Adventure Travel: Most Popular Articles: Top Adventure Travel Companies

Adventure Travel: Most Popular Articles These articles are the most popular over the last month. Top Adventure Travel Companies 8 Jul 2011, 11:12 am Here are are some of the top adventure travel companies that offer an interesting and eclectic array of adventure travel trips. Biking in Morocco, hiking the Inca Trail in Peru and rafting through the Grand Canyon are just the briefest sampling of the experiences these companies offer travelers. Each company's website lists specific adventure travel trips, with detailed itineraries, pricing and images that give a taste of the adventures waiting for you. 1. Quick List Access to Specialty Adventure and Sports Travel Companies? If you want to zero in on specific adventure travel styles, visit the links below this paragraph. Keep in mind that most of the 20plus adventure travel companies in the master list have impressive trips covering all aspects of adventure travel. Are you looking for Dream Bicycle Trips & Adventures? Are you looking for adrenalin-charged Multi-sport Trips? Are you looking for Best Rafting Trips Worldwide? Are you looking for sources for great Family Adventure Travel Trips? Are you looking for entertaining Learning Vacations around the world? Are you looking for Women's Adventure Travel? Are you looking for Extreme Adventures? If you want to look at all the top companies, keep scrolling down this page. 2. Gap Adventures Open Up the World Gap Adventures Gap Adventures has again been recognized by National Geographic Traveler in the magazine's 2011 "Tours of a Lifetime" list.  For seven consecutive years, National Geographic magazine has selected a Gap Adventures tour as one of its "25 Best New Adventure Trips of the Year". This company offers a choice of more than 1,200 adventure travel trips to all seven continents. Check out the "Specials" section, where you can find discounts on fascinating trips. 3. Geographic Expeditions Adventurous Trips Geographic Expeditions Geographic Expeditions offers a portfolio of overland tours, treks, walks, and expeditionary voyages to the world's most astonishing places, ranging from journeys in China, Nepal and Vietnam to Mongolia and Ghana. 4. Austin-Lehman Adventures Austin-Lehman Adventures If you're looking for adventure travel trips that kids of varied ages will enjoy, or trips for you and your teenagers, check out Austin-Lehman Adventures. Multi-Sport trips -- bike, hike, climb, paddle, ride -- go to such scenic places as Alaska, Costa Rica, Mexico, Canada, and Bryce, Zion and Yosemite National Parks. 5. Ecotourism and Nature Trips With International Expeditions International Expeditions offers small-group eco-tours and nature travel trips to exotic locations including the Amazon, Egypt, Galapagos, India and Kenya during the annual animal migration. the company offers in-depth itineraries designed to explore the soul of a region, through behind-the-scenes access to places and experiences. The group leaders are either naturalists or historians, sometimes both. 6. Off-the-Beaten Path Adventure Travel With Intrepid Travel Intrepid Photography Competition 2007, Bathtime, Thailand - Wendy Broekx Intrepid Travel is a niche adventure travel company that focuses on taking travelers off the beaten track to more than 90 destinations around the globe. On these generally small-group trips you’ll travel in ways similar to the local people, respecting their culture and the environment. The groups take mostly public transportation, stay and eat in small-scale locally-owned establishments. 7. Classic Journeys Specializes in Soft Adventure Trips Classic Journeys Classic Journeys specializes in boutique, small-group, soft-adventure travel. The company operates three types of trips: cultural walking adventures, family journeys and culinary tours. Any Classic Journeys trip can be transformed into a private journey. 8. REI Adventures Offers Great Active Travel Trips REI Adventures offers great active travel trips, such as canoeing on a lake here in the U.S., cycling in Vietnam, or sea kayaking and hiking in Croatia. And, these are just a few of the 90plus weekend-to-multiweek trips offered by REI Adventures, part of the REI that has more than 80 stores in the U.S. chock-full of equipment and clothing for adventure travelers. 9. Canadian Mountain Holidays Heli-Ski and Heli-Hike Trips If heli-skiing or heli-hiking are on your adventure-travel radar, check out the variety of trips offered by Canadian Mountain Holidays (CMH). In the winter this company offers heli-ski for advanced intermediates to expert skiers and snowboarders. In the summer, the heli-hiking trips for novices to experienced hikers and for families. CMH also has mountaineering trips. 10. River Rafting & Other Adventure Vacations with ROW Adventures Row Adventures ROW Adventures offers river-rafting trips and adventurous vacations as diverse as snorkeling with sea lions and turtles in the Galapagos Islands and camel trekking in Algeria. Some of ROW's trips have been included in National Geographic Traveler Magazine’s “Tours of a Lifetime” for three years running, and Outside Magazine’s Top Ten New Trips for two consecutive years. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.

Adventure Travel: What's Hot Now: Waterproof Camera Cases

Adventure Travel: What's Hot Now These articles that had the largest increase in popularity over the last week Waterproof Camera Cases 8 Jul 2011, 11:00 am The Bottom Line I tested this DiCAPac Alpha waterproof camera case using my Casio Exlim underwater in the Pacific Ocean, on the beach around sea lions kicking up sand, and river rafting near Telluride, Colorado. The DiCAPac waterproof camera case completely protect my camera and permitted me to take photographs that might otherwise have been missed. It's a great buy, especially for the price. Pros Keeps out sand, water and snow Tested to 16 feet below the surface Can use flash, zoom lense and viewing screen Good underwater photos Floats with camera inside should that OMG accident happen Cons Photos blurred from water drops while river rafting, despite water repellant coating Long neck string on the pouch a nuisance while snorkeling so shortened it Description Soft, heavy-gauge non-toxic clear material plastic pouch All camera controls can be used while the camera is in the pouch Different models accommodate the different positions of lens extensions on different cameras Sealing is done by rolling the opening section of the pouch and then sealing the Velcro strips Coasted lens provides for good underwater photographs Guide Review - DiCAPac Inexpensive Waterproof Camera Case Protects Expensive Digital Cameras I was a little nervous about putting a reasonably expensive camera in the water using this DiCAPac Alpha waterproof camera case for the first time. I was reassured after following the recommended testing, which was placing some tissue in the pouch, sealing the case and submerging it in a bathtub. The dry tissue convinced me that the case was waterproof. I first used the waterproof camera case while white-water rafting near Telluride, Colorado. We were constantly splashed and the pouch protected the camera well. I did have to dry the lens as it did not repel the water drops as well as I had hoped. Photos with a wet lens show blurry sections that I cropped out using Photoshop. The first time I used the waterproof case on a beach, I promptly dropped the camera in the sand. No problem. I just rinsed it off in the ocean. The best use was while snorkeling with the entire pouch and camera submerged. I used the camera's zoom and flash but left the setting on fully automatic. The best photos were taken when I dived under the surface and got eye-level with the fish, turtles and sea lions. As with any underwater digital photos, I found it necessary to use Photoshop to increase saturation and contrast for the best pictures. I also used the cloning stamp to get rid of the back splash (light reflections of particles in the water). DiCAPac makes several other protective cases that can be used for inner-zoom point and shoot cameras,, and for high-end digital cameras, plus for phones, and for wallet contents that you want to keep dry. On the site, there is a chart that outlines which waterproof camera cases go with specific cameras. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.

Adventure Travel: What's Hot Now: Types of Adventurous Travel

Adventure Travel: What's Hot Now These articles that had the largest increase in popularity over the last week Types of Adventurous Travel 8 Jul 2011, 11:00 am Exploring any of these types of adventure travel will enrich your life, and the pictures from your trip will fill a scrapbook with lasting images. From scuba diving to mushing huskies, these examples of unforgettable adventure travel will open new worlds to you. 1. Floating Above the World in a Hot Air Balloon (c) D Friedland Peering down from the passenger basket of a hot air balloon gives you a bird's-eye of the scenery. Floating over an African veld as lions roam below is a popular way to celebrate an anniversary. The views you get while floating over the unique landscape in Cappadocia, Turkey, stay with you forever. Closer to home, float in the sky during in one of the annual balloon festivals in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Snowmass, Colorado, and many other resort towns. With Buddy Bombard you can float over chateaus, historic towns and vineyards throughout Europe. 2. Traversing Between Trees on a Zip Line Tree Asia Heart racing, you let go and zip from one tree to the other reaching nearly 35 miles an hour during the traverse. Called by some the hottest new adventure sport, on a zip-line tour you wear a climbing harness hooked to a steel cable, so you can traverse from tree to tree using pulleys. Click on Top Ziplines and Canopy Tours for an introduction to the many places around the world where you fly among the trees,or walk on Indiana Jones-style bridges from one tree to another. Looking for a warm-weather zipline, or want to fly over snowy slopes? You can soar on the Haleakala volcano in Hawaii or on a mountainside in Whistler, B.C. Not sure what a zipline tour is? Click on How to Take a Zip-line tours and see how easy it is to start flying. 3. Hiking to Machu Picchu and in Colca Canyon, Peru (c) Lois Friedland Hiking on tiny ledges weaving up and down 13,000-foot-high mountains, as you follow the ancient Inca trails in Peru, is a special way to enter Machu Picchu. Hiking in Colca Canyon, believed to be the deepest canyon in the world, is a wonderful experience because you also get to see the giant condors fly. 4. Vietnam is a Feast for the Eyes and Senses (c) Lois Friedland In Vietnam, vacationers bounce back and forth between noisy cities where more than 500 motor scooters and bikes surround every car, and a bucolic countryside where water buffalo pull farmers on a foot plow through watery rice fields. Many of the most popular trips to Vietnam include biking and hiking to small villages and through the countryside. Click on the headline to read about some of the experiences you'll have in Vietnam. Click on images of Vietnam to see parts of the country. 5. Experiencing a Volunteer Vacation i-to-i Meaningful Travel VolunTourism â€" combining traditional travel with volunteer work - takes travelers out of their normal environment or travel style,  and enhances a vacation.  Here's where to find organizations and tour operators that offer volunteer experiences for part of a trip,, or for the whole vacation.  If you're not sure if voluntourism is for you, take a look at How to Decide 6. Heli-Climbing and Heli-Skiing in the Rockies Does hitching a ride on a helicopter to a remote mountainside in the Canadian Rockies and climbing to the peak interest you? Easy scrambles on Trident Peak to steep climbs on Mount Sir Sandford (and rappels back down) are in the mix of mountaineering experiences offered by Canadian Mountain Holidays. Best known as CMH Heli-Skiing for its winter heli-skiing trips, during the summer CMH Heli-Hiking offers mountaineering and hiking packages at its five lodges in the Canadian Rockies. 7. Scuba Diving Off the Shore on Australia Great Barrier Reef & in the Caribbean Clint Hempsall Scuba tank-laden humans are far outnumbered by the parade of sea life cruising in the multi-hued coral canyons off Lady Elliot Island. This fragile cay is the southernmost in line of interconnecting reefs that form Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Here, you can walk off the beach and peer into the three-foot-wide mouth of a giant blue-tipped clam or jockey for space with manta rays. You can walk off the shore and float in underwater coral gardens in the Caribbean, too. Click here to learn about Top Off Shore Diving in Bonaire, Curacao and the Cayman Islands. 8. Visiting Yellowstone National Park in the Winter (c) Lois Friedland You can snowmobile or cross country ski past steamy clouds drifting from blue-tinted hot springs, or go snowshoeing on paths in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. You photograph bison from the safety of your snow coach and watch wolf pups play. Click on the headline for the top 10 reasons to visit Yellowstone in the winter. Click on images of Yellowstone to see how this national park looks covered with snow. 9. Bring the Family to Meet Seals and Bears Introduce your children to the wilder side of life on Vancouver Island, Canada. Take them kayaking in the Pacific ocean off the desolate beaches of Tofino, seal watching from motorized Zodiaks and looking for black bears scrounging for crabs and clams. Austin-Lehman Adventures offers this Canadian trip every summer. 10. Mush Your Own Dog Sled Team Whether you're tucked under a robe behind a guide or steering your own team of huskies, riding in a dog sled on trails through a forest is a lot of fun. There are dog sled operations at many winter resorts, from Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Snowmass, Colorado to Nome, Alaska. Wintergreen Dog Sledding up in Minnesota's north country has multi-day trips where you'll get to mush your own team. 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Adventure Travel: What's Hot Now: Cliff Diving

Adventure Travel: What's Hot Now These articles that had the largest increase in popularity over the last week Cliff Diving 8 Jul 2011, 11:00 am If your friend or commander told you to dive off a cliff as a sign of your courage and loyalty, would you? This ultra sport - cliff diving - started, it's believed, when Hawaiian King Kahekili commanded his men to leap off the cliff on the southern end of the island of Lanai, as a test of courage and loyalty to him. They did! King Kamehameha later refined the jumping into cliff diving competitions at the same site. Today, there are cliff diving competitions around the globe. Red Bull runs one of the most dramatic competitions, when skilled cliff divers leap off cliffs or platforms set up to 85-feet above lakes or oceans. Watching Cliff Diving Most people would rather watch pro divers than try this risky sport themselves. At La Quebrada Cliffs in Acapulco, Mexico, spectators sit in a restaurant atop the cliff and watch the divers fly over a 148-foot cliff into the water. These divers, who have been part of the evening's entertainment for years, time their entries carefully so they land in the ocean when the waves come in and water is deepest. The annual Red Bull Cliff Diving competition draws hundreds of spectators to the sites around the world. The dives are acrobatic in design, and watchers hold their collective breath as the competitors take off from picturesque rocks of platforms set high on cliffs. The 2009 eight-country tour includes stops through Europe starting in France and the finals are in Greece, September 20. Do Not Try Cliff Diving Without Proper Training Cliff divers are highly trained divers. Todd Walton, who has been a part of the cliff-high diving world for some 20 years, stresses the need for a sound technical education and extensive training before taking the first dive off a cliff. He suggests starting by diving in pools and gradually increase the height of one's dives. Control of both body and mind is essential when cliff diving. Cliff divers who are highly trained know to check out sites carefully before making a dive. This includes, among other things, checking the wave action, the height of the cliff at where one will dive, the wave action, the depth of the water, and the rocks and other obstacles on the side of the cliff and underwater. Checking with locals is highly advised. To Find Cliff Diving Information and Pictures If you want to learn more about cliff diving, visit World High Diving Federation. Click on the "more images" link below the picture at the top of this article to see two more images from Red Bull Cliff Diving Competitions. If you want to learn more about the Red Bull Cliff Diving Competition and see more pictures of the pro divers, visit Red Bull Cliff Diving. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.

Adventure Travel: What's Hot Now: 5 Fantastic Family Vacations

Adventure Travel: What's Hot Now These articles that had the largest increase in popularity over the last week 5 Fantastic Family Vacations 8 Jul 2011, 11:00 am Go on a Family Safari in Kenya : Take your kids to photograph many of the animals they’ve only seen in a zoo. Wildland Adventures offers a nine-day family safari that travels to several of Kenya's National Parks to see rescued elephants and giraffes, lions, leopards, rhinos, zebras and other animals in their natural habitats. This is a popular trip offered most years. The company also runs family tours to Tanzania and trips to other locales. Watch Old Faithful Erupt at Yellowstone: Hiking on trails in Yellowstone National Park and photographing bison, exploring the boardwalks and trails around the geysers, and kayaking on Lake Yellowstone are all part of a Country Walkers Montana & Wyoming: Yellowstone Wonders trip. It's a popular trip repeated annually. Country Walkers also offers family trips to the Cinque Terra region in Italy, Bryce and Zion in Utah, and Costa Rica. Travel to the Land of the Midnight Sun: Sea kayak in Resurrection Bay where whales and dolphins swim, take a riverside bike ride and you may see a moose, eagles or Dahl sheep and hike among glistening glaciers. It's all part of the popular Kenai Peninsula Family trip with Austin-Lehman Adventures. This company has a big selection of family adventures, including vacations in Costa Rica, Yellowstone National Park, Whistler in Canada, and South Africa. Glide Down the Amazon in a Classic Riverboat: On the Family Odyssey Through Greece you'll travel on a private boat, take the kids snorkeling in the Aegean Sea and visit islands with ancient ruins. This is one of several family trips offered by Smithsonian Journeys. Take the Kids to China: Take your kids to China and visit the Panda Research Center in Chengdu, explore Beijing together and show them the terra cotta warriors discovered in the Tomb of Qin Shihuangdi in Xian. Or, head to Bondi Beach and watch the surfers in Sydney, Australia. A&K Family Holiday's are full-filled trips with exciting sights for children as well as yourselves, which is offered most summers by Abercrombie & Kent. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.

Adventure Travel: What's Hot Now: Adventures in Mexico at Xplor

Adventure Travel: What's Hot Now These articles that had the largest increase in popularity over the last week Adventures in Mexico at Xplor 7 Jul 2011, 11:00 am Do you know what lies beneath your feet? At Xplor in Mexico's Riviera Maya, there's an entire world of underground adventures including swimming and rafting in underground rivers. Above the earth's crust, there's a network of zip lines that looks like freeways in the sky, and a three-mile track where you can drive an amphibious buggy through the jungle, into caves and on suspension bridges over water. Not sure which to try first? You can do everything, more than once. The daily fee covers everything, from the adventures to the food. Last March a group of scientists wrote in Science journal that they did a study that confirms the dinosaurs died when an asteroid hit Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula 65 million years ago, changing atmospheric conditions. This same asteroid created a unique topography - essentially a mega-sized slab of limestone through which ground water drips creating caverns, or cenotes as they are called here. In this adventure park, you can swim and raft in the cenotes and underground rivers. Our day-long adventure began when we were given a helmet at check-in, because much of the day is spent underground in a vast complex of natural caves with underground rivers. Sixty-five million years ago, when dinosaurs roamed on earth, an asteroid smashed into the Yucatan Peninsula. Rainwater filled the crater's basin and seeped through the limestone slab that covered the peninsula, creating the caverns and underground rivers.) The Xplor adventure park's four main adventures are anchored by a big red "heart" that emits a throbbing sound, so you know you're getting close to the center of the action. From the heart, marked paths through the caves lead you to the four adventures. Staying below the earth's crust, we went swimming in the Stalactite River, then paddled a raft through a different part of the underground river. We had a lot of fun steering an amphibious buggy with big, fat tires, along a three-mile track that led through the jungle, on suspension bridges over water and through caves. Visitors can fly high on two sets of zip lines - one has five lines and the other has six. We loved the zip line that landed in the water at an opening to a cave. Swimming in an Underground River at Xplor, Rivera Maya, Mexico Rafting Adventure in an Underground River at Xplor in Mexico's Riviera Maya Riding an Amphibious Buggy Through Jungle and Caves at Xplor, Riviera Maya, Mexico Going Airborne on Zip Lines at Xplore in Riviera Maya, Mexico All-Inclusive Xplor Adventure Park in Riviera Maya, Mexico More Adventure Travel Experiences in the Riviera Maya and Cancun, Mexico You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.

Adventure Travel: What's Hot Now: Travel With Maps from Maps.com

Adventure Travel: What's Hot Now These articles that had the largest increase in popularity over the last week Travel With Maps from Maps.com 6 Jul 2011, 11:00 am Maps.com bills itself as the world's largest map store - and the selection of maps, guidebooks, globes and map accessories is astonishing. The Maps.com website may offer one-stop shopping, if you're looking for maps and travel guidebooks for specific states or countries. If you want to visit Thailand, for example, maps.com has more than 30 different maps and guidebooks. Choices range from Insight's laminated Flexmap, which won't fall apart from constant use while traveling, to city maps for Bangkok and Chang Mai, and the Lonely Planet's guidebooks to Thailand, Southeast Asia and much more. Travel Maps, Guidebooks, Globes and More Looking for digital maps, build-your-own custom radius maps or a world, USA or international atlases? You'll find them here. Adventure travelers who love to explore should check out the World Risk Map, which has topics such as health risks, common threats to travelers, and security tips, that are presented both in graphic and text form. The map also has contact information for countries around the world, plus phone numbers and websites to obtain up-to-the-minute information if available. You can even find historical maps from the National Geographic archives. Maps.com Website Visit Maps.com for maps and atlases to travel guides and map games. Check out the link to "Free Stuff" on the top of the home page. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.

Adventure Travel: What's Hot Now: Wife Carrying Championships

Adventure Travel: What's Hot Now These articles that had the largest increase in popularity over the last week Wife Carrying Championships 6 Jul 2011, 11:00 am Entering and winning a Wife Carrying Championships might bring the couple five times her weight in cash and her weight in beer. Could you carry your wife through a 278-yard obstacle course? The "Estonian carry," where the wife holds her husband around the waist and tightens her legs around his neck, so his hands are free, is the carry of choice at these races. At the annual North American Wife Carrying Championship, the winners receive five times the wife's weight in cash and the traditional prize of the wife's weight in beer. Wife Carrying Contests may have started as a joke in Finland, where supposedly a man would court a prospective wife by racing into a village, grabbing her and carrying her off. Whether it's true or not, today the Wife Carrying World Championships are held in Finland, the North American Wife Carrying Championships are held at Sunday River, Maine, and there are regional contests in other states. Couples do not have to be married, but must include a man and a woman, and both must be at least 21-years-old. Since 2005, women have been allowed to carry men. Annual North American Wife Carrying Championships The 10th annual North American Wife Carrying Championship is part of the entertainment at Sunday River resort's annual Fall Festival. This year, the contest is Oct. 9, 2010. If you would rather run a race, Sunday River has three planned. The 4-mile course is do-able for most athletes and tops one peak, the 8-mile course covers 5 peaks and the 12-mile course covers all 8 peaks of Sunday. Around these events, there's an arts and crafts fair, music by Entrain, food and wine tastings, kids games and a lot more. For more information, visit Sunday River's Wife Carrying Championship. This competition actually started in Finland, reportedly as a joke. It was a take-off on an old tradition when a man ran to a village and grabbed then carried off the women he wanted to marry. If you want to see the competition, watch this video on YouTube. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.

Adventure Travel: Most Popular Articles: 5 Swiss Alps Day Hikes

Adventure Travel: Most Popular Articles These articles are the most popular over the last month. 5 Swiss Alps Day Hikes 6 Jul 2011, 11:11 am Quite simply, the Swiss Alps is the best supported hiking destination in the world. Admittedly, I’m biased in making such a bold claim. I’ve guided walkers, hikers, and trekkers in the Alps for over 20 years. Where else can you enjoy that kind of mountain scenery and never have to carry anything more than a light daypack. Even on long-distance trails like the Haute Route, which I traverse at least twice a year, you can walk for days on end without a tent, sleeping bag, food or stove, knowing that a well-linked system of mountain huts provides great meals, a hot shower, and a comfortable bed at the end of a long day. But in today’s economy, where both vacation time and money are tight, you may prefer to spend your limited time in the Alps on day hikes. You’ll be able to enjoy the mountain scenery, waterfalls, glaciers, wildlife, and wildflowers during the day, and still be back in town or on to your next destination before sunset. Here are my recommendations for the most magnificent day hikes in the Swiss Alps. All are well-marked, easy to follow, and can be hiked in either direction. You’ll find them charted on free maps available from local tourist information offices. In most cases there is a cogwheel railway, funicular or gondola to speed you to a high and scenic elevation to get started. Most importantly you’ll find plenty of huts, inns, and mountain restaurants along the way where weary hikers can get recharged with cheese, chocolate, and apple strudel. Höhenweg Höhbalmen Where: Zermatt Length: 11miles/18km Duration: 5-7 hours Zermatt is touristy, to be sure, but within five minutes of the center of town you’re already leaving wildflower-spangled meadows to ascend through larch forests. The route takes you up the steep valley walls with dramatic views back down to Zermatt. Soon you emerge above treeline to a high alpine meadow known as the Höhbalmen, where a sweeping panorama of Switzerland’s highest peaks. Your descent offers spellbinding Matterhorn views to the right and the Zmutt glacier below. Riffelsee to Sunnegga Where: Zermatt Length: 8 miles/13km Duration: 3-5 hours Once again, the Matterhorn is the showstopper here, but you access the postcard views quickly by taking the cog-wheeled Gornergrat train to Riffelsee, where you’ll have mirror-reflections of the Matterhorn in the small glacial lakes. Descending to Rifflealp, you’ll be tempted to stay the night at the elegant Rifflealp Hotelâ€"not a bad choiceâ€"but continuing down to cross the Findelbach canyon leads you past more reflecting lakes and alpine meadows. The Sunnegga funicular makes for a quick descent back to Zermatt, although the forest path through the hamlet of Findeln is absolutely charming. Lac de Louvie Where: Verbier Length: 9 miles/15km Duration: 6-8 hours Make a quick escape from the ski-resort bustle of Verbier by taking the gondola to Les Ruinettes and continuing on a short stroll to the Cabane du Mont Fort for views of the Mont Blanc massif. Then it’s on to the Sentier de Chamois (the Chamois Trail) where you’re likely to see both ibex and chamois on the rocky slopes above, and commanding views of the Val de Bagnes below. Crossing the Termin Pass, you’ll arrive at Lac de Louvie, a stunningly beautiful gem of a lake with fascinating 200-year old stone barns at its head. Ring the lake, take in the views of the Grand Combin massif and descend through the dense forest to the village of Fionnay where you can catch a bus back down the valley or return to Verbier. The Faulhornweg Where: Grindelwald (Jungfrau) Length: 9 miles/15km Duration: 6-8 hours For high-level panoramic views of the Jungfrau, the Faulhornweg is a hiker’s dream. From Grindelwald, take the gondola to First, where a well-worn path leads to the Bachalpsee which creates an infinity-pool with the backdrop of the Eiger, Monch, Jungfrau and other snow-clad peaks flanked by massive glaciers. Soon views to the north open up as you overlook Interlaken and the glistening lakes on both sides. You’ll conclude at Schynige Platte, where the gardens display over 600 alpine species and the 360-degree views are among the best in Europe. A mountain railway that dates to 1893 takes you on the descent to the village of Wilderswil for easy connections to Interlaken or back to Grindelwald. Mürren Where: Lauterbrunnen (Jungfrau) Length: 6 miles/10km Duration: 3-4 hours The Lauterbrunnental is the world’s largest glacial valley (it’s hard to imagine someplace that outshines Yosemite) and it’s ringed by 72 waterfalls, including some of the highest in Europe. There’s no better introductory hike to this spectacular valley than the loop that leads from the town of Lauterbrunnen up to Grütshchalp (take the tram or the steep trail), then along a gentle forest path, crossing a dozen streams, to the village of Mürren, perched on a hillside. You’ll find plenty of viewpoints along the way before descending to the lovely village of Gimmelwald. From here you can take the steep trail or the tram back down to Stechelberg at the top of the Lauterbrunnen valley. Return to Lauterbrunnen by bus or follow the riverside trail past meadows, small farms, and waterfalls on every side. More Hikes from Greg Witt If you'd like a hike that is off the normal Jungfrau tourist trails visit hiking a quieter route I believe Salt Lake City is the greatest hiking destination in America. Name another city in the country where within 300 yards of the state’s Capitol building and the downtown center you can be walking in a protected nature reserve, spotting elk and raptors. For a description of five great hikes in this city click on Salt Lake City hikes. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.

Adventure Travel: MacGyver Would Have Loved These Survival Straps

Adventure Travel Get the latest headlines from the Adventure Travel GuideSite. MacGyver Would Have Loved These Survival Straps 6 Jul 2011, 2:00 am These inexpensive Survival Straps have been used to tow a snowmobile, haul someone upwards who has slipped off a cliff, and tied to create a tourniquet.� The list goes on, but the main point is that these Survival Straps made of super-strong paracords, which come in the form of� bracelets, neck cords, dog collars and other imaginative ways, can be incredibly useful in emergencies. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.

Adventure Travel: What's Hot Now: Cheap Golf on Kauai, Hawaii

Adventure Travel: What's Hot Now These articles that had the largest increase in popularity over the last week Cheap Golf on Kauai, Hawaii 5 Jul 2011, 11:00 am "Play with us, mon," the barefoot local said as we walked up to the first tee at Kukuiolono, a 9-hole golf course on Kauai. Golf on Kauai usually costs big bucks, but at this public course it only costs $9 to play all day. What a change from the day before, when we played the Prince Course. (While paying greens fees and for a $3 hand cart here, we heard the folks behind us muttering about their round at "the unfair course" they played the day before. Looking at the golfer's legs, you could see that he had tried to find his lost golf balls in the thorny bushes alongside the fairways on the Prince Course.) We laughed our way through nine holes, thanks to the comments from our local golf guides. My best shot (for laughs) was a ball that flew right into the coconut tree on the second hole that was already decorated with white, yellow, pink and orange golf balls. What to Expect When Playing Kukuiolono The course is perched on a hilltop overlooking the ocean, which is about a mile away. If you're a beginner, you'll love the wide fairways. While better golfers may not find this course a challenge, it's a lot of fun. (In part, because there are no ranger pushing you along if you stop to take in the views, or spend a minute more than the allotted time per hole on the more expensive courses.) Expect wind sweeping over the terrain, lots of trees, few fairway hazards, and maybe a wild chicken pecking on a green. Why Cheap Golf on Kauai, Hawaii? You might think cheap golf on this island is an oxymoron, when so many courses cost $100 to $200 or more for a round. Here, it's just $9 for the right to play all day! (Plus $3 for a hand cart or $9 for a gas cart.) Thank Walter McByde, the son of Duncan McBryde who developed this land after leasing it from King Kamehameha III in 1860. Walter, a sugar magnate and golf fanatic, later bought the estate and built the course in 1929. When he died, he donated it to Hawaii because he wanted locals to have a course they could afford to play. He loved golf so much that he requested he be buried by the 8th hole. Contact Info for Kukuiolono, Kauai, Hawaii? To learn more visit Kukuiolono. More Adventures in Hawaii To learn about more adventures in the Hawaiian Islands visit Hawaii Adventure Travel. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.

Adventure Travel: Most Popular Articles: 5 Salt Lake City Hikes

Adventure Travel: Most Popular Articles These articles are the most popular over the last month. 5 Salt Lake City Hikes 4 Jul 2011, 11:11 am Salt Lake City is the greatest hiking destination in America. Name another city in the country where within 300 yards of the state’s Capitol building and the downtown center you can be walking in a protected nature reserve, spotting elk and raptors. Where else can you have easy access to five federally designated wilderness areasâ€"some within walking distance of residential neighborhoods? With mountains on every side, Salt Lake City offers a greater variety of dramatic and awe-inspiring hikes than any other major city in the United States. And just beyond the metropolitan area, Salt Lake City is virtually surrounded by thousands of square miles of national forests, and has access to eight national parks that can be reached on less than a tank of gas. But it’s always a matter of 'so many hikes and so little time'. So, if you’re pressed for time and you only have several hours for a morning hike or afternoon outing, here are five great hikes in the Salt Lake city area â€" hikes, of various types, that you simply must not miss. Lofty Lake Loop (Best Mountain Scenery) Where: Uinta Mountains, 40 miles east of Salt Lake City Length: 4.1-mile loop Duration: 3-4 hours. With a trailhead at 10,154 feet, you’re already in the midst of the mountain scenery. Once on the trail you’ll encounter lakes, streams, mountain passes, deep woods, meadows and some stunning views, and never drop below 10,000 feet in elevation. There are a few steep ascents and descents along some rocky and scree sections of trail, but the scenery is so rewarding, it’s easy to overlook the challenges. Even at these high elevations some above treeline) wildflowers abound and wildlife is often nearby. The trail is easy to find and follow, but it’s not well marked, so be sure to pick up a free map at the Kamas Forest Service Office on the way to the trailhead. Brighton Lakes (Best Lakes) Where: At the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon, 15 miles east of the Salt Lake Valley Length: 4.2 miles out and back. Duration: 3 to 4 hours Lake Mary, Lake Martha, and Lake Catherine, known collectively as Brighton Lakes, lie at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon just above the Brighton Ski Resort. They form a chain of pristine, alpine glacial lakes set in granite bowls and adorned with woods of fir and spruce. Since Lake Mary is closest to the trailhead and can be done as a 2.2 mile round trip hike, it’s the most popular destination for families and a wide range of hikers. It’s a great spot for a picnic or a summer afternoon of lakeside recreation. Continuing on to Lake Martha and Lake Catherine, the crowds thin, as does the air, and outside of an occasional angler, you may be the only person on the trail as it nears treeline. Timpanogos Cave (Best Cave â€"and a great hike, too) Where: Mt. Timpanogos Cave National Monument, in American Fork Canyon, 25 miles south of Salt Lake City Length: 3 miles round trip Duration: 2-3½ hours, including 1 hour for the cave tour. Even without touring the cave, the hike on this spectacular trail, carved into and through the rocky cliffs above American Fork Canyon, is memorable in its own right. You’ll ascend 1,000 vertical feet of canyon wall, through sub-alpine forests of fir and pine, before arriving at the cave. The fact that the trail is paved doesn’t detract one bit from the pristine beauty of the canyon setting, plus, you’ll appreciate the surefooted surface as you pass a number of unprotected drop-offs. Allow an hour for the ranger-guided cave tour, and buy your tickets in advance at the visitor center. Remember, the cave remains a constant 45 degrees F, so even on a sweltering summer day, bring a sweater or jacket for your time in the cave. Mt. Timpanogos (Best Mountain Summit) Where: Mount Timpanogos Wilderness Area, accessed from the Alpine Loop (UT 92), 35 miles southeast of Salt Lake City Length: 14.8 miles round trip Duration: 6-11 hours. The Timpanogos Massif dominates the eastern skyline of Utah County to the south of Salt Lake City. The climb to the 11,749-foot summit is a worthy challenge, but one that reasonably fit hikers should be able to achieve. On a summer Saturday you’ll be joined by hundreds of other hikers on the trail as you ascend the Giant Staircase, a series of five canyon benches, before arriving at the upper glacial bowl. Then it’s still another hour or more along a knife-edge ridge trail to the rocky summit. The waterfalls, wildflowers, wildlife (mountain goats are almost always sighted) are as exciting as the commanding summit views. Doughnut Falls (Favorite Local Waterfall) Where: Big Cottonwood Canyon, nine miles east of the Salt Lake Valley Length: 1.4 miles out and back Duration: 1-2 hours Doughnut Falls is well-known by local hikers, but rarely seen by visitors. It’s an intriguing sight â€" a unique waterfall that plunges through a hole in the rock and into a grotto before cascading down the rock drainage below. It’s a short hike that even small children can accomplish and enjoy, but keep them close by, as they’ll be tempted to climb in and around the waterfall, and that can be dangerous. It’s easy to spend an hour or more playing around the falls. The trail and falls are set in a forest of spruce and aspen. You’ll see ground squirrels and chipmunks along the trail, but also be on the lookout for deer, moose and beaver. More Hikes from Greg Witt I am a hiking guide in Switzerland every summer. Visit my 5 Best Day Hikes in the Swiss Alps for some of my favorite walking routes in Switzerland. If you'd like a hike that is off the normal Jungfrau tourist trails visit hiking a quieter route. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.

Adventure Travel: What's Hot Now: Top VolunTourism Sources

Adventure Travel: What's Hot Now These articles that had the largest increase in popularity over the last week Top VolunTourism Sources 4 Jul 2011, 11:00 am VolunTourism â€" combining traditional travel with volunteer work â€" is a rapidly growing trend. "We travel a fair amount, but it's valuable to us to really feel connected with other communities above and beyond seeing tourist sites. It's understanding what we all have in common and getting beyond our own individual day-to-day aspirations and seeing the bigger picture." says Warren, a Hawaiian physician. He, his wife and two children, ages 11 and 16, spent two weeks over Christmas at a refuge for troubled boys near Guatemala City. "It was very rewarding and actually one of the most enjoyable vacations we've ever had." Last year, one-quarter of the travelers queried in the Voice of the Traveler survey by the Travel Industry Association said they were currently interested in taking a volunteer or service-based vacation. Baby Boomers formed the group expressing the strongest interest, and the largest share (47 percent) of those interested in taking a volunteer vacation fell into the 35-54 year-old range. If you decide you’d rather be an armchair traveler, most of these organizations have a link where you can donate money to support volunteer projects or to help fund other travelers who want to donate time but may not have sufficient funds for a volunteer trip. Choose a cause that you feel passionate about, or one that sounds like a project where other travelers could offer valuable physical or mental expertise. If you are trying to decide if a volunteer vacation is right for you read Visit How To Decide if Voluntourism -- Volunteer Travel -- Is for You. 1) i-to-i i-to-i is a company that sends more that 5,000 people a year to volunteer at local projects around the world and immerse themselves in local cultures. These travelers choose voluntourism -- combining traditional travel with volunteer work -- to help make a difference in their lives and others. 2) Voluntourism.com. Voluntourism.org is a Web site with lots of information about taking volunteer vacations, and combining volunteerism and travel during Voluntour(sm) 3) CheapTickets.com CheapTickets.com has teamed up with United Way to offer travelers a route to setting up volunteer vacations, or adding a day or more of volunteering during a planned trip. 4) Sierra Club Outings Sierra Club Outings runs volunteer travel trips around the United States from New York City's parks to Wyoming's rugged backcountry. 5) International Volunteer Programs International Volunteer Programs Association is a consortium of international volunteer programs that have one- or two-week to six-month programs. 6) Volunteer Abroad The Volunteer Abroad Web site lists many routes for finding interesting trips around the globe that let you travel with a purpose and immerse yourself in local cultures. 7) United Nation’s World Volunteer Web The United Nation’s World Volunteer Web is an online global clearing house for information and resources linked to volunteerism. 8) Earthwatch Institute On a volunteer vacation or trip with the non-profit Earthwatch Institute you could take an Amazon river trip to help with the conservation of monkeys, sea otters and birds; trap and track puma, jaguarundi and other cats in Argentina’s pampas grass; or collect data to help save the endangered forest marsupials in Australia. 9) responsibletravel.com Run by a United Kingdom-based travel agency, the responsibletravel.com Web site focuses on eco-holidays, including many that offer a volunteer work component. 10) American Jewish World Service The American Jewish World Service (AJWS) offers individual and group service programs for Jews interested in traveling to foreign countries to volunteer for grassroots social change projects. Are You A VolunTourist? Combining a vacation or trip abroad with volunteering on local projects is one way you can immerse yourself in local cultures and make a difference. First, however, you need to ask yourself some serious questions to help decide where and what type of volunteer travel you’d enjoy. What’s your passion? Animal conservation? Teaching kids or helping them? Rebuilding homes destroyed by hurricanes or a tsunami? Are you willing to live and work with people whose culture and outlook is very different that your own? Can you handle living in a tent or shack with an outhouse or do you want to be in a hotel? Visit How To Decide if Voluntourism -- Volunteer Travel -- Is for You. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.

Adventure Travel: What's Hot Now: Hike, Bike, Climb Near Vail

Adventure Travel: What's Hot Now These articles that had the largest increase in popularity over the last week Hike, Bike, Climb Near Vail 4 Jul 2011, 11:00 am Hiking in Vail Most hotels in the region can tell you where to find good hiking trails. If you want to know before you go, here are some Web sites where you can get more information. Always check the local weather forecasts and be properly prepared, because weather can change quickly in these mountains. Always let someone know which trails you plan to hike. Go-Colorado Trails.com offers detailed information on many hikes in the region. Real Vail has a list of hikes around the region. Mountain Biking in Vail Vail offers some fun mountain biking routes on the mountain and the surrounding Gore Mountain Range. Trails.com has a list of mountain bike trails, but a membership is required to access the site . Mountain climbing in Vail Paragon Guides offers rock climbing and ice climbing instruction, plus wilderness first aid classes. See Why Vail Is Paradise for Adventurous Travelers Here are links to more articles about Vail: Vail - Adventure Travel Paradise Vail - Paradise for Skiers and Snowboarders Find Lodging in Vail, Colorado Find Flights to Vail, Colorado You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.

Adventure Travel: What's Hot Now: Pacsafe Anti-theft Travel Gear

Adventure Travel: What's Hot Now These articles that had the largest increase in popularity over the last week Pacsafe Anti-theft Travel Gear 4 Jul 2011, 11:00 am Looking through my closet, while packing for a trip yesterday I realized how many pieces of theft proof Pacsafe gear I own. I've collected them because they are so useful and help keep my gear from being ripped off when I travel. The hip pack (or the "fanny pack," if that's what you call it), for example, has a wire-reinforced slash-proof belt with a concealed buckle, slashproof front and bottom panels and several zippered pockets. You can close all of the pockets and lock the zip pulls to a metal D-ring. When you're not wearing it, you could lock it to an immovable object. The purses all have stainless steel wire mesh in shoulder strap and purse bottom, the shoulder strap unclips so you can clip it around a chair or table leg, and you can latch the zipper pull into a spring hook. Pacsafe also has lots of gear for backpackers and others who explore the outdoors. Check out the interior backpack protectors, and the stainless steel bag protectors that will secure your backpack to a tree, while you hike during the day. Reviews of Theft Proof Pacsafe Gear Pacsafe Stashsafe Hip Pack Pacsafe Metrosafe 200, a wonderful travel purse. Pacsafe purses Pacsafe theft-proof straps for cameras and laptops Pacsafe Travel Safe See Lots of Pacsafe Gear If you want to visit the Pacsafe website click on Pacsafe gear. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.

Adventure Travel: Most Popular Articles: Zipline & Canopy Tours

Adventure Travel: Most Popular Articles These articles are the most popular over the last month. Zipline & Canopy Tours 3 Jul 2011, 11:12 am Zip lines are sprouting as fast as foliage in the tree canopies you'll slide through during a zipline adventure. Once, considered an exotic way to view nature from above, now days, you can find a zipline adventure (sometimes called a "canopy tour") in dozens of places around North America, the Caribbean, Hawaii, Peru, New Zealand and many other countries. Click on any of the links below to learn more about specific zipline and canopy tours. In many locations, zipline tours are offered year-round. What is a Zipline Adventure? Zipline adventures let you soar from tree to tree in rain forests, across canyons and through a variety of landscapes, giving you a bird's-eye view of the world surrounding you. Imagine flying high, wrapped in a body harness (picture a massive diaper) that's clipped to a steel line strung through a canopy of trees. As you fly along, you may see monkeys and birds in the trees or a chasm below you, depending upon where you are taking your zipline adventure. On many of these zipline tours you reach the ziplines by climbing stairs or ladders to platforms high in a tree. On other canopy and zipline adventures you'll also walk across bridges strung between trees. 10 Best Zipline Adventures inthe U.S. Do you agree these choices are the 10 Best Ziplines in the U.S.?. A Zipline Adventure in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada You can take zipline tours in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, after a day on the ski slopes in the winter or a round of golf in the summer. This five-zipline adventure takes you through the dense forest between the adjacent Whistler and Blackcomb ski mountains. Whistler Zipline Ecotours offers zipline adventures where you'll move from one zipline to the next on a network of boardwalks and trails, and by aerial stairways and bridges at heights reaching eighty feet above ground. A Zipline Adventure at Heavenly Resort in California Be prepared for a fast, steep descent if you're zipping down the Heavenly Flyer, which stretches 3,300-feet, because the 525-foot vertical drop matches that of the Space Needle. This zipline at Heavenly Resort, which straddles the California and Nevada state line, is open year-round, so whether there's snow on the ground or the slopes are summer-green, you're guaranteed spectacular views of Lake Tahoe as you descend. . A Zipline Adventure in Tsitsikamma, South Africa Zipping along 10 zip lines in one trip was a wild intro to the world of zip line adventures. But that's what you get when you take the Zip Line Adventure at Tsitsikamma Coastal National Park in South Africa. (Adrenalin junkies note: When you've done this, head over to Bloukrans Bridge and do the bungie jump.) A Zipline Adventure in Maui, Hawaii The Haleakala Skyline Tour take you on the slopes of a massive volcano on Maui, Hawaii. The zipline tour by Skyline Eco-Adventures includes a short hike, five picturesque zipline crossings, and a walk across an "Indiana Jones" style swinging bridge. A Zipline Adventure in Kauai, Hawaii During Kauai Backcountry Adventures seven- zipline adventure you'll descend a mountainside. It's a spectacular way to see Hawaii's Garden Isle. A Zipline Adventure at Utah Olympic Park near Park City Even if you've already been on ziplines elsewhere in the world, the Xtreme and Ulta Ziplines at the Utah Olympic Park, just outside Park City and less than 30 minutes from Salt Lake city, Utah, will give you a thrill. The steep Xtreme Zip takes you right over the K-120 ski jump hill. Zipline Adventures in Thailand Contestants in Amazing Race Asia 3 flew along the Flight of the Gibbon ziplines and you can, too. If you're on a trip to Thailand and visiting Chiang Mai, take the Flight of the Gibbon. You'll spend three hours zipping along cables and walking on bridges high in the Mae Kompong rainforest. Treetop Adventures runs this tour. There's a video of the Amazing Race contestants stop here, and how they felt about going on a zip line, on the Web site. Side-by-side 160 meter zip lines which come off a wooden deck nestled along the side of a limestone karst cliff - and zip on down to a tree-lined meadow. Located just 2 Km NW of Chiang Rai at Boomerang Adventure Park. A Zipline Adventure in Icy Strait Point, Hoonah, Alaska The ZipRider cable ride at Icy Strait, Alaska claims to be the longest zipline in the world at 5,330 feet, and includes a 1,300 vertical drop. During the ride - when six people head downhill side by side at the same time - you'll pass through woods then over open ground ensuring spectacular views of Port Frederic and Icy Strait. This locale caters to cruise ships, so if you're taking an Alaskan cruise that stops here, book early. Click on Icy Strait Point for more information about the ZipRider, but you must book through your cruise line. A Zipline Adventure in Costa Rica About a quarter of Costa Rica is covered with rain forests and many of Costa Rica's national parks have canopy and zipline tours. Your choice might be dictated by where you are staying. Click on this link to learn more about the companies that offer canopy and zipline tours, and the specific tours. The Original Canopy Tour company has several zipline and canopy tours in Costa Rica, and other countries including Jamaica, Belize, Nicaragua and Mexico. A Zipline Adventure in Mokai Gravity Canyon, Taihape, New Zealand. Definitely for thrill seekers, a ride on the Fox is a straight shot off a ledge toward the river below in Gravity Canyon. Click on Gravity Canyon to learn about the Fox, and the other stomach-droppping rides. A Zipline Adventure on the World's Largest Cruise Ship On the Oasis of the Sea, the world's largest cruise ship, you can ride a zipine strung nine decks above Boardwalk. If you want to see what it looks like, About.com's cruise editor, Linda Garrison, has a picture of someone flying overhead on the Oasis of the Sea zipline, while people shop below. How to Take a Zipline Adventure Before you hook onto a line and start zipping, reputable zipline tour operators give you basic training, which may include a fast ride on wire close to the ground. Click on How to Take a Zipline Tour to see how easy it is to take a zipline tour. Pre-teens to grandparents are loving canoy and zipline adventures. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.

Adventure Travel: What's Hot Now: How to Get Your Passport Fast

Adventure Travel: What's Hot Now These articles that had the largest increase in popularity over the last week How to Get Your Passport Fast 3 Jul 2011, 11:00 am On Tuesday, July 13, 2010, new passport and passport renewal prices take a bit jump! On June 28, the State Department published its Schedule of Fees for Consular Services - which includes passport fees - in the Federal Register. When the changes takes effect July 13, an adult passport will cost $35 more than today. (The price jumps from $100 to $135). A minor's passport jumps from $85 to $105. Currently, you would pay $75 to renew a passport but on July 13, the price jumps to $110. Just need extra visa pages? You don't have to pay for them now, but after July 13, they will cost $82! An adult passport card jumps from $20 to $30, and a passport card for a child increases from $10 to $15. Passport cards can be used for land border crossings to Mexico or Canada. Time to check the date your passport expires? Keep in mind many countries require a passport be good for at least six months from the time you enter a country. I almost got caught, so I had my passport renewal expedited and you can too. You just need to be willing to pay a bit more (or a lot more if you're in a hurry). How to Get Your Passport Faster Rush My Passport expedites passport applications, passport renewals and visas for a fee. The fee depends upon the turn-around time for the document - which could be as little as 24 hours for a renewal. RushMyPassport.com "walks" your passport application or passport renewal application through the system and dramatically decreases the time from applying to having that critical travel document in your hands. It costs considerably more, of course. But, when you discover a spouse's passport has expired and you're leaving for Europe in three weeks, this option becomes much less expensive than canceling a trip. (Keep in mind, too, that some countries will not let you in if your passport expires within six months of the date you are traveling.) Where to Go for Details You can also get your passport faster directly from the U.S. Government by paying an expedite fee and carefully following the directions. You must put "Expedite" on the envelope so the application is routed correctly and pay a fee. It's also suggested that you include an overnight envelope for the fastest return. For details visit How to Get Your Passport in a Hurry. Specific instructions also will be on the application for your passport or passport renewal. Not sure what's involved in getting a passport? Watch this How to Get a Passport video. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.