Active Travel Adventures

Active Travel Adventures

Looking for a FUN adventure for your next vacation? Active Travel Adventures curates multi-day world wide adventure travel holidays for reasonably fit folks who love to hike, bike, paddle or otherwise stay active for a more immersive experience when they vacation and explore our planet and its people. These are all adventures that YOU can do, especially if you train (I'm 64, so if I can do it, so can YOU!). It's easy to find the right adventure for you: We cover mild adventures like cycling (flat) the historic and beautiful Netherlands, to taking an African safari, to taking a walking holiday from one medieval village to the next in Europe. And if you are up for a bigger challenge, then check out climbing Kilimanjaro, trekking to Everest Base Camp or Annapurna in Nepal's majestic Himalayan mountains, or hiking the Mont Blanc circuit through Italy, France and Switzerland. But most adventures we cover are rated a 3 out of 5 for difficulty. Examples include (eBikes available) cycling Greek islands or island hopping from Split to Dubrovnik in Croatia (both while sleeping on a cool ship!), hiking in Banff, the Dolomites, Patagonia, or trekking to Machu Picchu. Long distance hikes we cover include the Coast to Coast and Cotswold Way in England, the West Highland Way in Scotland and other famous UK trails. Of course, we often cover doing an El Camino, including the French Way (Camino Frances), the Portuguese Way, the Primitivo, the original way from Oviedo. We've even BIKED the El Camino! We have also walked the Camino's sister trail, the Kumano Koda trail in Japan. If you like the water and to paddle, we've rafted the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon (and we've hiked the Grand Canyon, too!) as well as through Canyonlands National Park. We've rafted the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, as well as day trips as part of other trips on the Pacuare River in Costa Rica and the Tulley River in Australia. We've also snorkeled the Galapagos Islands and the Great Barrier Reef! Naturally, we cover the amazing National Parks, including Olympic, Acadia, the Grand Canyon, Arches, Zion, Arches, Rocky Mountains and more! Sometimes we even travel on horseback, including in Iceland, Ireland and other exciting destinations! Often the trips are multi-activity, like the ones in New Zealand, Italy, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Costa Rica. On multi-activity trips, we mostly hike, but we usually do some biking and paddling as well. Sometimes we go on expedition cruises, like to Antarctica, the Falkland and South Georgia islands or to Greenland. Here we hike and get to paddle among the icebergs, while traveling on a small ship for closer access to the amazing landscape! On occasion we backpack and camp, but mostly we day hike and stay in comfortable inns at night. We have backpacked St Olav Ways in Norway, the Kungsleden trail in Sweden, in Iceland and Greenland, as well as section hiked the Appalachian Trail, or 'AT'. We visit exotic countries like Bhutan, Vietnam and Thailand. In short, we cover the world's most exciting adventures that regular people can do on their vacation. Sometimes, we cover skills that you need in order to go on an adventure, from traveling solo, how to choose a tour company, how to save money for travel, how to save money ON travel, and outdoor skills you need to learn (also check out our sister podcast, the Adventure Travel Show podcast (ATSP) for deep dives into adventure skills). ATA's mission is to inspire and empower you to lead a bigger life through adventure travel. Travel the Active Travel Adventures way! Be sure to visit the ActiveTravelAdventures.com website where we make it easy to find the right adventure for you! You can search by time of year you can travel, what activity you want to do and which continent you want to visit. Learning about all the outdoor skills from ATSP are available to check out there as well. We aim to be your one stop shop for adventure travel! One the website, you can see photos and videos of the adventure covered, plus get more information about the trip covered. You can also get a FREE Travel Planner for each adventure by signing up for our once a month newsletter.

Episodes

April 18, 2024 31 mins

Guided Costa Rica Camino with Homestays and Daily Luggage Transfer

PART II: Join us as we continue our 175 mile/280 km Costa Rica Camino where, over 16 days, you walk from the Caribbean to the Pacific Ocean, across the entire country (indeed the continent and over the continental divide!).  You'll experience an array of ecosystems and see wildlife and fauna in one of the most biodiverse regions...

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Guided Costa Rica Camino with Homestays and Daily Luggage Transfer

PART I: Join us as we discuss the new 175 mile/280 km Costa Rica Camino where, over 16 days, you walk from the Caribbean to the Pacific Ocean, across the entire country (indeed the continent and over the continental divide!).  You'll experience an array of ecosystems and see wildlife and fauna in one of the most biodiverse regio...

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Patagonia Part II: Hike, Bike and Kayak Argentina and Chile

In this Part II of our Patagonia adventure, we begin at the end of our W-Trek at Lake Grey, where we switch our hiking gear for sea kayaks, and venture out in this beautiful lake to kayak around icebergs and glaciers.

We then move to the other side of Patagonia, from Chile now on to Argentina, where we explore the stunning Perito Moren...

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Patagonia Part I: Hike the W Trek in Argentina 

Patagonia ranks in my Top 3 of the ‘Most Beautiful Places’ I’ve seen (and I’ve been to 50 countries and all seven continents).  The rugged granite mountains are often snow capped in glaciers lit up by the sun.  Those same glaciers have turned its many lakes into stunning milky blue and teal oasis that defy description.

In Patagonia, you can hike o...

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Hike and Snorkel Adventures in the Galapagos Islands: Part II

Learn all about visiting the Galapagos Islands and where to hike and snorkel.  We discuss what you can see and do, and in particular, we also talk about whether you should visit independently or go with an adventure tour company?  We discuss the pros and cons of both options in this two part series.

Kit visits San Cristobal, Isabella...

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February 1, 2024 41 mins

The Grand Canyon is the United States' 15th national park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is also considered one of the Great Wonders of the World. Ontario-based climber Mike Grainger talks about his experience whitewater rafting on the Colorado River. He also gets to hike on the trip, and shares how a hybrid trip allows for couples and families to participate in the same adventure at their own skill and comfort level. He s...

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Hike and Snorkel Adventures in the Galapagos Islands: Part I

Learn all about visiting the Galapagos Islands.  We discuss what you can see and do.  We also talk about whether you should visit independently or go with an adventure tour company?  We discuss the pros and cons of both options in this two part series.

Kit visits San Cristobal, Isabella and Santa Cruz islands to go on hikes in the hig...

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Explore Ireland by Horseback!  Galway and Clare Multi Day Trail Ride

Choose a 5 or 7 night magical exploration of the Emerald Isle by horseback!  You'll be riding 5-7 hours per day, as you explore ancient ruins, the Cliffs of Moher, stunning forests and sheep dotted pastures. Stay in a delightful 300 year old restored farmhouse and down in the village.  Share stories and song at the village pub...

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January 4, 2024 18 mins

30 Best Travel Podcasts for 2024 

My popular annual list of the best travel podcasts to check out for 2024.  There are eighteen new shows on this year's list of the top travel podcasts to listen to in the new year.

COMPLETE SHOW NOTES   Get the complete list with active links...

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December 21, 2023 58 mins

Improving Resilience and Grit

Adventures can be unpredictable at times.  One thing you'll definitely need whenever you go on an adventure is grit.  Toss in some fortitude and resilience, too!  

Fortunately, grit is a skill you can learn.  On today's show, we dive deep into ways that we can improve our own resilience.

This is an encore presentation of an episode that ran on my companion podcast,...

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December 21, 2023 49 mins

Grit and Resilience : One Woman's Story

Eva Simons 'Embraces the Suck' After a Tragic Mauling to Reboot Her Life

Sometimes life punches you in the face and your dreams shatter.  That's what happened to my friend Eva one afternoon last year.  Eva shows true grit and fortitude.  Her inspirational story will encourage you to embrace the suck when life throws you curveballs.

Adventure travel, by it...

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Avoid Crowds on the El Camino de Compostella

There are three ways to avoid the crowds when doing the El Camino:  avoid peak season, avoid the busiest routes, avoid the last 100 km into Santiago. 

Today's guest, David, chose a great way by walking the first two stages of the most popular route, the French Way, but instead of the last 100 km/60 miles like most people, he walked the first two stag...

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25 Affordable Travel Gifts They'll Actually Want

You are sure to find a great travel gift for your loved ones (and even yourself:) on today's show!  Discover 25 terrific gifts for under $60 - most $30 and under:

  • Travel Gifts for Comfort
  • Travel Gifts for Convenience
  • Travel Treats and Little Luxuries
  • Travel Gifts for Safety
  • Armchair Travel Gifts 

Link to the Webpage with G...

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Advice for doing an El Camino These Days plus my Primitivo Camino

The El Camino is SUPER popular these days and is on many adventurer's wish list.  Get important tips for avoiding crowds to ensure that YOU have a 'Buen Camino (Good Camino)" on this popular bucket list adventure.

In addition to helpful insights on planning your El Camino, you wil...

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England's Coast to Coast Walking Holiday

Spend your holiday walking the UK's epic Coast to Coast path from Saint Bees to Robin Hoods Bay!  You can walk one or both sections of this 180 mile/300 km trail (the mid-point is Kirby Stephen).  

Take a self-guided tour where your luggage is move...

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Boat and Bike Tour of the Cyclades and Saronic Islands of Greece

Explore a less touristy and more authentic part of Greece on this week long boat and bike tour departing from Athens.

Each day, you visit a different island and bike about a half day (e-Bikes available and recommended!).  The rest of the time you are exploring charming Greek villages and temples, enjoying a fresh local meal (most...

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Hike Israel's National Trail!

Kit interviews Malia, who backpacked the entire 680 mile/1100 km Israel National Trail from Golan Heights to Eliat, via the Dead Sea, Jerusalem and Masada.  

On this magnificient long distance trail, that takes 45-60 takes to thru hike (60% of folks section hike it), you get a chance to experience Israel's beautiful mountains and deserts, witness tons of 'Trail Magic' of locals supporting hiker's effor...

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September 7, 2023 37 mins

YOU Did It!!!  Listener Adventure Stories

Today we start a new segment on the show featuring folks like you and me, who got inspired to step outside of their comfort zone and took on an adventure.

While in the future, these will be shorter segments added to the regular show, I thought we'd start off with this incredible story of Sally, who thought she was heading for a wheel chair due to multip...

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August 17, 2023 59 mins

Independent Travel Tips plus the Balkans

Kit discusses her fall and winter exploration of the fascinating, beautiful and incredibly complicated Balkan region.  In addition to some of her much loved travel tips, she shares impressions and experiences in Bosnia, Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Albania.  If you think , "Balkans = War/No Way" or any other "Eww, scary!"  thoughts : T...

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In this Part II of my Peru adventures, we finish up our adventure travel tour with my affiliate, Active Adventures (exclusive listener promo code ATA200 to save $200 off ANY of Active Adventures epic worldwide tours!), and then my sister Terry and I head off on our own to explore other exciting places in southern Peru and Bolivia, including:

  • Climb up to sacred Humantay Lake
  • Climb Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain
  • Dune Buggy and Sand B...
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