So, when the editors at Canadian Mountain Holidays asked me to compile a short list of 2012 travel recommendations for their Adventure blog, the hardest part was narrowing down the selection. 

Wondering where to go next? Your next big adventure may be closer than you think. Check out my suggestions for travel in the new year in the article: Adventure Beyond the Obvious in 2012. 

Better yet, share your own suggestions using the ‘post a comment’ link below. 

So, no matter how eager I may be to go gawk at giant land tortoises, blue-footed boobies, penguins, lava lizards, manta rays and sea lions, if I go, it’s important to go responsibly. 

Which is why my husband and I have chosen to head off next week guilt-free with Ecoventura, a leader in responsible tourism to the Galapagos Islands since 1990.

Their environmentally friendly fleet of 20-passenger expedition vessels, culturally and naturally respectful itineraries, and stellar eco-credentials, will get us up-close-and-personal with the extraordinary wildlife without leaving a harmful footprint in our wake. 

Have you noticed how companies of all sizes are touting their local credentials these days? Whether you are shopping at your local supermarket or deciding on your next vacation destination, advertisements are replete with images of locally sourced fresh food or locally guided unique vacation services. 

And why not? “Buy local” and “local first” campaigns are speaking to our fundamental values to help our local communities before purchasing goods and services provided by large conglomerates.  However, in an effort to align with our ideals, some corporate localwashing has also surfaced within the ecotourism industry since the eco-traveler is one that seeks an authentic connection with people and nature.  Examples of localwashing by ecotourism businesses include ones that:

• emphasize local guides and services only to be foreign owned and managed
• do not purchase any local items such as produce, raw building materials, crafts or furniture but advertise as authentically local cultural experiences

Rather than agonizing over online reviews, guide books and definitions of local-sourced and sustainable tourism; instead use these five planning tips that will help quickly evaluate the local merits of your vacation:

1. Look for legitimate eco-certification labels
2. Choose travel suppliers that support local communities in multiple ways
3. Support tourism providers that specifically offer locally produced items:
4. Choose activities that emphasize environmental awareness
5. Search for opportunities to immerse yourself in local cultural traditions

Once requisite gear for fur traders, the snowshoe is increasingly considered a winter work-out essential by snow-loving sports enthusiasts. The Wayfarers’ Walk will average two to three miles per day, depending on depth of snow and other terrain conditions. In between, participants will enjoy shopping and lunch in the charming town of Estes Park, a spa treatment at the Stanley’s Parlour Spa, and healthy regional fare in the hotel’s relaxed and luxurious Cascades Restaurant. 

Ideal for both first-time and long-term snowshoers, the snowshoe walk pairs a leisurely exploration of the Rocky Mountain’s wintry white scenery with opportunities to unwind in one of the country’s most historic hotels.  The 103-year-old Stanley Hotel is a member of Historic Hotels of America. Scheduled March 18-21, 2012, the Colorado Snowshoe Walk includes the hotel’s famed ghost tour, entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park and snowshoe rental. 

Wayfarers’ Colorado Snowshoe Adventure, from $1,295 per person. Tel: 800 249 4620

Wondering what to get the traveler in your clan? Check out my short-list of travel gifts now online at THE ADVENTURE BLOG or view the collection in the slide show below. For more ideas, see last year’s list as well. 

Begin the new year with an adventure that will make a difference. 

Climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the highest peak on the continent of Africa, and the tallest free standing mountain on earth while fundraising to construct a water reservoir for a community in need in Northern Kenya. The seven-day trip from Elevate Destinations starts at machame Gate, ascending via Stella Point, with a nighttime ascent to the summit.

A few spaces remain open for interested climbers who care about how drought is affecting East Africa, most specifically, Northern Kenya. 

In 1998-2000, Kenya experienced a two year drought. Ongoing issues have prevented communities, livestock and wild animals from having enough water to drink. Daily, Samburu women have to walk for an hour or more to collect water.  The shortage of water means ill-health and dehydration within the whole community - often leading to the prevalence of Trachoma, a leading cause of painful blindness. Reservoirs are of huge benefit to alleviate damage in times of drought.  

The plight of this community is serious, and you can make a tangible difference. This climbing effort will raise funds to construct a rainwater reservoir, which will benefit a local community for decades to come.  

Tell people you’re headed to Mexico and you’ll likely be warned to be careful, to reconsider, or even encouraged not to go at all. However, after living and working in Mexico for the past five months, I am happy to report that the country remains a warm, welcoming, and, with the exception of a few cartel hotspots, a safe place to visit. 

But don’t just take my word for it. Follow the lead of more than 600 travel professionals (myself included), representing some 50 countries, who gathered recently (October 16-20, 2011) in San Cristobal de las Casas, a quaint colonial-era mountain town in the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico, for the industry’s most important annual event, the 2011 Adventure Travel World Summit*.

In place of fear-inspiring headlines, greeting us in Chiapas and across the country, were hospitable locals, colorful colonial-era cities, culturally-rich indigenous communities, lush tropical rainforests, cloud-cloaked mountain ranges, deep river canyons, cattle-dotted ranch lands, and pristine coastal plains.

For those ready to journey beyond the headlines and discover the real Mexico, here are eight hand-picked adventures from trusted adventure outfitters.

The Senior and Access passes provide admission to, and use of, federal recreation sites that charge entrance or standard amenity fees. Pass users also receive a 50% discount on some amenity fees for activities like camping and launching a boat. They are available to citizens and permanent residents of the United States age 62 or more or who have permanent disabilities regardless of age.

 The “Senior” and “Access” versions of the America the Beautiful Pass – the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass – are good for a lifetime. The Access pass is free and the Senior pass is just $10. There is a $10 processing fee to receive either pass by the mail.

To get your Senior pass through the mail just submit a completed application, proof of residency and age, and $20. The fee covers the cost of the pass and a document processing fee. You can print out an application at this web site: http://store.usgs.gov/pass/index.html. Once the application package is received and the documentation verified, the pass will be mailed to you.

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?

Planning a planet-friendly vacation isn’t always easy for those who love to travel to exotic and inspirational places, but wish to do so in an environmentally and culturally responsible manner.

Enter eco-conscious, Irene Lane, founder of Greenloons, a business dedicated to helping travelers source the green vacation of their dreams. 

“Traveling sustainably in new destinations, says Lane, “helps raise living standards and can create environmental reverence by emphasizing conservation education and advocating sustainable activities that lessen degradation.”

To help get you off the sometimes beaten green path, here are Lane’s suggestions for the Top 10 Emerging Destinations for Green and Sustainable Travel:

1.  Jordan’s eco-lodges combine local heritage and educational experiences while exploring a mix of modernity, ancient wonders and nature. Think horse or camel safaris, Bedouins, the endangered Arabia oryx, Petra, the Dead Sea and trekking through Dana Nature Reserve. Jordan Family Adventure

Yellowstone National Park Lodges has announced its line-up of Winter Getaway and Adventure packages for the 2011/2012 season.

The park’s winter season begins Dec. 18, 2011 with the opening of the Old Faithful Snow Lodge. The Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel opens Dec. 20, 2011. The lodges provide the only wintertime accommodations within the park. Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel will close for the season March 5, 2012, and Old Faithful Snow Lodge will close March 4, 2012.

Each package includes Xanterra’s “Snow Card” good for 10 percent off meals, in-park transportation, tours, ski shop services and select retail items. Rates quoted here are per person, double occupancy, plus tax and utility fee.

Adventure Package

 “Trail of the Wolf” provides travelers with an opportunity to explore the park’s interior with a guide and learn about its abundant natural features in places such as the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone as well as to observe wildlife in the Northern Range of the park. The package includes guided snowmobiling in the interior of the park and wildlife watching by van in the park’s Northern Range. Also included are three nights of lodging split between the two lodges, round-trip guided snowmobile tour between Old Faithful and Mammoth, “Wake up to Wildlife” tour of the Lamar Valley, two breakfasts per person, welcome gift, one-hour hot tub rental, unlimited ice skating and skates and Snow Card. Rates start at $439 per person

Been There, Done That? Think again.

Whether you’re an adventurous student, career breaker, retiree, or traveler seeking more meaningful experiences, these two cultural projects take you well beyond the ordinary.

Sign up for Project Abroad’s Nomadic Life placement and you’ll join a group of Mongolian Steppe or Moroccan Sahara nomads and experience an ancient way of life virtually inaccessible to outsiders.  

Over two weeks, the tour takes riders from Hanoi to Saigon on 125 cc motorcycles. The trail cuts through historic and tribal areas, and through landmarks of the American Vietnam war like the birthplace of Ho Chi Minh himself.

Travel beyond the guidebooks with small-group, cultural tour company, Traditions Mexico, and experience unparalleled access to Day of the Dead ceremonies deep in the Oaxaca Outback and among the Maya of Chiapas with the following two 3-day tours.

1. The Return of the Souls. Day of the Dead in Outback Oaxaca. October 31 - November 2, 2011. 

Oaxaca © Eric Mindling 

Beautiful, moving and fascinating and in the midst of the most lovely time of year, Day of the Dead in Oaxaca is not to be missed. This unique trip takes the celebration even one step further, transporting travelers far beyond the crowds and carnival atmosphere that have become the festival norm around Oaxaca city and into a remote village seemingly lost in time in outback Oaxaca.

Slow down, walk the earthen streets, smell the river scented air, and meet bakers, wood cutters and tamale makers, and truly immerse yourself in a small town’s preparations for the return of the souls of their loved ones. Join them in the candle-lit pre-dawn quiet of the cemetery for this one of a kind ceremony.