Teen Travel Blog

Adventures Cross-Country sends its outreach and support to Haiti.  We honor those who have contributed to helping this nation begin its recovery from the devastating earthquake sustained on January 12, 2010.

ARCC is inspired by seven-year-old Charlie Simpson from London, England who has raised over $160,000 for the Haiti earthquake.  We would love to hear your stories too!  Please let us know if you, your school, or any organization you are involved in has lent a helping hand.    Post on our Facebook page and tell us your story.  Here is Charlie’s story. Read the rest of this entry »

Here are a few students who took what they learned on their ARCC journey and continued their dedication to positively impact the lives of others.

Katie Pilot- Back2Back- Sending backpacks to African Schools   

Katie Pilot volunteered in schools on the Adventures Cross-Country Africa Community Service Program.  “After spending a few days with the students it became very evident that their situation is dire.  Pencils, pens, notebooks, and backpacks are all a scarcity.”  Katie returned home with a mission to bring these children school supplies.  She started a non-profit, “Back2Back”, which organizes the donation of school supplies and backpacks for needy schools all over the world.  This past summer, Katie traveled to Rwanda and brought school supplies to orphanages and the kids she worked with.  “Today, I am continuing my dream by extending my surplus of donations to any organization that is travelling to a foreign country to work in the local schools.” 
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We want to make 2010 the best year ever for Adventures Cross-Country!  As we draw closer to the end of 2009, it is our hope that everyone will start spreading the word about how great our teen travel adventures are, how it enriches lives and why it really is the experience of a lifetime! 

If you are following our blog, we want you to also become a fan on our Facebook fan page.  At ARCC we want everyone to know about the gift of adventure and fun.
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Lago Atitlan is an incredible freshwater lake situated in the highlands of Guatemala and surrounded by three cone shaped volcanoes.  It is quite the picturesque scene, the water and the volcanoes, the jungle around and of course the incredible colors of the Guatemala weavings all come together for an amazing image. 

We arrived to the town of Panajachel – called Pana – and met with our local guide Pablo, who promptly took us to the local boat dock to catch a boat to the surrounding towns.  The lake has 12 little towns or villages around it and each is unique in its own right.  Read the rest of this entry »

Ellery & Brian are now in Guatemala, scouting a 2010 adventure!  Here is an update we received from Brian yesterday:

Hola from Guatemala!  Ellery and arrived yesterday after a long but pleasant journey.  The flight was a red-eye and we woke to the dawn breaking over a picturesque landscape below.  The Gulf coastline was flat and marshy here, the ocean invading to form lagoons.  As we flew further inland, the coastal flatlands gave way to steadily rising hills, reminiscent of Hawaii in both their steepness and vibrant foliage.  Eventually the hills showed their true origin, as volcanic peaks appeared, cresting the ridgeline.  There were several calderas, collapsed craters that had filled with murky wáter.  We even saw one that must have erupted in the recent past, as the forest below was drowned in its now-cooled lava, bare except for a few adventerous plant colonists, its cráter adorned only with a few wisps of cloud.  Read the rest of this entry »

“The camels are not cooperating…there will be a delay.”  Those were the somewhat nerve racking words we heard as we were waiting for our camels to transport us to a Bedouin camp for a traditional desert meal.  Seems they were being a bit ornery and needed a little extra prodding to start their journey.  We finally climbed aboard the creatures and headed out of town into a desert canyon.  Riding was surprisingly easy….cross one leg in front of you around the horn and control the camel much like a horse, relax in the saddle and sway along with its hypnotic gate. Read the rest of this entry »

After a great visit to the city of Luxor, a much quieter version of Cairo with broad boulevards, a beautiful walkway along the Nile River and the staggeringly huge Karnak Temple, Zach and I flew to Sharm El-Sheik, perched at the southern tip of the rugged and mountainous Sinai Peninsula.  Flying in over the Red Sea, we could see miles and miles of turquoise blue waters, perfect for SCUBA diving.  It is easy to see why the Red Sea is reputed to be one of the best diving locations in the world. Read the rest of this entry »

Check out the latest photos from Scott and Zach from their scouting adventure in Egypt.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=127358&id=48114747508&saved#/album.php?aid=127358&id=48114747508&ref=mf

Street crossing is an Olympic sport here.  Crosswalks are pretty much nonexistent, so it is not unusual to see people walking across 6-8 lanes of speeding traffic.  Imagine standing on the lane lines on an interstate highway while cars whoosh by at 60mph on either side of you and you’ll get a sense of what it is like to cross the street in Cairo.  It basically becomes a game of chicken:  can/van/truck vs. pedestrian.  Obviously a vehicle wins, but there is big trouble for the driver if a car hits a citizen so things have struck a nice balance.  To cross the street, we’ve found it best to tuck behind a local and do exactly what they do…works like a dream.

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Today was what scouting an ARCC trip is all about.  Arranging to see the Pyramids, Sphinx etc. is easy and people willing to take you to see them abound.  What makes an ARCC program different is getting off the beaten path…seeing and doing things that your normal visitor to Egypt will never see.  Getting ‘behind the curtain’, if you will, and experiencing a country in a very different way than others experience it.  This is where contacts, connections and good old fashioned legwork are critical to putting together a great ARCC program.

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