10th Carnival of Travel: Outdoor Adventures

This 10th carnival focuses on the wide range of outdoor adventures - family vacations, group trips, expats traveling abroad, volunteer vacations, solo treks. The list goes on. Enjoy!

• Expats Today Have It So Easy 
  Lynn Rodriguez, an expat, reflects on her expat days and compares them with the technology "insta-connection" (cheap phone calls, IM, internet, American products abroad) expat days of today. What has been lost in the technology advances is the ability to truly disconnect and immerse oneself in another culture. A nostalgic article that raises the pros and cons of being able to "check in" so easily from abroad.
• Walking In A Winter Wonderland For $1,300 
  The Silicon Valley Blogger, a finance writer, shared tips and stories from a recent group family trip to Yosemite. Comparing costs for a trip to the mountains to a Disney trip, he proves it's dollar wise and "priceless" to go au naturale.
• Maui - Best Island in the World
  Jennifer Miner writes of Maui: an island of turtles, dolphins, volcanos, lush hills and meadows, plus a drive to Hana, a cliff-hugging road with bridges and towns along the route that make the journey as luscious as the destination.
• Haciendas in the Yucatan 
  "Working Gringos" give an historical and personal account of traversing through the Yucatan to visit haciendas. An enlightening read that blends colonialism, tourism, anthropology, and architecture.
• Support Your Parks: Take the Kids and Visit 
  Sheila Scarborough writes about taking her family to a Texas CCC cabin that was built in the 1930s, reminding us that many parks still have these architectural relics, and their sturdy nature makes them a perfect way to add adventure to a trip without camping outside.
• Stay Cold, But Cozy, in Quebec's Ice Hotel 
  Mary Jo Manzanares says, "At the ice hotel, you can have your outdoor adventure indoors as well!" If you choose to stay, have a cocktail in an glass made of ice, go dog sledding, and dip your toe in a steamy hot tub to warm up before resting your head on a bed framed by ice. 
• Our Homer Odyssey 
  Michelle compares two trips to Alaska; one with her mom, and another with her husband and kids. She touches on how the essence of a trip, the inspiration and beauty, are unique - never to be recaptured again. Her post reminds us to keep searching for new adventures, even when we know how fleeting they can be.
• The Contents of a Good Camping Guide 
  Darlene Berkel offers tips for finding the best camping guide. It's a good hit list of things to consider: from survival tactics, to supplies, and so forth.

Dear Diary
Many posts had a diary-style essence, so I grouped them together here.

• Coconuter: Introduction / About
  David Poarch passes up an Ivy League education to become a nomad in the Phillipines and find himself, calling it "An epic adventure that surpasses just travel. It is also a search for life, freedom, purpose, happiness, and the meaning to it all." Here's to finding yourself!
• Motorcycling Leads to Serendipitous Discovery
  Lisa Grissom waxes poetic about "How a recent ride on my motorcycle helped me to discover why I ride."
• On Wearing a Bathing Suit
  Toe blogs about beach-going in diary style, saying, "An overweight prude contemplates on wearing a bathing suit in a paradise beach resort in Cambodia."
• Mt. Field National Park
  Dan also writes in diary format also about his visiting Tasmania's Mt. Field National Parks and its various waterfalls.
• If diaries consisted of photos, they'd be... scrapbooks. Soufulow offers two photojournal posts (e-scrapbooks), one on her family trip to China, and another trip to Japan. The photos are coupled with occasional commentary.
• The G Cam - Trek to Kodachadri, Karnataka
  Vinaya HS photographs the road less traveled, saying, "After a brief hiatus, the G Cam is back - this time bringing you mesmerizing photos from the Kodachadri Mountain Range in the evergreen Western Ghats of beautiful Karnataka." Ooh, la la. Stunning images, indeed.

That's all, folks. The 11th edition of the carnival of travel will be themed food or culinary travel (including beverages, etc.) and go live February 15th. Submit your blog post here.

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Comments

[Michelle]

Thanks for including my post, looks like a well-rounded carnival. I'm especially interested in the Maui post, that's my favorite vacation spot.

[Vinaya HS]

Thanks for featuring my post as well. Look forward to more "tarvel and adventure" carnivals.

[Steven Burda, MBA]

This is goooooooooood!

Steven Burda, MBA
www.linkedin.com/in/burda
(feel free to connect to me; e-mail provided)