GREEN TRAVEL: Two Costa Rica landscapes. One awesome vacation.

The problem with choosing a vacation? Too many choices. He wants the mountains. She wants the beach. 

Why choose? Cayuga Sustainable Hospitality, a company that manages Earth-friendly lodges, hotels and small inns in Central America, serves up a new surf and turf Costa Rica vacation combo that makes it easy to explore the famed Santa Teresa beaches and lesser-known Turrialba mountains – all in one visit.

SURF: Feel the hot sand between your toes at Latitude 10 in Santa Teresa

Located just steps away from the pristine, white-sand Santa Teresa beach, Latitude 10 Exclusive Beach Resort is a romantic and private eco-getaway that contains just five guest casitas. As a hub for adventure and complete mind and body wellness getaway, spend your days kayaking and snorkeling the clear blue waters, surfing on some of Costa Rica’s finest breaks, rebalancing with a private yoga class or indulging in a deep-tissue massage.

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Blog Your Way Around the World - Win 8 World Class Expeditions

Have Wanderlust? Try This!

Submit an Essay, Win Eight Ultimate Adventure Travel Vacations with the World’s Best Travel Companies 

Seven members of the Adventure Collection, a partnership the premier adventure travel companies in the world, announced today their participation in a groundbreaking new online travel contest that leverages the growing influence of social media. To enter, adventure travelers must submit an essay of 400 words or less to Blog Your Way Around the World, then invite their friends to vote for them for a chance to win eight world-class expeditions in Africa, Canada, Central America, Europe, South America, Indonesia and the United States—provided by some of the most respected adventure travel companies on the planet.

Contest prizes include whitewater rafting, bicycle touring, heli-hiking, polar bear viewing, bird watching, zip-lining, snorkeling, sea kayaking, as well as two five-star expedition cruises and an African safari. In addition to winning eight of the world’s greatest adventures, the winner and one guest will also receive a total airfare credit of $8000 and a gear package provided by top suppliers. Gear sponsors for the contest include: Ex Officio, Teva, Smith Optics, Eagle Creek Travel Gear, Outdoor Photographer, AFAR Magazine and Gaiam. The total prize package, with gear, has a value of nearly $80,000.

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Lose the baggage - Get Fit for Your Trip

There’s nothing more discouraging than not booking that trip-of-a-lifetime because you’re not in shape. Unfortunately, I know what it feels like. Fortunately, FitforTrips.com can help make your dream vacation a reality.

© Ellen Barone.I’m just off the phone with Marcus Shapiro, the brains, and brawn, behind FitforTrips.com. He’s helping me get in shape for some upcoming adventures and he’s offered to do the same for EllenBarone.com readers for 25% off thru February 28th. YAY!

Just so you know, there’s no compensation in this for me, other the pleasure of sharing. But to get your discount, be sure to use the promo code: barone (good thru February 28, 2010)

Bon voyage,

Ellen

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Does Adventure Travel Matter?

a guest blog by Lauren Hefferon

Reflections on the 2009 Adventure Travel World Summit by Lauren Hefferon, Ciclismo Classico Founder & Director

As I was walking my 6-year old to school down very busy Massachusetts Avenue he remarked at the car fumes and quietly said “You know mom, I don’t think there is much we can do about global warming.” Whoaaa! Simultaneously I was concerned yet curious that a young child could already sense the precarious state of the world and feel so hopeless. Later that day I had the same concerns expressed to me by an elderly woman who was similarly concerned about the demise of the planet she had seen in her lifetime and the serious environmental issues that her 20 grandchildren would face.

My retort to these two voices representing a complete generational spectrum was the same: We cannot be optimistic or pessimistic, we must be determined to make a difference.

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Why National Parks are "America's Best Idea"

Explore North America with Abercrombie & Kent

What began fifty years ago on a family road trip to national parks across the country led to a lifelong fascination for writer Dayton Duncan, resulting in “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea,” a six-part, 12-hour documentary by Ken Burns, which begins airing on PBS stations September 27. Filmed in some of nature’s most spectacular locales, the series is sure to inspire other families to visit all 58 U.S. national parks. Abercrombie & Kent celebrates these national treasures with new itineraries in North America for 2010, featuring several of the national parks showcased in the series including Denali National Park in Alaska and Glacier National Park, where “Going-to-the-Sun” Road is said to be “the most beautiful 50 miles in the world.” 

Alaska: A Backcountry Adventure – New for 2010
Glimpse Mount McKinley, North America’s highest peak, en route to your lodge in Denali National Park, home to large caribou, moose, wolves, Dall sheep and grizzly bear. Travel aboard the Alaska GoldStar Dome train to Talkeetna for a river canyon trip by jetboat. Visit the homestead of 4-Time Iditarod Champion, Martin Buser. Enjoy a scenic glacier cruise in Prince William Sound, keeping watch for glaciers calving and a variety of marine wildlife, including whales.

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Add a Little Zip to Your Next Outdoor Adventure

Zipcar, the world’s largest car-sharing service, is making it easier than ever to experience the natural beauty surrounding Portland, Ore. Forty Portland-based Zipcars are now outfitted with either Northwest Forest or Oregon State Park access passes (10 vehicles have both). Anyone with a Zipcar account (easy to set up online) can reserve the pass-equipped cars on a first-come, first-served basis. Zipcar has placed the passes in all Honda Elements, Subaru Outbacks and Honda CRVs, as well as in some Subaru Imprezas. To view which Zipcars have passes, click on the vehicle’s online description and check out its amenities, which also include iPod adapters and bike racks.

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For Women With Wanderlust

Abercrombie & Kent Journeys for Women offer stress-free getaways

“An escape from day-to-day responsibilities.” “Learning something new in a fun and trusting environment.” “Reconnecting with those who know me best.” These are just some of the reasons more and more women are turning toward travel with friends, sisters and mothers as a remedy to life’s everyday pressures. But planning a “girlfriend getaway” that appeals to everyone can sometimes cause more stress than enjoyment. Abercrombie & Kent’s Journeys for Women offer opportunities to discover the world’s most remarkable destinations in the company of other women, experiencing sightseeing and activities presented from a woman’s perspective. And with ten different pre-planned travel experiences to choose from, the only anxiety comes from what to pack.

In destinations around the globe, these trips include inspiring cultural and educational experiences for women of all ages. Learn the secrets of French cuisine during a private cooking lesson at the École Ritz Escofier in Paris. Raft Cataract Canyon with a team of female rafting guides. Explore historic sites, from the Female Warriors at the Yangling excavation in Xian to the palace of Versailles, in the company of guides who illuminate these must-see destinations from a rewarding new point of view.

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When in Seattle, Take a Hike

You’ve eaten seafood until you’re beginning to feel like a crustacean, you’ve sipped Mochas at the original Starbucks, you’ve even crowded into the Space Needle elevator with hoards of perspiring tourists – so what else is there to do?

Pick up a copy of Seattle’s newest hiking guide, Best Easy Day Hikes – Seattle, published in July by Falcon Guides, and hit the trail. These hikes, all within an hour of downtown Seattle, range from urban treks to foothill trails. The twenty trails featured in the guidebook each offer the promise of discovery and live up to the book’s title – every one of them is classified as “easy” and is a fresh alternative to the usual Seattle must-dos for people of all hiking abilities, from kids to grandparents.

In researching this book, I discovered my new favorite hike. Who knows? Pick up a copy and you might discover yours as well. - Allen Cox

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BEST EASY HIKES - SEATTLE is now available in the ‘Great Reads’ section of the new Travel Store at EllenBarone.com powered by Amazon.

Click here for book description