In the News

Backpacker Magazine's "Hiker's Life List" #92: See the Ocean Catch Fire

"Liquid Lightning" - that's how Backpacker Magazine's Editor in Chief, Dennis Lewon, describes his moonless night of kayaking off of Baja's Isla Carmen in the Sea of Cortez. Fortunate to have been there when bioluminescent plankton were lighting up the warm waters, Lewon lists the many reasons that "sea kayaking belongs on anyone's life list - rugged islands, soft beaches, whales, turquoise water - but going during a peak bioluminescent plankton bloom elevates the experience to the top of the list."

Baja Aventura

Idaho's Whitewater Family Adventure

There’s nothing quite as thrilling as a whitewater rafting adventure, especially when you can do it with your kids. For safety reasons, most rafting companies restrict the participation of kids 12 and under for anything other than a bland float downstream. With one exception, that is: ROW Adventures’ five-day Family Magic rafting excursion on the lower fork of Idaho’s Salmon River. Here, the rapids are safe enough for a 5-year-old and just sufficiently exciting to get parents’ adrenaline pumping, without ever feeling dangerous. Add a “River Jester” to the mix, a staff member whose job it is to keep kids busy, happy and engaged, and you have the recipe for a perfect family vacation.

The World’s 12 Best Homestay Experiences For Culturally-Curious Travelers

Fortunately, your home is not the only place where you can feel welcomed like a family member, share home-cooked meals and swap cultural anecdotes. This collection of tours with home stays will allow you to integrate yourself in an authentic experience of a new place, where you will feel welcomed and not alone. Our "Peaks of the Balkans" trip was chosen as one of 12 destinations for you "to experience places others love, call home and want to share with you."

Peaks of the Balkans Hike

Best Places to See Baby Animals

A naturalist’s paradise, the Galápagos Islands teem with new and unusual life. The world’s smallest penguins, kissing albatrosses, humongous tortoises, lizard-grooming crabs, spiky-Mohawk-sporting iguanas, and turquoise-footed boobies are just a few of the wonderfully weird animals you might encounter. April to June is prime baby-animal-spotting season for most species. Camp out on the islands as part of a ROW Adventures kayaking tour, or set sail on a yacht cruise offered by trusted outfitters like Ecoventura or Quasar Expeditions.

A White Water Rafting Trip You Won't Soon Forget

Think camping without the work.  Think awesome rides without long theme park lines.

If you like outdoor adventures to include plenty of thrills, white water raft trips are for you.  Someone else sweats the details, like what’s for dinner or getting the camp site ready.  That’s not to say you can’t bring kids—some trips are appropriate even for kindergartners... So, are you ready to forgo a theme park for a natural thrill this summer?

Rolling on the River: A Gluten-Free Whitewater Trip Through Idaho

"This is the best of two worlds, where a full day of activities ends with an epic dinner prepared by someone else. Kitchen duty? Not here. Breakfasts are as abundant as lunch. Both gluten-free and regular pancakes and waffles are made to order on separate grills with separate utensils. Eggs, bacon, cold cereal, including a well-marked gluten-free variety, and fresh fruit are ready by the time we've had the morning's first cup of coffee..."

It's Not Too Early: Your 2014 Travel Planner

Our picks of trips for adventure, education, volunteering, family and retirement celebrations

5 dream trips of a lifetime

Make 2014 the year you finally take that epic getaway. These five itineraries let you live your travel fantasies for less.

Galapagos Unbound

Thomas Jefferson Kitts Goes Rogue

Weeklong Getaway

ROW Sea Kayak Adventures - Local Company Offers Whale Watching in a Much Warmer Climate

Baja Aventura