My husband and I are thinking of cycling through Europe next March. Where would you recommend we start? - Stacey M. 
Hi Stacey, Thanks for touching base. It’s good to hear from you after our meet up in Baja.
A European biking vacation sounds fabulous. I just spent an invigorating week at the Adventure Travel World Summit with some of the world’s best outfitters ,a few who specialize in just that sort of trip. A personal favorite, Ciclismo Classico, based in Massachusetts and owned by female dynamo, Lauren Hefferon, comes immediately to mind. I cycled with them in Sicily and am thrilled to be traveling again with them in Norway in 2010. Check out their innovative menu of trip offerings at www.ciclismoclassico.com
Another longtime adventure travel favorite, and recently voted World’s Best Tour Company by readers at Travel + Leisure, is Austin-Lehman 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".
This just in from one of my favorite adventurers, Ged Caddick, the intrepid founder of Terra Incognita ECOTOURS…
photo courtesy Terra Incognita EcoTours
“What a surprise……who would have expected WILD Jaguars…..we just returned from our inaugural trip to the Pantanal in Brazil and we were all blown away by the incredible, visible wildlife! Designed by Patricia Medici, a local biologist and Chair of the IUCN Tapir Specialist Group, this tour truly has the feel of an African Safari, as you participate in Game drives, horseback rides and boat tours, the wildlife just keeps surprising 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".
Van-Tastic Adventures: Drive it! Film it! Win it!
Are you a mad keen traveller with a lust for filming your adventures?
Enter the WorldNomads.com Van-Tastic Adventure for the chance to fly to Australia and film the ultimate Aussie road trip to win $AUD 10,000.
WorldNomads.com is looking ‘Van-Tastic Adventurers’ to travel across Australia on a 6 week road trip of a lifetime.
You’ll be flown to Australia to explore your favourite piece of the country in a fully loaded camper van, with fuel money, an action packed itinerary and all the gear you’ll need to share your adventure through videos, stories and photos.
You can choose where you want to go, what you want to do and, with heaps of adventurous activities thrown in for free, you’ll have lots of stories to make a mini video documentary of your adventure. The team with the most popular video will win $10,000 cash and flights from Virgin Blue.
Apply now and start preparing a 2 minute or less video of why you are the most Van-Tastic.
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".
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.
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 love traveling and reading, so one of my favorite perks of a walking tour with The Wayfarers is the reading list they send along with their info-packed booking kits.
As you may remember, I loved, loved, loved my first Wayfarers walk in Provence last May (you can read my article, here ) and, now totally addicted, I’m headed off again with them September 25 - October 6, 2009 for a walk in the Dordogne region of France.
In preparation, I’m stocking up on their recommended books for the journey and in case you want to travel along, I’ve added the following featured selection to the Great Reads section of The Travel Store at EllenBarone.com powered by Amazon. Or you can click straight thru from the slideshow below to order.
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".
”It began with a commitment to preserve whatever we found, wherever we went.” Thus begins the introduction to a new Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy web site, which showcases opportunities for travellers to become involved with 50 pioneering projects worldwide.
“As travel increasingly becomes about the things money cannot buy – shared experiences and treasured memories – more and more of our guests want to make a personal connection and a positive contribution to the places they visit,” says Abercrombie & Kent Vice Chairman Jorie Butler Kent, who guides Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy. “We hope to use this new web site to multiply the impact of what our guests have started.”
Working through A&K’s offices around the world, Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy identifies and supports proven grassroots organizations. Guests who want to give something back can contribute to one of these local projects with a tax-deductible donation which can be made directly through the secure AKP web site. 100% of all donations go directly to the chosen project. Guests travelling on many of A&K’s small group escorted journeys, private Signature itineraries or Tailor Made programs can visit projects in person, learning more about their destination through the work of its most dedicated people. Examples include:
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".