In This Issue
Our Twelfth Anniversary!
Update on the One Bag Commitment
Backpacking Trips
Website of interest
Webinars on Austria and Greece
Final Words
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Pictures from Austria
On a hiking trip you can eat just about anything you want. And Austrian pastry? Hmmm.
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Mountain path
This was an optional trail on the first day. Gorgeous! The great thing about this trip is all the options for hiking!
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A house in St Martin
You may suspect that there are only houses with this many flowers in tourist brochures. You would be wrong!
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Pictures from Greece
On the trial up Mt Zeus. No, you can't ride the donkey.
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Santorini
While the best known of the islands, the others are equally interesting.
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Another tourist picture?
No, really, it looks like that!
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Photographers welcome
The Greek Isles are gorgeous and varied.
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Our Twelfth Anniversary!
March marks our 12th anniversary. We started in March 1999 after Woodswomen closed. Looking back at the trips we offered that first year, itŐs amazing how much we've grown and changed. We offer more international adventure travel and more National Park trips. We offer more hiking, kayaking, backpacking, and multisport adventures, and fewer canoe trips. In fact the only trips from that time that are still in the rotation are the New Mexico trip, Havasu Hike, Trekking in Nepal, and Lodge to Lodge on the Superior Hiking Trail. We now serve three times as many women each year as we did that first year. That is a lot of growth and change!
But itŐs actually the ways we haven't changed that are more important. First and foremost there are the guides who have been with Adventures in Good Company from the very beginning: Deb Malmon (who started working in the office in 2006 as well as continuing to guide), Anne Flueckiger, Brenda Porter, and Shelley Shreffler all were Woodswomen guides; we have worked together for over 14 years. Jan Latham joined us in 2001 and recruited Leigh Saint in 2006 who recruited Katie Flanagan in 2008. Pam Coffey, Kate Thornhill, Stephanie Lingwood, and Linda Gaffney all went on trips as participants between 2000 - 2002 and more recently started to guide with us. Catherine Potoff and Ruthie Olsen first started guiding with us in 2006. That's a lot of continuity!
The continuity of guides is the major reason why our philosophy hasnŐt been watered down. From the very beginning we have been committed to providing trips where all women are welcome and guides focus on meeting individual needs as opposed to asking everyone to give up their own goals "for the good of the group". It isn't always possible, but it is what we aim for.
Oh yes, there is one other small change. When we first started, our tagline was Adventure Travel for Every Woman. We realized that isn't quite true, and we changed it to Adventure Travel for Women of All Ages. So how do you know if we're the right company for you? Do you have a love for being outdoors, for getting out of a bus and off the beaten path? Do you enjoy the company of other women? Do you find yourself getting excited when you read our trip descriptions? Yes to any of these questions? Then don't let all the things that you think might get in the way (your age, your weight, your snoring) stop you from joining us on an adventure. We give out earplugs and as long as you choose a trip that is appropriate for your fitness level, age and weight are irrelevant.
Thanks so much to the hundreds of women who have joined us on over the past 12 years. And if you havenŐt been on one of our trips yet, we hope to see you soon. Not this year? No worries! Having survived and thrived for 12 years in a turbulent time, we are definitely here to stay.
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Update Traveling Only with a Carry-On
Last Spring, after a particularly frustrating experience, I vowed to never check bags on an airline again. And I haven't. So here's an update that may be useful to those of you who share my dislike of paying baggage fees, losing luggage, and sometimes waiting for 30 minutes at the baggage carousel.
1. One of the first things I bought was a Rick Steves Convertible Carry On . I have been very happy with it! It's sturdy, has useful pockets, fits into the overhead bin, and my hiking poles, when pulled apart, fit perfectly. The only drawback? Sometimes when I have to walk a distance in the terminal, I wish it had wheels. It does have shoulder straps and a waist belt that were perfect when I had a long walk in Rome. But they are too klutzy to take in and out if the walk is shorter than 20 minutes. All in all, though, I'm pleased and have used it for trips up to 2 weeks.
2. I also bought a Packing Cube Set . My concern about the zippers being flimsy turned out to be justified, and I've had to be careful with them. But cubes sure do make packing and unpacking a ton easier and I'm totally sold on them. I hear the Eagle Creek Organized Traveler Cube Set works well.
3. I have been through security with my hiking poles completely pulled apart and in my bag over 10 times and have never been stopped in the U.S. However, the 2 times I tried it in Europe (once in Italy, once in Germany) I was stopped both times. Since airlines still give you a free bag on international flights, I'll probably give up on not checking baggage when I fly overseas.
4. I read somewhere that TSA was, unofficially, no longer enforcing the 3 oz. liquid and gels rule. That seems to be true. I carried a 12 oz bottle of sunscreen in my bag on the way back from Hawaii.
Of course, your experience may be different. And I still get to the airport with plenty of time to spare just in case something goes wrong. But so far I figure I've saved over $250.
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Backpacking Trips
This year we're offering two new backpacking trips, in addition to our Appalachian Trail Intro and Section trips.
Alpine Backpacking in the Snowy Mountains (in Wyoming) is a beginner trip, perfect for anyone who wants to combine learning all the basics of backpacking with low mileage in an alpine setting. There really is no other place in the US where you can spend time in the alpine with such moderate effort. If you have been interested in trying backpacking but are concerned about the mileage on our Appalachian Trail trip, or if you want to experience a true alpine environment, or if you just want to spend time in the West this summer, this is a great choice.
Our other new trip is Backpacking and Peak Bagging in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. Although the mileage appears moderate, the rugged terrain of the High Peaks region is quite challenging and requires previous backpacking experience. But it isn't all backpacking: we take 2 layover days to climb some of the surrounding high peaks, including Mt Marcy, Mt Colden and possibly Algonquin.
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Website of interest
I first recommended www.itasoftware.com years ago but only recently started using it again. I still prefer Kayak.com or Bing for most routine reservations but starting with Itasoftware will give you a quick idea of the prices you should be looking for and is definitely better for complex itineraries when you could fly in and out of many different cities. It allows you to search using many different parameters and presents the information in a very easy-to-see format that allows you to focus on what is most important (e.g. price, schedule, duration). The only drawback is that you can't book directly from it. Adding it to your search strategy won't take long and can be very helpful.
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Webinars on Austria and Greece
We are offering two more free webinars in March. Whether you're seriously considering either trip, just want to learn more about the country, or enjoy being an armchair traveler, please join us. To attend, all you need is a computer with an internet connection.
March 12 (Saturday) at 5pm EST: Hiking the Austrian Alps. Climb every mountain, ford every stream, follow every byway (finding your dream is optional). Spend 7 days hiking from village to village in Sound of Music country! We stay in family-run hotels, sample Austrian pastry, and hike through lush countryside beneath snow-capped peaks. Register here to attend the webinar.
March 23 (Wednesday) at 8pm EST: Island Hopping in the Greek Isles. Greek Food, Greek Isles, Greek History and Greek Goddesses. Mix in hiking and you get a scenic, active, historic and culinary vacation of a lifetime. Register now for our webinar on Island Hopping in the Greek Isles and dream about this magnificent destination. Learn why, despite recent turmoil, we think it is safe to travel in Greece these days.
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Final Words
I was lucky this winter, missing the first Baltimore snow while I was in Hawaii and the second while I was in Death Valley. Meanwhile Deb stayed in the office in Minnesota digging out on a regular basis during one of Minneapolis' snowiest winters ever. She's finally getting to escape to the warm waters and sun of the Caribbean on our kayak trip while I stay in the office and finalize our 2012 winter schedule and international trips. I hope all of you have a great spring. I saw my first crocuses so warm weather and flowers can't be far behind!
-Marian, for all the guides at Adventures in Good Company
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