In This Issue
Discount on July trips
Trips in 2011
Proper Sunscreen Use
Kilimanjaro Webinar
Getting the best airfare
Movie of interest
Mother's Day Special Offer
Off to Italy
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More Mothers and Daughters
My sister told me that she loved the last newsletter with all the pictures of mothers and daughters but was hurt that I didn't include one of her and her daughter, who were on our Sea Kayaking Alaska trip in 2005. So here it is. I loved having them on the trip although my sister did struggle with treating me as a guide instead of her little sister.
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Linda and Dana
Linda first traveled with us in 2005 when her husband signed her up for a trip. My first thought was that he thought it would be "good" for her. Fortunately it turns out he is a man who knows that his wife needs a periodic dose of being outdoors somewhere beautiful- and he doesn't. Linda told us after every trip (there have been 7 now) how much her daughter wanted to join her. This spring Dana turned 18 and they both came on the Havasu Hike.
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Gadget and Rocky
Are their names really Gadget and Rocky? Well, sort of. If you go on any Appalachian Trail Backpack trip with our guide, Jan, you will end up with a trail name - which is a tradition among AT thru hikers. Gadget and Rocky (aka Pam and Shannon)joined us several years ago on our Intro to Backpacking trip. Rocky's name comes from "Rocks are hard". Gadget's name? If you need it, Gadget has it. This picture is them on Buzzard Rock.
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Sherry and Allie
Sherry brought Allie on our New Mexico trip to celebrate Allie's graduation from college. Allie learned that women continue to grow and try new challenges their entire lives. The rest of us learned that the world will be in very good hands when her generation takes control.
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Discounts on two July trips
We are offering discounts on two terrific trips in July. You can take $300 off Hoofin It in the Tetons if you sign up by this Friday, May 7. This trip combines hiking in the front country of Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons with horseback riding in the backcountry, all at the height of wildflower season.
For avid hikers who want to hike in some of the most beautiful mountains in North America (while still having a bed to sleep in at night)we're offering $250 off Canadian Rockies Hiking Holiday. This year we were able to get bus tickets into the Lake O'Hara area - warning! Your jaw will ache from hitting the ground every other minute. The deadline for this discount is also this Friday. So if you've been dithering about your summer plans, come join us!
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Trips in 2011
I can't believe that I'm already talking about 2011 trips. But I know some of you need or like to plan far in advance so - we have all our 2011 winter trips posted here-http://www.adventuresingoodcompany.com/season/winter-2011. We have one new trip, Sea Kayaking Cumberland Island, which we are running back to back with Paddling the Okefenokee and you can take one or both. We have reconfigured our Panama trip to make it a little shorter and less expensive and then added an optional extension. And we are bringing back two trips we've run in the past: Exploring Hawaii's Big Island and Kilimanjaro Climb and Safari.
We have also finalized which international trips we will be offering in 2011, but not yet dates or prices. You can see a list of all the trips at the bottom of the trip calender. Do let us know if you want to be notified when the trips are posted (we will automatically email everyone who filled out the survey). And remember, the first 5 who sign up for any trip get a 5% discount off the listed price, and everyone gets a 3% discount if they pay the balance by check.
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Proper Sunscreen Use
I hate using sunscreen lotions. I like that healthy tanned look I get from being outside in the sun and I don't like putting on lotion. But I know it is important to prevent skin cancer and minimize wrinkles (although I think it may be too late for that). So here are four things you need to do if you are going to use sunscreen correctly. This comes straight from a dermatologist in Hawaii and she should know.
1)Throw out last year's sunscreen and buy a new bottle. The effective ingredients are only good for a year.
2)Apply it every two hours when you're outside and whenever you come out of the water, even if it says it it water proof. Saltwater may require even more frequent application.
3)Apply it liberally. Your goal should not be to use as little as possible.
4)Most people need 30 SPF. 15 SPF probably isn't enough and 50 SPF is more than most people need (it only increases protection 1-2% more than 30). However if you're burning with 30 (and its a new bottle), then try 50. If you need complete block, go with zinc oxide.
Follow these four pieces of advice and you too can look as if you never left the office. Sigh.
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Kilimanjaro Webinar
We will offer our first Webinar on climbing Kilimanjaro on June 2 at 8 PM EST. If you are giving this trip any consideration, please join us - just hit "reply" to this newsletter and I will send the details about how to join us a week before the webinar. You do need a high speed internet connection but that is all. This is your chance to find out what it is actually like, what you need to prepare, and to ask your questions and hear other women's questions.
Climbing Kilimanjaro is one of those "big" trips that most healthy active women can achieve with adequate preparation. You just put one foot in front of the other, and repeat 10,000 times (well, maybe 20,000 times). Climbing by the full moon and then reaching the summit just as the sun rises is one of those memories I will treasure forever.
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Getting the best airfare
How to get the best airfare is a topic of perennial interest. Matt Gross, the Frugal Traveler who is always worth reading, published a very good article on it in February, which you can read here.
I just want to add a few caveats:
1) he still prefers starting with kayak.com; with a similar interface and the ability to predict the direction of fares on some flights, I often use bing.com;
2) If Southwest flies where you are going, that will be indicated on both kayak and bing but it does not show up in the results and you have to go directly to the Southwest website- which in my experience is always worth checking;
3) he doesn't mention the need to factor in baggage fees if you are focusing on price comparisons - these can totally change your calculus; and
4) he doesn't mention the most important question for you to ask yourself- is it worth you doing it? That comes down to individual preference- are you someone who loves researching lots of options and making the most informed decision, even if it takes an hour or so? Or do you quickly start feeling overwhelmed and anxious that you'll make a mistake and it is the least enjoyable part of the whole travel process? If you're the latter, do yourself a favor and use a travel agent. Of course we recommend our travel agent Sara (sara@scaneastwest.com) because she will get you to the trip start at the right time and place and make sure your return flight is correct, and because she is so lovely to deal with. But if you already have a travel agent you like, by all means you should keep using her/him. Yes, using a travel agent will cost money and it is even possible that they will not get you the absolutely cheapest ticket available. But there is another advantage- when something happens to your flight or the airline has lost your booking, you have a travel professional on your side to help things get straightened out.
A related story here: last Saturday I was working when an email arrived from Delta saying that they had canceled our guide Jan's flight from Knoxville to Kalamazoo (it was the end of the trip) and rescheduled her for a flight the next day. I checked the internet and saw that American had a flight that afternoon that would work perfectly. I called Jan and told her, and she was able to get on that flight. But this is the important point: all Delta would tell her was that there were no Delta flights that day that would get her home. It was only because she was able to tell them that American had a flight that they looked into that option. If I had not been working that afternoon, Jan would have had another night in Knoxville. A good travel agent could have accomplished the same thing- or you could if you have a smart phone or some other method of internet access. But without it? Don't depend on the airlines to get you home in a timely fashion!
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Movie of interest
When I tell people that I lead adventure trips, a common question is whether I bungy jump. I explain that no, I don't - not that I wouldn't, but that to me doing something for the sole purpose of inducing a big jolt of adrenaline is not what adventure is about. An adrenaline surge may happen occasionally as a byproduct of doing something adventurous, but it is not the purpose nor is it predetermined. What constitutes adventure is different for each person, but the common thread is that it involves taking a risk (physical or emotional) because we are putting ourselves into an unknown situation.
That is all a preamble to highly recommending a movie that most of you have probably already seen - "Up", the animated film about the old man who ties thousands of balloons to his house and floats it away in search of a place he has always wanted to visit. And on the face of it, that is the adventure. It is, but it isn't all - equally important are the experiences he has that allow him to open his heart to the world around him. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.
And if you like dogs? The movie totally gets them!
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Mother's Day Special Offer
This is just a repeat from last newsletter now that it is closer to Mother's Day. Because we love seeing moms and daughters on our trips, because some of my best adventures have been with my mom, and because Mother's Day presents should be about the bonds between moms and daughters, Adventures in Good Company is offering $100 off per person when any mother and adult daughter (18 and over) sign up for a trip together by MotherŐs Day, May 9. Just mention that you are signing up together.
Another option: you can't coordinate your trip plans but you have a mom who needs to get out and try new things or a daughter who really deserves a break. For $50, you can buy a gift certificate worth $150 for any trip in 2010 (sorry, you can't use it for yourself). You get to look generous (which we know you are), your mom or daughter gets a nudge to get out, and everyone wins.
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Off to Italy
I'm leaving Friday for our Treasures of Tuscany trip (eating and hiking- is there anything better in life?) and the day I get back Deb is off for Sea Kayaking in Croatia. Jan will be guiding our new Lodge to Lodge on the Appalachian Trail and Leigh will be hosting women at her wonderful hostel on Waterfalls and Wineries.
We hope your spring is beautiful, and full of lots of time in the outdoors (and eating good food, of course)
-- Marian, for all the guides at Adventures in Good Company
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