May 20, 2007
Help plan a vacation for a loyal reader
I recently received a request from a reader who needs help planning a vacation. It's not that she hasn't tried or thought about it. She writes:
I have piles of magazines and I read your blog and the New York Times travel religiously but I am stumped. That's why I need direction. I have visited NYC several times...That's actually why my blog entries have been fairly short recently - I've been trying to some up with some ideas for this loyal reader who needs a little help.
Then I finally realized that I don't have to do it alone. I can enlist the help of my kind and knowledgable readers. Are you willing to be part of the process?
This female traveler is single and will be traveling alone. She is:
looking forward to a small adventure. I am fit and love to meander and wander [and wonder]. I would love to be part of something but yet not overly organized. The woods and green always energize me. My home is northeastern PA. and I am figuring on a budget of $1200. I am looking to travel during the week of July 8th to the 15th and thinking of 3-5 days. What do you think? I can drive or fly. James thanks so much for your time.The part that has me stumped is being part of something that's not too organized. The best idea I have so far is Ely Minnesota & the International Wolf Center there. I did a quick blog about the wolf center a while back as well as wolf howl canoe trips in Canada a very long time ago.
The Wolf Center has some group activities like their "Wolf Tracking Adventure":
Travel through the Superior National Forest trying to locate a wild radio-collared wolf, with telemetry equipment and old fashioned tracking – just like the researchers do! After an introduction to current tracking methods, we will travel into the field to look and listen for wolf signs.There are also "wolf communication" classes followed by treks into the forest to listen for one of my favorite sounds as well as the "wolf howl" where you howl to the resident wolf pack. I'm sure that sometimes the people howls interfere with your enjoyment of the wolf howls, but what can you do?
Well that's my idea. Like I said, I'm looking for you to be part of this effort and feed me some ideas for a $1200 vacation of 3-5 days between July 8 and 15. If you have an idea please leave us a comment.
Posted by James Trotta at May 20, 2007 2:59 PM | TrackBack
How about a Sierra Club trip? Reasonably priced, adventurous, somewhat organized, and a great way to meet people. Here's one that looked interesting for those dates. Although it's a full week, it would be worth it! for those dates: Rainforest, Waterfalls, and Wildflowers,
Mt. Robson Provincial Park, British Columbia
July 7-13, 2007
Highlights:
See rushing waterfalls and massive glaciers
Hike in the shadow of the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies
Enjoy unencumbered day hikes on three layover days
Includes:
All-vegetarian meals
Group cooking gear
All camping and permit fees
for more sierra Club outings, check out http://www.sierraclub.org/outings/national/
I wonder how old this woman is. Elserhostel has so many interesting itineraries; in fact, even if she is under 50, she could look at their website for ideas www.elderhostel.com
Also, an interesting soft adventure group for women called explorationsintravel.com
Santa Fe, NM or Sedona, AZ are both wonderful places for hiking, wandering, etc--especialy Santa Fe with so many choices of places to see and things to do.
Posted by: Bobbie Henry at May 20, 2007 8:36 PMThank you for the ideas - I'm not exactly sure how old our traveler is either...
Posted by: James Trotta at May 21, 2007 5:57 AMI would recommend Prince Edward Island. The exchange rate is good, it's not that far from PA and is incredible. She could rent a cabin for a decent amount and do everything from going sailing to include a lobster dinner (seal watching), Anne of Green Gables park, horseback riding on the beach or theatre.
Posted by: Yvonne at May 21, 2007 12:42 PMHello friends, I love the adventure ideas. I spent alot of time on the Sierra club website last evening and loved the fence building trip in Oregon in late June. I fancy myself low maintenance, as well as fearless, then I noticed that one of the trips involved lessons in how to protect oneself if you find yourself eye to eye with a bear! The Oregon trip is a great combo of adventure blended with satisfaction of making a difference. I am going to explore the elderhostel website today - thanks to my last bday, I qualify! I love the PEI destination as well, Canada is a place I visited years ago and loved my stay. I always intended to go back, maybe the time is now. Stay tuned, I really want to make a plan and stick to it. I shared with James the fact that my 5 kids are headed to Cancun with their dad and I plan to 'make hay while the sun shines'...I hope that doesn't imply anything inappropriate, just that it seems like a great time to take time for me!
Posted by: kathi at May 21, 2007 2:35 PMJeez, may I add a huge thanks to you all!
Kathi
Posted by: kathi at May 21, 2007 2:38 PMI think P.E.I. might be a good choice. Sedona can be hot at this time of year, like much of AZ. Flying to the island is probably best, as it's too far to drive in a short time. I'm sure they may have vacation packages there, as well, to fit within a budget. A friend of mine went to the island two years ago, and he had nothing but good reports, great scenery, lots of attractions, people were friendly...!! Enjoy, and yes, it's time.
Posted by: Sharon at May 21, 2007 2:55 PMI am off to explore PEI and I know this is contradictory to my initial post, but if anyone can recommend an outfitter or group in the PEI's, I would love to hear about them. James, are you so proud of the goodwill that your blog generates?
Posted by: kathi at May 21, 2007 5:30 PMI love the comments we get here Kathi. You know I alsmost got rid of them a couple of years ago when only spammers left comments but now I can't even imagine this blog without comments.
Posted by: James Trotta at May 22, 2007 2:28 PMNot sure if this helps for this particular trip but these organizations specifically does trips for women to travel together:
http://womenstravelclub.com/index.html
http://www.adventurouswench.com/
Peg