Spitzkoppe campsite / Flickr photo by Tak from HK

Campfires and beer

Memories flood back to you as you become aware of your surroundings. The previous afternoon the custom-built overland truck carrying all camping necessities, pulled up at a wild camp at the base of the beautiful Spitzkoppe, a granite outcrop rising some 1700m above the surrounding gravel plains of central west Namibia. The granite rock became a playground as you explored its heights and crevices. As the sun dropped to the horizon, the dust in the air over the gravel plains created a magical African sunset, the suns rays reflected burnt orange off Spitzkoppes granite rock. A magical evening was spent under the clear starry sky, Barking Geckos called while you sat around a glowing campfire sipping a Windhoek lager with your fellow campers and guide.

Another day another destination

After a tasty breakfast of French toast, hot tea and cereal prepared by your guide, with communal effort, camp is packed up and you board the overland truck to head off to the next exciting destination – Etosha National Park. Many hours are spent travelling on board the overland truck, its kind of part of the overlanding experience. Rough gravel roads, dust, the rattle and shake of the truck, African tunes of “The Best of Johnny Clegg” playing in the background, a competitive card game enjoyed by your fellow travellers, as you watch the African savannah pass by.

Three giraffes / Flickr photo by naddel@weltfrauschaft

As you enter Etosha National Park in northern Namibia, the pace slows right down and everyone grabs a window seat to start the game spotting in this popular game reserve. Here your guides experience and knowledge of wildlife is brought to light. If she is worth her salt, she will be interpreting the signs of the bush to you, not only identifying the animal, bird, tree, rock, insect, snake species but giving you some background on their habits and habitats. Being a Field Guide means being able to interpret the African bush and all overland guides are registered field guides.

Not for everyone

Overland Safaris are not for everyone and a clear understand should be obtained before heading out on one. They are adventurous, active and continuously on the move. It’s a wonderful way to experience the major highlights of a few countries. Large distances are covered and you will travel with a relatively large group of people. You will get dirty, some camps don’t have showers and you will need to be prepared to rough it. The tour does not always run to schedule, sometimes a flooding river will stop you in your tracks or your guide will have to test the trucks 4×4 abilities and sometimes get stuck, which then requires your assistance to push. The guides have a great ability to create excellent teamwork within the group and most of the time these safaris are excellent fun!

Southern and East Africa offer a diverse range of exciting overland safaris aimed at the budget traveller. These range from 7 to 56 days long and can traverse multiple countries.

Bixi bikes @ Flickr photo by mpilote

Having paid $28, I can now grab a Bixi from any of the main pick-up points over town and ride for 30 minutes without charge. It’s then an extra $1.50 if I go over that. Or I can dock the bike for five minutes and after that it’s mine again for free.

Having heard so much about these systems, especially the Paris Velib, I am very pleased to finally have the chance to try it out for myself.

To say I am impressed would be an understatement. I have become slightly obsessed. I now refuse to walk or take the bus or metro anywhere. It’s Bixi all the way. When on Saturday night I stopped off for takeaway (a poutine, naturally), just two blocks for my house, I insisted on picking up a Bixi to take me to my door. This probably worked off 0.0001% of the poutine grease.

I am sure the novelty will wear off, but Bixis have certainly helped me re-find my bearings and make me feel very settled.

Continue reading this article @ Going Local Travel

A leading international event for learning, networking and partnership-building, the ESTC is a meeting place for innovative minds from across the industry, bringing together 500-plus business leaders, industry professionals and community stakeholders to discuss practical ideas and solutions that inspire positive changes in tourism. The ESTC 2010 will feature dynamic sessions, public forums and social functions.

The WHL Group is proud to join these industry leaders and sustainability pioneers as one of the conference’s supporting organisations.

Walking the talk

For the first time in the event’s history, ESTC 2010 delegates will be given a chance to practice what they preach by participating in three half-day voluntourism field sessions, important recognition of the increasing importance of voluntourism as a niche of sustainable tourism. The roll-up-your-sleeves, hands-on opportunities include work at Portland-area landmarks like the Columbia Springs Environmental Education Center, one of Portland Parks and Recreation’s community gardens and the Tualatin National Wildlife Refuge.

“Come get your hands dirty!” said Laura Guimond, Communications and PR Manager, Sustainability, Travel Portland.

A chorus of voices

A rich selection of speakers has been invited to present analyses and case studies at session topics about triple-bottom-line approaches to sustainability in travel and tourism. The WHL Group will be represented by Zachary Rozga, North America and Caribbean Regional Director, who will speak about Effective Strategies for Finding Support for Sustainability Initiatives in Tourism, one of the Track 2 sessions about Practical Ideas on Triple Bottom Line: Managing Footprint and Implementing Solutions.

Rozga’s presentation will specifically look at a practical model of how micro-franchising allows even the smallest tour operators to compete with big companies on both price and product. The WHL Group is the leading global franchise network for small and local entrepreneurs in tourism. One of its companies, Urban Adventures, provides unique small-group (max 12 people) day tours operated by locally owned franchise tour companies. These tours feature things not found on typical (bus-bound) city tours – the kinds of things that only a local knows – and use either feet, bikes or public transport to get around.

Source: This article was first published on the WHL Group Blog

Leaving Preston on the Caledonian Sleeper / Flickr photo by Danny McL

So earlier this year I gave the Caledonian Sleeper a whirl, zipping me from my from my hometown of Edinburgh to my old stamping ground, London. This goes shuttles between the two cities with just a few unobtrusive stops en route (Carstairs, Carlisle and Watford Junction) and we were fortunate to bag a bargain mid-week single for around £30 a piece. Admittedly it was just the first leg of an amazing journey on the Orient Express, but more of that later…

Getting on board

The train sets off from Waverley at 11.30pm, but we were hopelessly early as usual and had plenty of time to stock up on vending machine provisions for the long night ahead.  Our steward didn’t exactly greet us with open arms, but we were boarded efficiently enough with plenty of time to settle into our cabin.  Maybe capsule is a better word. Space in our 2 person bunk was tight indeed, but it’s fine once you’re decanted and our cases fitted neatly in the overhead slot.

Continue reading this article @ He Thought of Trains

Packing in Moscow / Flickr photo by Tom Allen

Choosing to travel exclusively by land meant that the excursion was really much more than just a bike ride in Mongolia. It was also an opportunity to spend a few days watching the world go by, and to experience one of the world’s great train journeys – the Trans-Mongolian from Moscow to Ulaan Baatar (and back). There was also the logistical challenge of it all – anyone who’s been to the Caucasus will know that the borders are in something of a pickle.

96-hour train journey back to Moscow

Having no need to visit any Siberian cities on our return leg, we took a coupé (a 4-berth compartment) on the direct train to Moscow from the Mongolian capital. As luck would have it, nobody else was booked in the same compartment, so we had no issues with our luggage – a bike box, 3 drybags, a pannier, two bar-bags and six wheels were all safely stowed away with room to sleep.

Not long into the 96-hour journey I began to crave company…

Continue reading this article @ Ride Earth – Tom’s World Bicycle Travel Blog

The hidden Emerald Lake on Ko Mae Ko in Ang Thong National Marine Park / Flickr photo by Starbuck Powersurge

The blockbuster movie – famously starring Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Danny Boyle – was shot off Phuket, a sun-drenched tropical playground with a well-developed tourism industry. The real-life inspiration for Alex Garland’s best-selling book, however, was the undeveloped paradise of Ang Thong National Marine Park, a stunning 42-island archipelago off the east coast of southern Thailand and most easily reached from the laidback island of Koh Samui.

It’s easy to understand the choice of the park as the setting for a novel. Ninety minutes offshore, Ang Thong is the ultimate secret backpacker’s paradise. Known as the Golden Basin, this protected nature area covers roughly 250 square kilometres and encompasses dramatic seaside cliffs, unusual limestone outcrops, secluded caves and hidden lagoons.

Continue reading this article @WHL Group Blog

In 1966 an apartheid government declared valuable urban areas “whites only” areas and all people of colour were forcibly removed from their homes to the barren low-lying outer areas of the cities, their homes bulldozed to the ground.

Vicky's B&B / Flickr photo by firesika

Visiting a Township in Cape Town

The low-lying outer areas are now known as the townships and in Cape Town particularly, the Cape Flats.

A very popular activity for international tourists to South Africa is a guided township tour. The desire to learn how the different communities live, to meet the people and to learn of South Africa’s history is of great interest to them.

As a resident Capetonian from the “other side” of town, I decided it was time I ventured out of the comforts of my home environment into the townships of the Cape Flats. You must understand that this is not a common thing for a white South African to do.

The perception of the townships is that they are dangerous, areas where violent crime takes place and where white faces are not welcome. Well, for the most part, this is a huge misperception.

District Six Museum

African Eagle Day Tours escorted me on a half-day guided tour, which incorporated a visit to the District Six Museum, Langa and Khayelitsha. The District Six Museum, established in December 1994 (when Nelson Mandela became president of South Africa), works with the memories of the communities that used to live in District 6 and with the history of forced removals more generally. This allows a deeper understanding of the people and of the townships you visit on the tour. Langa and Khayelitsha are two of the older townships on the Cape Flats.

Black Economic Empowerment

Our tour guide, Songs, a wonderful quiet natured Xhosa gentleman who lives in the Langa Township, accompanied us. Songezo, his full name, in Xhosa means late addition, being the last child of his family. Songs introduced us to another side of Cape Town.

Repair stores in Khayelitsha / Flickr photo by kudumomo

An eye-opening stroll through the littered streets laced with the smell of barbequed sheep’s head, had me captivated (the insides a delicacy enjoyed by the locals). Small children decently dressed playing a cheerful, lively game of soccer; colourful, neatly assembled corrugated iron shacks with communal ablution facilities and water points and a mass of loose electrical wires running between homes and electrical points, any electrician’s nightmare! Most of all, what I noticed was the friendliness and welcoming attitude of the people. We attracted many young children who posed eagerly for photographs wanting in return to see themselves in the digital photo.

During South Africa’s progression to democracy, the communities have learned to welcome tourists as they realise that tourism is a good form of income for the communities as a whole. African Eagle Day Tours, merged with Grassroute Tours, is a Black Economic Empowerment company that offers informative township tours and cultural experiences in a non-invasive sustainable way, bringing benefits to the communities it visits.

Almost all of the communities of the Cape Flats remain, to one degree or another, poverty stricken. A wide range of community empowerment organisations work non-violently to combat poverty, crime and health problems and the role of civil society in many parts of the area is relatively strong.

Creative business blossoming out the townships

Wonderfully creative business developments can be found the in townships. Vicky’s B&B in Khayelitsha, included on the itinerary for the township tour, is a homely colourful engaging overnight stop for travellers from all over the world. This offers the opportunity to live in the townships and really feel the vibe!

Khayelitsha Craft Market / Flickr photo by World Bank Photo Collection

Mzoli’s Place in Gugulethu is another great example of a creative business blossoming out the townships. Mzoli’s is actually a butchery but has been expanded to include a pub next door where one can enjoy a couple of cold ones with the locals while feasting on some deliciously braaied (barbequed) meat. Its festive, its lively, its likely to have you partying until late! I was delighted to experience Mzoli’s on the evening that Bafana Bafana played France in the FIFA World Cup Soccer. What a magnificent vibe there was! What cameraderie and passion for South Africa! A truly memorable experience!

Mzoli's Meat / Flickr photo by Scott MacLeod Liddle

Visiting the townships is a wonderful eye opening experience allowing you to more fully and tangibly grasp South Africa and her people. I happily recommend it!

Gardening – whether it’s in your own backyard or on a fantastic public scale – requires patience, hard work and a whole lot of love.  Anyone who has ever tended one from seed to vine knows just how rewarding a hobby it can be – but even your very own inner landscape artist needs a little inspiration between seasons! Forget about planting the same old herbs and stretch your imagination – a vacation away from home may be just what you need to get those creative gardening forces flowing. Bring your notepad and escape overseas to some of the world’s finest public parks and gardens!

1- Holyrood Park, Edinburgh

One of the UK’s most spectacular green spaces lies in central Edinburgh, where visitors can explore the wild natural beauty contained within 650-acres of rugged public parkland. Lying just southeast of the city’s Old Town, Holyrood Park feels a world away from the hustle and bustle of the Royal Mile. Paths are steep throughout the former 12^th Century royal hunting grounds, so wear comfortable walking shoes and be prepared for some strenuous climbs. Throughout the park, you’ll encounter typical Scottish scenery such as mountain crags, heather fields, lochs, glens, and marshes. Of course, the landscape is no less wild come August when the Fringe Festival descends – head to the meadows for the best in street theatre from all around the world!

Salisbury Crags, Holyrood Park / Flickr Photo by Richard Milnes

2- Kings Park, Perth

Located on the western edge of the Australian city of Perth, Kings Park comprises over 400 hectares of unspoiled bushland, grass meadows and botanical gardens. You’ll need a full day (or more) to explore the world’s largest inner city park – but the rewards are great, especially if you visit in September when the fields come alive with wildflowers. Free walking tours are available, but don’t let the park’s vastness discourage you from some solo exploring. Along many footpaths and trails visitors will find small plaques identifying the local flora by their common and Latin names. Bring you camera as the park overlooks the city – you’ll want to capture the panoramic views!

Kings Park, Perth / Flickr Photo Trevor_Page

3- Villa Borghese, Rome

Opened to the public since 1903, Rome’s largest park is a tranquil refuge away from the busy streets of the Italian capital with its wide shady lanes, art museums, gorgeous temples and lakes. Existing as an expansive vineyard until 1605, the site was transformed into formal gardens by then Cardinal Scipione Borghese, a nephew of Pope Paul V. Throughout the park’s scenic environs are several Renaissance Villas now open to the public, including the historic Villa Medici. Remade into an English landscape garden during the 19^th century, the Villa Borghese Gardens encompass a wide selection of colourful flower gardens, orange groves and stunning public art.

Villa Borghese, Rome / Flickr photo by nucksfan604

4- Central Park, New York City

Designed by Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux in 1858, Central Park occupies more than 770 acres of city-owned land in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. Designated as a National Historic Landmark, it attracts approximately 25 million visitors each year and serves as peaceful retreat for locals escaping the hectic pace of NYC life. Inside the park, visitors have a wide variety of shaded lanes, open meadows, and rambles to explore – highlights include a picturesque public reservoir, ice-scating rink, Victorian castle, children’s zoo and historic carousel, plus the 6-acre gem of the Conservatory Garden with its French-, Italian- and English-style gardens. Don’t miss an evening at the Delacorte Theatre in summer, where free public performances of Shakespearean classics are held.

Central Park, New York / Flickr photo by Mike Rollinger

5- Gardens by the Bay, Singapore

The tropical city of Singapore is the sight of a major development project currently underway involving the planned construction of three public parks along 94 hectares of prime waterfront land. Upon completion, the Gardens By the Bay will showcase tropical garden landscapes by some of the world’s top international design teams. The master plan for Bay Central has not yet been selected, while Bay South will include floral displays, an outdoor concert arena and cool conservatory complex housing flowers from around the world. The chosen design for Bay East will feature a waterfront landscape incorporating an edible plant garden and boating quay for sports like canoeing, sculling and dragon boat races. Phase one will be completed by 2011, so it’s high time to start planning your Singapore vacation!

Marina Bay Singapore / Flickr photo by _liana

1) Go to bar
2) Sit at the bar
3) Order a drink
4) Get out a notebook
5) Wait

In my experience, sooner or later, someone will come up and ask what you are writing about.

In Miami, I was also blessed with some good luck. On my first night, I went to Haitian restaurant Tap Tap and I didn’t even have chance to get to step 4. I asked the barmaid who owned the bar and she said ‘You’re sitting right next to him’. Before long, we were engaged in deep conversation, broken only when he disappeared to fetch props (and people) to illustrate his point – a Haitian DVD here, a map there, until finally he brought me to meet Manno Charlemagne, a revolutionary musician who also served as mayor of Port-au-Prince and who now plays in the bar every week.

Local Diner / photo by Flickr Creative Commons Marcin Wichary

Luck plays a big part, but open-mindness and an ability to go with the flow is even more crucial. Also, I should point out that there are a few sub-rules to the above plan:

a) A notebook works better than a laptop. Hiding behind a screen makes you look unapproachable.

b) Go easy on the alcohol. No one wants to talk to the strange drunkard. As a solo female traveller, you definitely don’t want to be this person.

c) Mid-afternoon to early evening during midweek is the best moment. Not at 10pm on a Saturday. In the latter scenario, you’ll lose the aura of an enigmatic stranger who just happens to have popped in for a little refreshment between other plans and instead you’ll look more like a loser with no one to hang out with on a Saturday night.

d) Note that this technique doesn’t always work. Sometimes you have to be prepared to make the first move yourself. Or sometimes you don’t meet anyone at all. If you’re comfortable with your own company for half an hour or so and not completely starved of company, this shouldn’t be a problem.

e) Sit at the bar, not at a table hidden away in the far corner. Similarly, don’t go and bother the person already sitting at the table hidden away in the far corner. They picked that for a reason. People sitting at the bar are the ones more open to spontaneous chat with strangers.

Continue reading Vicky’s tips on her blog, Going Local Travel.

Location location location

Living in downtown Miami is well worth the rent money when big events come to town and the city decides to host them a couple blocks down the street from my apartment building. In celebration for the World Cup Final, the city of Miami held a block party in the blistering sunny 95 F degree weather that we call summer in Florida. Being a fan of Spain was the popular route to go. Groups of people walked the streets in red and yellow, many with their faces painted to only have their intricate designs drip off with sweat minutes later.

World Cup Finals Miami block party

In 2008 it was recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau that 62.4% of Miami-Dade residents were of Hispanic or Latino origin. Nearly 65% of Miamians are of Hispanic decent. Of that 65%, 35% are Cuban. Where have all the Spaniards come from?

Non-Spanish fans rooting for the Spanish

Now I know for a fact that not all of the Spain fans on my downtown block are actually of Spanish decent, seeing how I saw some of my college friends (who are not Spanish). In a world sporting event do you support the country you live in? Or the country that most resembles, or is most associated, with your own? My father was born and raised in a small town in Portugal and immigrated here when he was ten years old. My mother was born and raised in Dominican Republic and immigrated here when she was two. She was never too much of a sports fan, but my dad on the other hand rooted all the way for the Americans to win the World Cup. Of course, if Portugal was playing he absolutely could not miss it.

Listen to the octopus, or your gut?

If your motherland isn’t in the World Cup or Olympics, how do you choose who you root for? Some people I asked said they choose whatever country their family supports. Most simply pick who they think is the best and is going to win the tournament (I wonder where all the Brasil fans went). The immense superstition of an octopus deciding on the World Cup winner has created a world following thanks to his eight consecutive pickings, all correct. Apparently, even psychic Paul the octopus has received death threats, having reportedly doomed his own country (sorry, Germany) to the win.

The Spanish impostors roaming the streets surrounding my building took their World Cup fervor as far as shooting off fireworks reaching as high as my 11th floor balcony. Maybe supporting a country that is not your own is more like a fashion trend. Everyone’s doing it, so why not? In the next World Cup, let me know who the trend is going to be. I need to find a fitted jersey.