Travel World: Leave No Trace

With peak hiking season upon us, the folks at Leave No Trace are reminding everyone to..well..leave no trace when hiking or camping in the outdoors. To curve environmental damage created by hikers and campers, seven principles were drafted as a form of outdoor ethics.

This summer, before you hit the trails, here are the principles to keep in mind:

1. Plan ahead and prepare

2. Travel and camp on durable surfaces

3. Dispose of waste properly

4. Leave what you find

5. Minimize campfire impacts

6. Respect wildlife

7. Be considerate of other visitors

For a detailed overview of the principles, check out the Leave No Trace website.

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Terah Shelton
www.terahs.com
Traveler. Writer. Ingenue

Travel World: How to Avoid Submersion Accidents

Summer is here. And with summer comes water sports: swimming, kayaking, diving, and boating. But, each year hundreds of people drown from submersion accidents.

According to Dr. Paul Auerbach of Wilderness Medicine, weak swimming skills, panic, and poor judgment are the leading factors to these incidents. To avoid being involved in an submersion accident, here are a few of his tips:

1. Learn to swim. This is most important for children and teenagers, who are frequently in the water and often place themselves in precarious situations. It is also important for adults, particularly those who may need to self-rescue, such as surf swimmers, scuba divers, and river rafters. However, do not let swimming lessons create a false sense of security, particularly with children.

2. Do not tolerate horseplay in or around the water. This includes diving from heights into shallow water or water of unknown depth.

3. Avoid solo swimming; use the buddy system, so that someone is always on the alert to help a companion in need.

4. It is never safe to cross thin ice; one should be particularly careful during the spring thaw.

5. Alcohol and recreational drugs have no place anywhere near the water. It takes only a brief lapse of common sense to ruin a person’s life forever.

6. Never place non-swimmers in high-risk situations: small sailboats, whitewater rafts, inflatable kayaks, and the like.

7. When boating or rafting, always wear a properly rated life vest (jacket) with a snug fit and a head flotation collar.

8. Know your limits. Feats of endurance and demonstrations of bravado in dangerous rapids or surf are foolhardy.

9. Learn how to properly cross flowing streams of natural water. Do not attempt to cross a flowing stream where the water is above your knees.

Read the full article at Medicine at the Outdoors.

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Terah Shelton

www.terahs.com

Traveler. Writer. Ingenue.

Travel World: Top Outdoor Magazines

There are thousands of magazines dedicated to every conceivable genre and hobby. Peruse your local bookstore and you'll find crocheting magazines, pet magazines, political magazines and much more.

And outdoor and adventure topics are not any different. In fact, there are probably more outdoor and adventure magazines in existence when you factor in biking, hiking, boating, and kayaking topics.

But, with all of these choices, which ones cater toward the overall outdoor experience? Which ones feature in depth articles, interviews, and equipment reviews? Simply put, which ones are the best and, more importantly, for your area of outdoor interest?

Here are the top three outdoor/adventure magazines to gage your interest:

National Geographic Adventure - We've all heard of National Geographic. But, did you know it's sister publication is arguably one of the best outdoor/adventure travel magazine on newsstands? Last year, it took gold in the coveted Lowell Thomas Awards for best overall travel magazine. This month issue features twelve backdoor getaways for paddling, skiing, and hiking.

Men's Journal - Although they've recently shifted editorial focus from adventure travel, outdoor enthusiasts can still read insightful and informative articles on its pages. Check out this month's issue for two moving stories about Mount Everest's Ice Doctors and a journey to Africa in search of "lost waves".

Outside - For interviews with adventurer travelers, no one beats Outside. Regular contributors are outdoor connoisseurs Bill "A Walk in the Woods" Bryson, Sebastian "The Perfect Storm" Junger, and Tim "Lost in My Own Backyard" Cahill. An depth guide to National Parks, the best outdoor and adventure Jobs of 2007, and an engaging story about a little known American battalion in Papua New Guinea round out this month's edition.

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Terah Shelton
www.terahs.com
Traveler. Writer. Ingenue

Travel World: Best and Worst Airports

On my way to the airport, I always consider what could go wrong or what could I have forgotten? Do I have my passport? Do I have my tickets? Did I pack the right clothes? Did I confirm my hotel reservations? Am I comfortable with my travel itinerary? But, after reading this article, I realized I need to make sure the airport I'm departing from could potentially cause problems.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation, the best airport for on-time arrivals is Cincinnati, with an 83%. The worst? Newark at 62%. Unfortunately, Atlanta is listed as one of the worst for one-time departures. Honestly, since I've moved here I haven't expected any problems. But, after learning this information, I'll make the necessary adjustments that could affect my trip, such as making sure connecting flights are not scheduled within an hour.

Do you see your airport on this list? If so, I suggest you take this information and plan your airport arrival time according.

I hope this helps!

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Terah Shelton
www.terahs.com
Traveler. Writer. Ingenue

Long Term Travel

Instead of a travel question today, I would like to recommend a recent article by my favorite travel writer, Rolf Potts. Over at his Yahoo! travel column, Traveling Light, Potts discusses how to stretch your travels. I love this article because I'm constantly asked how I'm able to travel all over the world on the crumbs from a freelance writer's salary. And this article gives you a few hints how.

Here's my favorite example:

1) Take out the middleman

Resist the temptation to purchase your travel specifics in advance. As wonderful as that Ugandan safari looks in the promotional literature of a Dallas-based travel company, shopping for the same experience when you arrive in Africa will be infinitely less expensive — and you'll have saved yourself the trouble of adhering to a fixed date. The same goes for air travel. A discounted "round-the-world" flight ticket might seem tempting but it's generally better to buy a one-way ticket to your first destination and plan your ongoing transportation as you go. Not only is it cheaper this way (thanks to frumpy local airlines such as Biman Bangladesh, Aerocaribbean, and SkyEurope), it allows you a more organic experience — since you'll have a much better feel for your travels en route than you will before they begin.

Read the rest of the article here.

Hope this helps!

* Have a question? Please send an email to travelerspen@yahoo.com or leave a comment.

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Terah Shelton
www.terahs.com
Traveler. Writer. Ingenue

Travel World: Guidebooks

As many of you know, I teach "How to Travel the World on Your Budget" and one of the first questions my students ask me is about guidebooks. Why are they important?

Guidebooks act as a silent travel advisor. They provide recommendations on hotels, restaurants, and attractions in one place. These detailed profiles provide you with prices, addresses, websites, menus, and more. This allows you to prepare your daily itinerary and budget.

Some guidebooks document the history of your destination, allowing the traveler to understand current cultural and social environments. For example, by reading a Laos guidebook, I learned local women covered their shoulders. Because of this, I adjusted my wardrobe before my trip to become socially conscience of their rules.

Travelers differ in their perspective on travel and so do the guidebooks, so before you start to plan a trip, identify your travel personality. Interested in budget travel? Try the Lonely Planet and Rick Steves guidebooks (see below). Traveling with the family? Check out Frommer's that often cater to travelers with children.

Here are a few tips to choosing the right guidebook:

• Find a guidebook that is a good match for what you like to do and how you want to focus on during your travels


• To help you decide, head to your local bookstore or library and do a little hands-on research


• Examine and study every guidebook available for your destination


• Does the guidebook provide concise and informative maps and descriptions of attractions?


• Visit the guidebook publisher’s website


• Read reviews of guidebooks offered by shoppers on Amazon

Hope this helps!

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Terah Shelton
www.terahs.com
Traveler. Writer. Ingenue