Teen Travel Blog

Today I met with Alex - he owns 150 acres of land on the east side of Maui and he is a true Hawaiian host. He lives off the land, lives for his land and is giving with his land. When I arrived at Alex’s farm he welcomed me with an arm full of pineapples, bananas and coconuts that were all harvested on his property. I felt welcomed and as if I had grown up on the land he holds so dear.
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Yesterday I was invited by our friends at Na Pali Explorer to join a tour of the Na Pali Coast! We were given a safety briefing and told that we were going to get wet! We all boarded the boat and took off from the Waimea Harbor and headed for the coast. Along the way we saw a huge pod of spinner dolphins and even a few humpback whales. Once we rounded the north shore and got a glimpse of the Na Pali mountains, it was as awe inspiring. The jagged lush coast looked like something in the movies. In fact, Captain Andy, let us know that hundreds of commercials and movies had been filmed on the Na Pali, including Jurassic Park and King Kong.

Here are a couple pictures taken from our tour. If you join ARCC on our Hawaii Multisport or Hawaii Service Adventure, you will not only have the chance to see the Na Pali Coast, but snorkel in the blue waters of it’s shores.

Another update from Regional Director, Brooke Johnson, as she’s scouting locations for our Hawaii adventures this summer!

Known as the Garden Isle, thoughts of Kauai bring to mind lush tropical forests and white sand beaches. Knowing this, you may think that I took a quick side trip to Arizona and the Grand Canyon to capture this shot. This shot was actually taken from the rim of Kauai’s Waimea Canyon. Although Waimea Canyon is only a fraction of the size of the Grand Canyon (it is only 10 miles long and 1 mile wide) it certainly rivals its beauty.

See a photo on Facebook.

Here is a report from Brooke Johnson, an ARCC Regional Director, from her Hawaii scouting trip:

I have to say, I am not a newcomer to beach camping. Having spent the last 6 years traveling throughout Central America, Australia and Hawaii, I have seen my fair share of beach campsites. While some have million dollar views, nice breezes, grassy sites and flat ground, it’s rare to find a plot with all of the above. Needless to say, when my Hawaiian host, Lea, showed me to my site at Waipa, I was speechless.  Read the rest of this entry »

New Global Action Teen Travel Program Launched by Adventures Cross-Country

Has your teen shown a glimmer of passion for the environment?  Do they enjoy traveling with other teens?  Adventures Cross-Country, a leading student travel company, might have the perfect program for your teen this summer.  The company today announced the launch of its latest teen travel opportunity, its Global Action programs.

These hands-on programs focus on the pressing issues affecting the communities they visit. In a supervised group format, students participate in a series of studies on important topics, such as interactions between humans and ecosystems, public health, sustainable development and cultural preservation in the age of globalization. Encouraging open minds, the company’s new Global Action programs are something new in the area of teen travel. Read the rest of this entry »

I love walled cities…especially those along the water.  I’ve visited many around the world and I’ve even lived in one…but the best walled city I’ve ever seen is Rhodes, Greece.

If you picture Pirates of the Caribbean meets Disney World you’ll get a sense of Rhodes.  Narrow, cobblestones streets wind their way through the 600 year old town.  Every turn brings a stunning new alleyway or street. Read the rest of this entry »

Every scouting trips has one of those “I can’t believe I’m actually here doing this” moments.  Ours happened today. 

The scene:  Sarah and I are in a huge tent on Turkey’s southern coast, on one of the most beautiful beaches we have ever seen.  The nearest town is miles away. Inside the tent are huge tanks housing injured Loggerhead and Green sea turtles. Read the rest of this entry »

Central to the Istanbul experience, both literally and figuratively, is the famed Blue Mosque.  You really can’t visit Istanbul without going in.  Sarah and I didn’t really know what to expect upon our visit to the mosque.  Would we be welcomed?  Ignored? Escorted out?  What about pictures?  Shoes off or shoes on? Head covered or not? Would we be expected to kneel?  To pray?

Turns out our visit to the Blue Mosque was a fascinating experience.  It was all a finely tuned process….plastic bags for your shoes, headscarves if women didn’t have, one, pictures ok, visitors remain in the back.  We knew we weren’t going to stand out much when a large group of Japanese tourists rolled through behind us, clicking away on their Nikons, seemingly oblivious to the sacredness of the place. Read the rest of this entry »

Bazaars, souks, and markets always bring out a strange reaction in me.  Istanbul’s famed Grand Bazaar and Spice Market are no exception.  I get jacked up, uber competitive,  overwhelmed, overstimulated, confused, depressed, overjoyed….all over ‘getting a deal’ on some trinket or spice that I really don’t want anyway.

Istanbul’s markets are pure Middle East and a departure from the more European attributes of other parts of this beautiful city.  A few steps away from the charming boulevards and parks you can instantly enter this strange new world. Read the rest of this entry »

I think I’ve found my new favorite world city: Istanbul.  Combine a dash of Barcelona (ancient walled city), a pinch of Zurich (trolleys and cleanliness), a cup of San Francisco (food, hills and bays) and a healthy portion of Cairo (bazaars and mosques) and you will have a taste of Istanbul.

Flying into Istanbul you see a never-ending carpet of red roofed buildings undulating over the hills and valleys of the city.  Dividing the city is the active waterway of the Bosporus, the narrow strait that separates one continent from another.  It is rather odd to be standing in Europe staring into Asia across such a short stretch of water. Read the rest of this entry »