Greener In The Caribbean

February 9th, 2010

TaraPenthouseBalconyh 2 1024x614 Going Greener In The Caribbean

Green Caribbean resort Bucuti Beach Resort has launched a new, eco-friendly Experience Aruba Green Package.

On the white sands of Aruba’s Eagle Beach, the 104-room boutique resort for couples features Tara Beach Suites & Spa.  Known for its sustainable tourism, Bucuti has been recognized by the Caribbean Hotel Association and the International Hotel and Restaurant Association for its environmentally responsible hotel operations.

Says Ewald Biemans, Bucuti’s owner:

“At Bucuti, we are passionate about preserving the environment so we can share Aruba’s beauty and culture with guests for years to come.  The Experience Aruba Green Package will allow guests to experience some of the island’s spectacular sights, while also learning about our history and ecology. We hope this will help our guests develop a true sense of place.”

» Read more: Going Greener In The Caribbean

Cycling Cairo to Cape Town

January 26th, 2010

TourAfriqueSunGathering at the start

Fancy cycling across Africa?   Then you might want to check out small, socially responsible bike tour company Tour d’Afrique.

The Toronto-based, bike tour company is named for its annual flagship tour that crosses the African continent from Cairo to Cape Town (7,500 miles in 120 days).

» Read more: Cycling Cairo to Cape Town

10 Asia Blogs You’ll Love

January 19th, 2010
CarrieMySeveralWorldsflickr mosaic 10 Asia Blogs Youll Love

Photo credit: Carrie Kellenberger/My Several Worlds

Is Asia calling?   If it is, there are Asia blogs about everything Asia for everyone from travelers, foodies and expats to educators and photographers.

traveling greener loves My Several Worlds and other blogs by Taiwan-based freelance writer/editor Carrie Kellenberger.  What we love about her blogs is they’re global cool and eclectic with posts on Taiwan, traveling in Asia, art, culture, education, photography and more.

“I love writing. I love traveling. I love photography. I love Asia. I don’t need any more than this to be inspired,” she says.

Kellenberger launched My Several Worlds to keep her family and friends updated on her travels and adventures in Asia.  Since then, she launched another two sites – Taiwan Photographers and Best Beaches in Asia and a third – Lay Your Head Here with her husband.

Says Kellenberger:  “My plan for 2010 is to bring it all back home. I’ll still be writing about travel, destinations, cultures, and lifestyles, but I also want to go old school and start writing more about our personal observations, experiences and travels in Asia.”

Need more inspiration?  Here are 10 Asia Blogs You’ll Love:

1. My Several Worlds

2. Asian Ramblings

3. EatingAsia

4. Unearthing Asia

5. Mike’s Blender

6. Jamie Sinz

7. Annamatic

8. Stickyrice

9. Kunzum

10. Chris in South Korea

What are your favorite Asia blogs?  Share and tell us about them.

Cycling Northern Spain

January 18th, 2010

Galicia NationalTouristOfficeofSpain241176 2 1024x682 Cycling Northern Spain

Have you always dreamed of  Spain’s Camino de Santiago?

Now, you can cycle the legendary pilgrimage in 2010 with Cycling through the Centuries (CTTC).  Based in Portugal, the family-owned, luxury cycling tour specialist strives to maintain eco-friendly and sustainable operations in Spain.

Says the company:

“For a thousand years since the bones of St. James were reputedly discovered in Santiago, common people, bishops, priests, kings, popes and saints have made this famous pilgrimage. Nowadays, the expedition is not as often religiously driven, but a personal journey and test to physical and mental endurance.”

The trip will begin in the Pyrenees above Pamplona then cross northern Spain, visit cathedral cities León and Burgos and make many pilgrim stops.  Each day, the tour will end with relaxing in monasteries, ancient pilgrim inns, small hotels and restaurants famous for their regional cuisine.

For more info, check out CTTC online.

Image courtesy of the National Tourist Office of Spain

Gap Adventures’ New Lifetime Deposits

December 11th, 2009

PlaneterraEcotourismssustainable travel-2

Have you ever had to postpone a trip and been forced to pay additional charges?

Gap Adventures has now adopted a new Lifetime Deposit policy which lets passengers postpone trips indefinitely at no extra charge.  The company says it understands that travel plans change and sometimes need to be delayed and listened to traveler feedback.

The adventure tour operator offers 1,000+ small group experiences, safaris and expeditions on all seven continents to more than 100,000 travelers a year.  Its  adventures focus on wildlife encounters, active travel and cultural interaction, ideal for travelers who want to get off-the-beaten track and experience local culture.

In an adventure travel industry first, passengers who forced to delay a departure will now retain their initial deposit with Gap Adventures for life. The no-questions-asked Lifetime Deposit policy allows passengers to save their initial deposits for Gap Adventures for use at a later date.

Says Bruce Poon Tip, founder of Gap Adventures:

“We see this as an opportunity to once again demonstrate our commitment to leading with service and change this industry-standard practice. We understand the needs of our travelers and we feel that providing this extra flexibility will enhance their travel experiences with us. Under the new policy, deposits are also transferable. Our passengers are telling us they need flexibility now more than ever.  This new policy fits in perfectly with our core mission to provide the best customer service in the industry, which is an essential part of the life-changing adventures that our loyal travellers have come to expect from Gap Adventures.”

The original passenger may transfer the initial deposit to another traveler of their choice at no additional charge. They can also donate their deposit to the non-profit Planeterra Foundation – Gap Adventures will then match the value of that donation.

For more details, check out GapAdventures.com.

Image courtesy of Planeterra Foundation

World Terra Madre Day!

December 10th, 2009

terramadredayLogo ENG 2 973x1024 World Terra Madre Day!

Happy Terra Madre Day!   Today is the first worldwide day to promote sustainable food and eating locally.

On the occasion of Slow Food International’s 20th birthday, Terra Madre Day is being marked by 100,000+ farmers, producers, cooks, students and consumers around the world.

Terra Madre Day celebrates “locally produced food that is good, clean and fair: food that tastes good and is produced without harming the environment and taking social justice issues into consideration.”  Across 150 countries, Slow Food’s 1,300 convivia (local chapters) and the Terra Madre network of 2,000 food communities will participate in this global occasion.

TerraMadreWorldSlowFood 2 1024x542 World Terra Madre Day!

Terra Madre Day celebrations will range from communal meals, themed film screenings and cultural events to excursions to producers, campaigns, meetings and discussions, food and taste education activities and local gatherings of producers, cooks or youth.

Check out the above world map here on the Terra Madre Day website to find events going on in a community nearest you.

What will you be doing this Terra Madre Day?  If you’re interested, join the local celebration in your community.  Or you can plan your own personal celebration wherever you are, from dining out at Venice restaurants, finding green NYC restaurants or buying local food at a Vancouver market.

Here are some of the Terra Madre Day activities around the world:

  • India’s Slow Food Information Day will focus on good, clean and fair food to farmers, local food producers, educators and students.
  • Romania’s Back to Traditions event will show school children how to make traditional bread.
  • Belarus students will learn how to dry and use herbs and berries  in cooking and traditional Belarusian teas.
  • In two Azerbaijan mountain villages, there will be a special Terra Madre school lesson and tasting of products from local beekeepers and producers of mazoni (fermented milk).
  • At Seattle’s Progressive Holiday Block Party, each house will prepare a meal course using locally grown, organic and ethnically diverse ingredients.

For more info, check out Terra Madre Day online.

Images courtesy of Slow Food International

10 Copenhagen Blogs You’ll Love

December 8th, 2009
DanishCyclingEmbassyriding bikes to school1 10 Copenhagen Blogs Youll Love

Image courtesy of Cycling Embassy of Denmark

The COP15 United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009 continues until December 18.   You can check out  COP15  on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Google and sites dedicated to COP15.

traveling greener thought we would again honor Copenhagen, the conference host city.

Here are 10 Copenhagen sites (we and) you’ll love:

1. Green Copenhagen

2. Copenhagen Cycle Chic

3. Copenhagenize

4. Spotted by Locals

5. Copenhagen X

6. CopenhagenStreetStyle

7. Sustainable Cities

8. Eyes Wide Open

9. Expat Copenhagen

10. Copenhagen Daily Photo

Iceland’s “Pompeii of the North”

December 7th, 2009
Icelandwww.arcticimages.com2 Icelands Pompeii of the North

Photo credit: www.arctic-images.com

A new ferry pier on Iceland’s south coast will offer the first high-speed ferry link to the Westman Islands, known as the site of Iceland’s “Pompeii of the North”.

Scheduled to open in July 2010, the new Bakkafjara pier will reduce crossing times to Heimaey, the largest and only inhabited island of the Westman Islands, to just 25 minutes, with up to seven crossings per day.   Travelers will no longer be limited to either flying or taking a 2 hour 45 minute ferry crossing from Þorlákshöfn pier on the Reykanes peninsula.

» Read more: Iceland’s “Pompeii of the North”

Context Travel’s December Special

December 3rd, 2009

FlorenceContextTravel4032202782 74581732fc Context Travels December Special

Context Travel is now offering a special, exclusive 10% discount off its European and North American trips to readers of traveling greener until December 31/09.

The walking tour specialist is a network of English-speaking scholars and professionals who organize and lead eclectic walking seminars in Paris, London, Rome, Florence, Venice, Naples, Istanbul, New York and Philadelphia.

Walking tours are especially green ways to experience and support a destination and its local culture.

Here are just 10 of Context’s “walking seminars”:

1. Paris Food Crawl

2. London: Portrait of a City

3. Runner’s Tour of Rome

4. Picturing Florence: A Photography Workshop

5. Ecology of Venice

6. Naples Shopping Tour

7. History and Continuity in Istanbul

8. Architecture of New York

9. Central Park, American Landscape

10. American Art in Philadelphia

To qualify for this exclusive Context Travel offer,  you must mention traveling greener in your trip notes when booking.

For more info on trips and booking, visit Context Travel online.