After such a nerve-wracking presidential election cycle, many of us are ready to take a deep breath and move on. We know that regardless of the outcome, we will go on, the sun will come out, the birds will sing, and the holidays will sneak up on us… as usual.

So here are five items that should be at the top of your post-election “to do” list:

  1. Shake it off.
    The world won’t end. Go to the End of the World in Patagonia.
  2. Take a nap.
    Visit a hammock workshop and sleep it off in Nicaragua.
  3. Go play in the mud.
    Decompress in a volcanic mud bath in Colombia’s Totumo Mud Volcano.

    1. Go in pursuit.
      Dive the lava tunnels of the Galapagos in the President’s Pick: Ecuador’s Galapagos & Amazon, as mentioned on BloombergPursuits.com and Bloomberg TV.
  4. Clear your head
    You don’t need to think about this for another four years. Go on safari in Kenya.

Whatever your post-election plans include, be sure to make your holiday plans while there is still time and space available.

Caves are mysterious, sometimes other worldly, landforms that prove endlessly fascinating to almost any nine year old as well as grown spelunkers, cave enthusiasts and geologists. Plato used the Allegory of the Cave in his master work Plato’s Republic to talk about the nature of reality.

Evidence suggests that caves were occupied during the Mesolithic period about 6000 BCE. At least some of the Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in India, were inhabited by Homo erectus more than 100,000 years ago with Stone Age rock paintings some 30,000 years old.

Cave paintings and drawings on walls or ceilings date back some 40,000 years to around 38,000 BCE in both Asia and Europe. The exact purpose of the Paleolithic cave paintings is not known as they have been found in caves not considered to have been continuously inhabited. They have also been found in areas of caves that are not easily accessible. Theories’ range from communication to ritual, ceremonial or religious purposes.

Caverns proved to be natural sites for shrines. In India, rock-cut architecture is found in greater abundance – more than 1,500 structures – than any other form of rock-cut architecture around the world. Many of these contain artwork of global importance and are decorated with stunning carvings. These ancient constructions represent important achievements in engineering and artistry.

The Badami Cave Temples are a complex of four Hindu and Jain cave temples located in Badami in Karnataka, India. Four caves were carved into the soft sandstone cliffs in the late 6th to 7th centuries CE, and are examples of Badami Chalukya architecture.

Badami was previously known as Vataapi Badami, the capital of the early Chalukya dynasty, which ruled much of Karnataka from the 6th to the 8th century. Badami is situated on the west bank of an artificial lake and is surrounded on the north and south by forts constructed sometime later.

The entrance to the caves is through a terrace that leads to a columned main hall, and then into the first cave, features sculptures of Hindu divinities with a prominent carving of the Tandava-dancing Shiva as Nataraja. The second cave has Hindu subjects including a relief of Vishnu as Trivikrama while the third cave, the largest, encompasses Vishnu-related mythology and is also the most intricately carved. The cave four is dedicated to revered figures of Jainism.

These cave temples represent some of the earliest known examples of Hindu temples. UNESCO has described the designs of the Badami Cave Temples as well as temples in Aihole as having transformed the Malaprabha River Valley into a cradle of temple architecture that defined the components of later Hindu temples elsewhere in India.

These amazing cave temples and the rich heritage of Southern India are featured in our new 14-day President’s Pick: Southern India’s Vijaynagar Empire.

There are many delightful advantages to living in sunny South Florida, but hurricane season isn’t necessarily one of them. As we prepare for a possible landfall of Hurricane Matthew, we consider his origins.

Hurricanes are a global spectacle. Many have their beginnings in the sands of the massive Sahara Desert. A tropical cyclone may form as the areas of disturbed weather move westward across the Atlantic. They whirl and thrash their way across the Atlantic to the sandy coasts of the Caribbean, Florida and beyond.

According to National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Hurricane Iselle, which landed in the Big Island of Hawaii on August 8, 2014, was likely part of a wave that formed more than 8,000 miles away off of the West Coast of Africa – a powerful example of the far-reaching influence the Sahara Desert has on our planet’s weather.

As we prepare to get wet, we wish we were in a dryer locale, like maybe the Chile’s Atacama Desert. Indeed, it is the driest non-polar desert in the world and occupies some 105,000 square kilometers/41,000 square miles. The average rainfall is said to be about 15 mm/0.6 in per year.

In spite of the lack of rain, some 500 species of flora have been found here, and are remarkable for their ability to adapt to this extreme environment. Except for those most extreme areas of the desert, some creatures have been able to make this almost inhospitable land home such as sand-colored grasshoppers, beetles, desert wasps, red scorpions and butterflies. Certain areas are occupied by birds, Humboldt penguins, Andean flamingos, hummingbirds and threatened species such as the endangered Chilean woodstar. A few specially adapted mammal species include Darwin’s leaf-eared mouse, the South American gray fox, guanaco and vicuña with seals and sea lions often gather along the coast.

So, while we wait out Matthew, you can think about exploring this remarkable, and dry, desert on one of our adventures such as the 17-day Chile and Argentina journey

 

PS  Holiday space is still available.

PPS  Be sure to follow us on Instagram to see if we are underwater or just a bit wet and for the latest hurricane updates: @bigfivetravletours #bfhurricane.

PPPS  Why yes, that is a satellite shot of the Atacama desert you clicked on.

Indigenous peoples of Indonesia and Malaysia named the great Asian ape “orang hutan,” which literally translates to person of the forest. This large, gentle red ape is one of humankind’s closest relatives, sharing nearly 97% of the same DNA.

Orangutans are born with an ability to reason and think.

Orangutans are unique in the ape world that includes gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos. Orangutans are the only apes that come from Asia and the only ones with orange-reddish brown hair. Two separate species of orangutan – the Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) and the Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) – still survive and are only found in the wild on those two islands, Sumatra and Borneo.

These primarily arboreal great apes are the largest tree-living mammal in the world. In times past orangutans were not killed because the indigenous peoples believed that the orangutan was simply a person hiding in the trees, trying to avoid having to work or become a slave.

An orangutan’s lifespan is about 35-40 years in the wild, and sometimes reaches into the 50s in captivity. A full-grown orangutan has the strength and power to physically move eight humans. They have the longest childhood dependence on the mother of any animal in the world, because there is so much for a young orangutan to learn in order to survive. They do not reach puberty until about the age of eight. But a female isn’t ready for her own baby until she is a teenager. The babies nurse until they are about six years old. The young males may stay close by their mothers for a few more years.

Orangutan females only give birth about once every eight years – the longest time between births of any mammal on earth, which results in a very low birthrate – just four or five babies in the lifespan of a female. This is why orangutan populations are very slow to recover from disturbance.

But today their world is being burned down at an astounding rate. Orangutans have lost well over 80% of their habitat in the last 20 years, and an estimated one-third of the wild population died during the fires of 1997-98.

At this rate of loss, many experts believe orangutans could be extinct in the wild in as little as 25 years. The main threats to the survival of these intelligent animals are loss of habitat through deforestation, illegal hunting and the Illegal pet trade, which necessitates killing the mother to get at the baby.

As shocking as the rapid loss of rainforests has been over the past few decades, that’s nothing to the amount of land being lost to bulldozing to create massive palm oil plantations. Each such plantation destroys thousands of acres that takes the lives of countless orangutans. Recent headlines reported that workers at one palm oil firm hunted down orangutans while expanding their cash crop production. Meanwhile, governmental mandates, meant to protect the land and the animals, disappear faster than do the trees.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, there are only about 41,000 orangutans left in the forests of Borneo, and fewer than 7,500 in Sumatra. In short, if we chose not to act and act soon to mitigate the main threats to orangutans – palm oil, deforestation, poaching and hunting – wild orangutans will be gone from this earth. And, they are not the only ones we will lose. Countless species from birds to insects to plants and many other mammals will disappear with them.

Can we really afford such a devastating loss?

To explore the world of incredible orangutans, begin here – Indonesia.

 

 

 

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Galapagos Islands were first discovered by Europeans in 1535 when Father Tomas Berlanga, the bishop of Panama, sailed for Peru. But his ship was carried by strong currents out to the islands. Three centuries later, Charles Darwin became the first to make a scientific study of the islands.

People have been venturing out there ever since. I doubt Darwin could have imagined the Galapagos Islands of today with dozens of cruises ships plying the waters on a daily basis. These beautiful islands, unique in all the world, are in jeopardy of becoming a mere commodity. Large cruise ships, by their very nature, must focus on getting the most people in and out of the islands in the most efficient way possible.

That does not leave much room for individual exploration or spontaneity. The result is that you can miss a lot. From a ship, for example, you will never even see much less have an opportunity to explore the underwater lava tunnels of Isabela Island. These natural tunnels were created from lava flows that carved out hundreds of arches and tunnels, both above and below the water. The striking geological formations are home to an array of extraordinary creatures such as white-tipped sharks, rays, lava gulls and ruddy turnstones that inhabit this unique environment.

Yet, the still pervasive idea remains that cruising is the only way to see the Galapagos. To that, we say a resounding ‘no’. Not anymore.

There is an alternative – a land-based Galapagos experience that takes you beyond Santa Cruz. Explore and stay on three separate islands: San Cristobal, Isabela, and Santa Cruz, where each day is tailored to what you want to do rather than the more generic mornings on land and afternoons in the water. Dig up yucca roots for lunch, plant an indigenous tree, snorkel around animals only found closer to formations like the Isabela lava tunnels…

There is a handful of outstanding, small sustainable hotels focusing on providing the traveler with a more personal journey with opportunities for customization, better access to more out of the way sites such as the lava tunnels, and better quality guides. You have time to explore more thoroughly than can be provided by ships. For example, on our President’s Pick: Ecuador’s Galapagos & Amazon, guests stay on Isabela Island and explore the island’s marine sanctuary, which encompasses the tunnels, as well as Sierra Negra, a large shield volcano at the southeastern end of the island. One of the most active volcanoes in the Galapagos chain, it last erupted in 2005. You will also be able to take short excursions to other sites.

So the next time you consider a Galapagos Islands adventure, think about a land-based option such as the program noted above. And the best part… we have really limited space for the holidays. Explore the best kept secrets in the Galapagos today. Forget the balcony, bring your exploring shoes.

The Swahili word safari means journey, and the verb for “to travel” in Swahili is kusafiri. Safari became part of the English language at the end of the 1850s thanks to the explorer Richard Francis Burton. In 1836, William Cornwallis Harris led an expedition purely to observe and record wildlife and landscapes. Harris established the safari-style of journey, starting with rising at first light, an energetic day walking, an afternoon rest then ending with a formal dinner and telling stories in the evening over drinks and smokes.

The literary tradition built around safaris was established by writers such as Jules Verne in his first novel Five Weeks in a Balloon published in 1863, and H. Rider Haggard with his first novel, King Solomon’s Mines, published in 1885. Both describe English travelers on safari and the stories were best sellers at the time.

Then came Ernest Hemingway, one of America’s most noted writers about African safaris in both fiction and non-fiction. His books Green Hills of Africa and True at First Light are both set on African safaris. “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” and “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” are both stories set on African safaris and were written after Hemingway’s own experience on safari.

The concept of safari has evolved over centuries from science and exploration to business and trade to hunting to today’s sightseeing and conservation focus.

Most people still equate safari only with Africa. But we see another evolution of the safari ideal in places from Ecuador to India and beyond. Tracking tigers in India or jaguars in the jungles of Guatemala; or going underwater for a marine safari in the Galapagos Islands; or setting out to find some of the eight species of penguins that inhabit Antarctica – these explorations are in every sense safaris.

So the next time you hear the word safari – let your mind wander a bit. And If you want to see how far that can take you, explore your personal Travel DNA at yourtraveldna.com.

Painting the body and face with natural pigments including clay and ingredients such as berries has been used from our earliest origins across the globe from the Americas to Asia to Africa to the South Pacific. Most, if not all, tribal cultures used this practice for reasons that ran from hunting, to religious ceremonies and festivals, to camouflage or intimidation during times of war. Some warriors were known to enter battle covered only by a loin cloth and paint.  

The earliest make-up came in the form of decorating the face with patterns and shapes, and is common across cultures. Tribal societies who still follow the ancient custom of face painting, choose the colors according to the available raw materials. In ancient times, only primary and locally available colors like red, blue, yellow or white were used.  

Face painting is an important tradition in locations as varied as North America, India and Australia. It is a sacred social act of distinction and a cultural heritage. On special occasions faces of the tribe members are painted to augment one’s appearance and power. For native American Indians, roots, berries and tree barks are most commonly used to make the dyes for face painting. These natural raw materials are ground into a paste and use to make the dye.  

Body painting and face painting have been part of Indian culture since ancient times. Men painted their bodies and faces for camouflage when they went hunting. Face painting is a ritual in Indian villages in their religious festivities, dance and drama. Face painting is very much a part of Indian folk culture and tribal art even today. People are often seen getting their faces painted in different styles during temple festivals and religious events in India.  

Aborigines of Australia inherited specific face-painting designs from their ancestors. The designs are painted on the face and body using ground ochre mixed with water. They are traditionally applied either in stripes or circles. Even the modern paintings of the Central and Western Desert are characterized by these specific designs. Body painting, decoration and personal adornment traditionally carry deep spiritual significance for Australian Aboriginal people. Body painting is carried out within strict conventions related mostly to spiritual matters, although the creative side also plays a role. The particular designs or motifs used by individuals reflect their social position and relationship to their family group and also to particular ancestors, totemic animals and tracts of land. People are not free to change their appearance at will. They must conform to respected patterns. In many situations individuals are completely transformed so that they ‘become’ the spirit ancestor they are portraying in dance.  

One area to explore the continuing traditions of face painting is northern Australia, which remains well off the beaten track. Consider exploring the Aboriginal culture during our 14-day Wild Australia.

 

 

“He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.”    ― Francis of Assisi

 

For most of us, Labor Day weekend is a time to do anything but labor.  Yet the holiday has an interesting history.

In both the United States and Canada, we celebrate Labor or Labour Day each year in September. The day was first proposed in the 1880s, in an era when the labor movement was being developed to represent workers and to campaign for better working conditions.

In 1882, Matthew Maguire, a machinist, first proposed a Labor Day holiday while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union (CLU) of New York. Some people maintain that it was Peter J. McGuire of the American Federation of Labor who first proposed it in May 1882 after seeing the annual labor festival held in Toronto, Canada.

In Canada, Labour Day can be traced back to December 1872 when a parade was staged in support of the Toronto Typographical Union’s strike for a 58-hour work-week, which eventually became a centerpiece national labor unions in both countries that advocated for the eight-hour-day movement: eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation and eight hours for rest (at that time, the work week was usually seven days). There was enormous public support for the parade and the authorities could no longer deny the important role that trade unions had to play in Canadian society.

In 1887, Oregon became the first state of the United States to make Labor Day an official public holiday. By the time it became an official federal holiday in 1894, 30 U.S. states officially celebrated Labor Day.

In 1908, the first five-day workweek in the United States was instituted by a New England cotton mill to accommodate Jewish workers, who could not work on the Sabbath from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. In 1926, Henry Ford began shutting down his automotive factories on both Saturday and Sunday. The Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America Union was the first union to demand a five-day workweek and receive it in 1929. The five-day week became uniformly applied in 1940 in the US due to a provision of the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act mandating a maximum 40-hour workweek, with a two-day weekend.

This Labor Day, we celebrate all the ‘artists’ we are fortunate to work with every day. Be safe and have a joyous celebration.

India’s culture is among the world’s oldest, and the sari, or saree, is among the oldest known forms of dress. It dates back more than 5,000 years, and actually appears to trace back to the Indus Valley Civilization, 2800–1800 BC, around the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent.  The first mention of the sari was in Rig Veda, the world’s oldest surviving literature dating back to about 3000 BC, making it likely the longest continually worn dress in the history of mankind.

Cotton was first cultivated and woven in the Indian subcontinent around the fifth millennium BC. Interestingly, the dyes used during this period are still in use today – indigo, lac, red madder and turmeric. Silk entered the picture around 2450 and 2000 BC.

There are more than 80 recorded ways to wear a sari. The most common style is for the sari to be wrapped around the waist, with the loose end of the drape to be worn over the shoulder, baring the midriff. This unstitched rectangular piece of fabric can vary in length from 5 yards to 9 yards, and is about 40 inches wide. Every sari has a theme woven into its design, and often a story.

Several regions in India are famed for their saris, including Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bengal, and Tamilnadu. Among the most elaborate and sought after are the Patola saris of Gujarat, noted painted peacocks and intricate five-color designs. These saris are among the most time consuming to produce and less than 30 of these saris are created in a year and range in price from $2,000 to $20,000.

There is a folk tale that says that the first sari was cast from the loom of a fanciful weaver, who dreamed of Woman, and began to weave. “The drape of her tumbling hair. The colors of her many moods. The shimmer of stars. The softness of her touch. All these he wove together. He couldn’t stop. He wove many yards. When he was done, he sat back and smiled and smiled and smiled.”

To explore India’s rich traditions, check out our India – Gujarat & Karnataka.

When it comes to sustainability, we have traveled a long, inspiring, exciting and sometimes bumpy road. But make no mistake the age of great green travel has arrived as more travelers seek out the trip of a lifetime while also caring for people and the planet. At the forefront of this movement has been Costas Christ – an international expert, speaker, writer and passionate advocate for sustainable travel. NBC News’ Travel Editor put it this way: “For the past 30 years, Costas been at the leading edge of the green travel movement, since way before it was ever called green or even a movement.” So we asked Costas how he travels the world. His answer appears below. The original version of this blog was published on NatGeo.com and is reprinted here courtesy of National Geographic Traveler. 

 

My Sustainable Travel Manifesto
By Costas Christ

Some people look for the pool. Others head to the concierge.

Me? The very first thing I do when I arrive at a hotel is stand in the lobby and take a visual 360.

Can I tell what country I’m in (or even what continent I’m on) from the décor, the staff uniforms, the architecture? If not, I head for the door. I want lodging that embraces a sense of place, not conquers it.

The way I travel reflects my values: environmentally friendly, protecting natural and cultural heritage, and supporting local people—all combined with a sense for adventure, discovery, and fun.

There’s a reason I approach travel this way. In 1950, there were 25 million international travelers (“tourist arrivals” in business parlance). Last year more than a billion globetrotters tapped into the promise of falling in love with the world–from the Eiffel Tower to the Great Barrier Reef. And by 2027, the UN’s World Tourism Organization predicts we will eclipse two billion people crossing borders on holiday.

That forecast can be good and bad; done well, travel is a powerful opportunity for enriching our lives and safeguarding the planet. My plan? To share where and how this new vision for “travel with meaning” has taken root, and what you can do to be part of this doing-well-by-doing-good revolution.

Two decades ago, I could count the number of eco-friendly tour companies on one hand. Now they can fill a book—a good thing. But some operators walk the talk better than others. So how to know what to pick?

Before I sign on, I sleuth out a company’s sustainability cred on the Web and I ask questions: Do they support the protection of nature, help safeguard cultural traditions, give priority to hiring local people?

If answers are vague, I move on. I want my hard-earned vacation dollars going to tour operators who feel as passionately about the world as I do.

If you ever see me in a chain hotel, it’s because I’m attending a conference or need to be close to the airport. Otherwise, I opt for lesser known, authentic, and surprising places to stay. Among them: Six Senses Zighy Bay in Oman, where you can hang glide into the reception area for check-in, and Bulungula Lodge on South Africa’s “Wild Coast,” run by village women who make fresh fruit smoothies using a bicycle-powered blender.

Each summer I spend my days as an organic blueberry farmer in Maine, so it will come as no surprise that you will also find me dining in restaurants that are pushing the boundaries of farm-to-table cuisine–like Patria on the outskirts of Quito in Ecuador.

When it comes to sampling fresh and local delights in Asia, it’s hard to beat Singapore’s Old Airport Road food hawker stalls. If you are a seafood lover and want to avoid accidentally dining on threatened fish stocks, I pull up the Monterey Bay Aquarium Sustainable Seafood Watch app on my iPhone.

Once in Dakar, I stepped onto a charter bus to see this pulsating West African city. And see it I did. I just didn’t experience it. Missing was the possibility of unscripted interaction: stopping to listen to a group of street drummers, exchanging pleasantries with tie-dye-clad women amid towers of exotic fruit at a weekend market, sitting among locals at a café serving Ceebu jën, Senegal’s national dish.

Don’t get me wrong – there is safety and camaraderie on a big tour bus. But if I can explore by foot with a local guide, I always do; it is more meaningful for me, better for the environment, and I can also choose where to spend my dollars to benefit people away from the tourist hubs.

You will also find me raising red flags when going local goes too far: More than 30,000 tourists have poured into Ethiopia’s Omo River Valley to see the Mursi and other semi-nomadic tribes before their culture is lost in the whoosh of modernity. And this wave of well-meaning travelers is prompting the very changes they wish to avoid. And what about voluntourism? You might be surprised to find out that I’m a skeptic, based on my own experiences.

I invite you to join me on a journey of discovering the world in a more sustainable and yes, fun and enlightening way. For me, traveling sustainably means our children and their children will also be able to have remarkable journeys, whether exploring a biodiversity-rich rainforest in Peru or a tropical island in Thailand.

Costas Christ is Director of Sustainability, Virtuoso and Editor at Large for National Geographic Traveler

 

Big Five was honored by Virtuoso, a leading travel consortium, at Virtuoso Travel Week, with their sustainable tourism leadership award. Big Five is the only company to have received this award twice.

To see Ashish and Mahen Sanghrajka’s acceptance speeches, click here.

 

It was once thought that there were as many as 27 leopard subspecies, which were described by naturalists between 1794 and 1956. Today, however, it is known that there are actually nine subspecies: African, Indian, Arabian or Erythrean, Persian or Central Asian, Chinese, Indochinese, Java, Sri Lankan and Amur or Siberian. It is unlikely you will ever encounter an Amur leopard, which is on the brink of extinction with less than 30 individuals known to still exist.

Fossils of ancestors of the leopard have been discovered in East Africa and South Asia, dating back to the Pleistocene between 2 and 3.5 million years ago. The modern leopard is thought to have evolved in Africa and spread out across Asia nearly a million years ago.

The leopard is the smallest of the four “big cats,” but it is probably the most versatile. Its historic range covers nearly every land type and climate, from dry true deserts and humid rain forests to the cold boreal forests of eastern Russia. Despite its adaptability, leopard species are in a near-continuous decline due to deforestation, hunting and encroaching human establishments.

There are conservation efforts going on around the world including in Botswana, where a Facial Recognition Research Project is in progress. This unique project uses groundbreaking facial recognition technology to monitor wildlife monitoring. Our guests can help gather data out in the field. This is the first time this has been attempted to include travelers in Africa. You are provided a camera with GPS capability, and the images you shoot are collected and send to the United Kingdom for scanning. The software can recognize individual species, principally leopards and the other big cats, and a movement map using the GPS data embedded in the image is created.

On another front in wildlife conservation is the increase in anti-poaching measures such as at Little Chem Chem in Tanzania. Its LiveWildlife’s wildlife protection strategy included the establishment of an anti-poaching unit in 2010. Currently, this unit patrols the area connecting the east side of Lake Manyara and the northwest side of Tarangire National Park, the location of Chem Chem Wildlife Concession and the re-established elephant migration route. It protects the area from poaching as well as ensuring the land is not being used for livestock grazing and agriculture.

Explore the world of leopards and other big cats on our Presidents Picks journeys: Botswana & South Africa and the Private Conservancies in Tanzania.

Travel DNAWe came upon the unique idea for Distinctive Navigator Analyzer – DNA one day in the company kitchen during a casual conversation. We quickly recognized that we had hit on something. Most people still contact us in the context of a specific destination, but we are seeing a growing number of people asking us where to go to do activities they are passionate about. In other words, they have the what and why but not the where.

So we expanded this concept and came up with yourtraveldna.com, which reverses the usual process in planning a vacation. The destination becomes secondary to your personal pursuits. We knew we were on the right track when we realized how many stories we hear from travelers who planned vacations based on the advice of others – relatives, neighbors, friends, but who were ultimately disappointed, even when the journey was successful.  Because it wasn’t their journey!

We created a place where both travelers and their travel professionals can come to explore each individual’s life interests. With yourtraveldna.com, you discover the best destinations for you that speak to your particular interests whether you are an Adrenalin Seeker, a Culture Junky, a Star Gazer or something more.

With this simple tool, you open up a world of possible destinations that genuinely excite you with places you may never have even considered before. We suspect some of the destinations will surprise you. The site is free and easy to use and you can use it as often as you like to explore destinations for your next great adventure. You will get a personal Travel DNA profile that will be emailed in a PDF to you so you can print it out or email it to friends or your travel professional to begin discussing travel ideas.

Welcome! Get started on the road to discovering Your Travel DNA, click here.

Please note that we do not collect any information from this site, and the name and email address you provide will never be sold or used for any other purpose.    

Masaya“There is nothing like staring down the caldera of an active volcano,” said Ashish Sanghrajka during a recent journey to Nicaragua where he encountered Masaya Volcano at night.

The volcano has a long history of activity and became active again just six months ago. Ashish noted that a team of National Geographic scientists were on hand and would be descending by cable into the caldera the next day.

Only about 30 years after Christopher Columbus arrived to America in 1492 did the Spanish begin their conquest of Nicaragua. At that time, the Masaya and the Momotombo volcanoes were erupting simultaneously. This was the first time early Spaniards witnessed the volcanic activity in the New World. The caldera formed some 2,500 years ago.

From the beginning, they called this volcano the mouth of hell, or Infierno de Masaya. This name followed the tradition of the earlier aboriginal people who believed that the Masaya Volcano was a god. They made offerings and human sacrifices during seasons of drought. Also, the aboriginal chiefs of the region, when solving important matters, asked for “secret advice” of a sorceress who was said to appear inside the volcano.

It is thought that this sorceress of the volcano was a god but similar to the image the Spanish had of the Devil. This added to the idea that all aboriginal gods were products of the Devil.

In 1529, Mercedarian Fray Francisco de Bobadilla climbed the volcano, where he erected a cross in order to exorcise what he called “The Mouth of Hell.” The cross was also used for exorcism rituals. You can visit Bobadilla cross today.

In 1979, Masaya became Nicaragua’s first national park. Masaya Volcano National Park has an area of 54 km² includes two volcanoes and five craters. It is the only volcano in the western hemisphere where you are able to drive to the rim. In the park, an underground tunnel formed by lava flows is home to bats.

Incorporate a volcano experience into our 8-day Gems of Nicaragua.

The Navigator Series® Edition III is a reference book of the possible. And with it, we present our Distinctive Navigator Analyzer, DNA. You will learn more about this creative and innovative planning tool as you review this book and discover your and your clients’ Travel DNA, which helps set the groundwork to let each of us discover what we really want from travel. We came upon the idea in casual conversation, and we recognized that this is the basis for how all journeys should be designed – with your focus, not ours, not those of your neighbors or friends. This means reversing the entire process of what is currently accepted in vacation planning by helping you identify your personal passions. Much like the race car driver who trusts his vehicle and the process of the race, you can trust the process of discovering your own Travel DNA.

Start finding your DNA today order your copy of Navigator Series® Edition III, click on Brochure Order Form; call 800 244 3483; or email reception@bigfive.com.

I have brown skin. I am from Africa. Am I a jihadist? I have a 9-year-old son, and he has brown skin. Does he mean you harm? I have a mother from Sudan. Is she an Islamic radical? Of course not. But I ask in earnest as we continue to witness lives needlessly lost at home and in France, Turkey and elsewhere.

Yet we seem unable to get past another round of finger-pointing questions and accusations and pointless rhetoric from our world leaders.

I am a proud American of Indian ancestry, and I am not normally a fearful person. But the current level of restlessness and violence clearly affects our ability to make right decisions as a population. I travel all the time, and my ethnicity raises eyebrows in airports and in cities right here at home when I have done nothing to deserve this scrutiny. Yes, I have to admit to feeling vulnerable, and I think of the thousands more who are routinely subjected to the same profiling that I undergo. I have had to adjust to the judging looks I get as I am racially profiled in airport security for what seems like the thousandth time. So be it, however, more importantly, I can’t help but wonder what do these messages say to my children and to your children? How does this impact them? What if someone says something to my kids, who remain open and optimistic that they can change the world?

Then, I remember the late Nelson Mandela said, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.  The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

In the travel industry, that underlying fear is that in the face of terrorism, travelers will stay home. The reality is that nothing could be further from the truth. Throughout all the geopolitical events of the last half century, the desire to see the world has remained constant. Our brightest days are still ahead of us, if we can simply get out of our own way.

Our industry has a powerful voice and we need to use it now. But we cannot lead from behind. It may be up to us to use our voice with our leaders who, in turn, need to forego retaliation and instead find a place at the table for everyone where they are respected. Show them a better reality exists before they become disenfranchised.

We must come together and realize that the only reachable solution to what we face is through education. It starts with asking the right questions and understanding that the game has changed dramatically.

Tourism done right has the power to change more lives more powerfully than any other single industry. One of the most potent tools we have is travel itself; travel on a human level that introduces us to one another, where children of different races and nationalities can meet and play together in safety. That is the true power of travel.

Study after study has shown that tourism is the single biggest resistance to those who mean us harm. It is the catalyst for change against poachers in Africa.  The retraining and employment of former drug farmers in tourism with its greater benefits has helped push out the drug cartels that have since largely moved out of Colombia. Tourism has shifted the fortunes in Vietnam, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Laos and countless other countries where the tourism sector is growing to and over 10% of GDP.

It’s ok to feel vulnerable and even a little fearful at times like this. It’s ok to question how this can ever be stopped, but I firmly believe that these issues are solvable. This is not a political gamble, it is a global one, and without action, the price we pay will come due to our children and their children. It is vital to remember that while this our present reality, it doesn’t need to be our future.

ash 1 copy

 

Ashish Sanghrajka
President

 

 

 

 

Tucked away on an old corn plantation in one of the most remote farms of the Urubamba (Sacred) Valley, explora is debuting its new Valle Sagrado. At 9,514 feet/2,900 meters, it is sheltered and surrounded by mighty mountains that were once home to the mighty Inca Empire.

The hotel is drenched in that ancient history. Indeed, during the entire design and construction process, ongoing archeological studies revealed many vestigial Inca remains, causing explora’s team to change the design several times. They recovered worn-out Inca platforms, dug up walls with more than 500 years of history and are still working on the restoration of the The Pumacahua Bath House, a large colonial house built in the 17th century, which belonged to one of Peru’s Independence heroes, the Inca Mateo Pumacahua. This house will become a premier spa with the massages rooms, hot tubs, sauna and pool with space for yoga.

With Valle Sagrado as a base, guests can bike through Quechua communities and farmlands, and follow Urubamba River among cornfields, old haciendas and manors from the 19th and 20th centuries. Or, trek the farmlands of Chinchero to reach the ruins of the Huchuy Qosqo Palaces. In typical fashion, explora has crafted a total of 27 excursions by foot, bike and van that help guests discover all aspects of this stellar region. When you leave explora Valle Sagrado, you will feel well acquainted with the region, its landmarks and its people.

For a once-in-a-lifetime exploration of this fascinating region of Peru in depth, featuring explora Valle Sagrado, consider our 20-day Luxury Peru Adventure for Hikers.

It seems that some people strategize down to the very last detail while others are seat-of-your-pants folks. One study asked how far in advance do people plan, and the results suggest that when making decisions in a dynamic “risky” context, just over half of the subjects plan fully, while the remainder do not plan ahead at all.

Depending on your personal preferences and those of your circle of acquaintances, you may or may not find that surprising.

When it comes to making travel plans for the holidays this year, those who opt to wait and wing it may have to take what they can get, or just skip the whole idea.

You may also be surprised to learn that finding available last-minute options in the most desirable places actually declines between now and December 1st by some 10% a week.

Indeed, at this time, you will have to wing it in areas including Patagonia, Chile, Sabi Sands, South Africa, Inle Lake, Myanmar, Phuket, Thailand, Kangaroo Island, Australia and for Galapagos cruises.

You can still plan it in places like the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica, the highlands of Ecuador, the Masai Mara, Kenya, Ngorongoro Highlands, Tanzania, among many other places. Check out our President’s Picks for planning ideas.

Some spaces may open up through cancellations or for others reasons as the season gets nearer, but do you really want to wing this?

159 days and counting…

 

Although distinctly different, America and Canada share much in spirit, diversity, and ideas as well as a 5,525-mile border. We also share the freedom to walk our individual paths.

On July 1st, Canada marks 149 years as an independent country, and just a few days later, on July 4th, the United States celebrates 240 years as a sovereign nation.

May you live in interesting times is an often-quoted saying that has long been said to be an ancient Chinese curse. As it turns out, it is most likely an English expression dating from the late-19th century. It is, nonetheless, a fitting reminder of the world we occupy today when free nations around the world face unprecedented challenges on many fronts – socially, politically, financially, culturally and demographically.

As we get ready to celebrate our independence days with parties, fireworks, food, families and friends, we ought to take a moment to honor all those across the generations and around the globe who have sought freedom, challenged the status quo, and honored principles of free thought and expression. Many have died for these ideals, and we owe them an enormous debt of gratitude that we can only repay by remaining ever vigilant against the forces that would pull us apart.

We wish you joyous and safe Independent Day celebrations, wherever you are.

lioness at duskSM

The first photograph ever taken is said to be “View from the Window at Le Gras” [Circa, 1826]. It was specifically, “the world’s first permanent photograph from nature,” and was taken by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in 1826 or 1827. The image depicts the view from an upstairs window at Niépce’s estate in the Burgundy region of France.

In our digital world today it seems every day brings new discoveries and applications. That includes using state-of-the-art facial recognition software in the field of wildlife conservation to identify and track individual animals.

In Botswana, a groundbreaking research project between Great Plains Conservation and the University of Surrey, UK, is employing facial recognition software to identify and monitor wildlife, especially the big cats. This will eliminate the need for tracking collars or implants on the animals. The technology has previously been used successfully on tigers in India and the result was published in National Geographic magazine. This is the first time this has been attempted to include travelers in Africa. The concept is simple. Participating photographers are supplied cameras with GPS capability. Then the images captured are collected and sent for scanning. The software can recognize individual species, and a movement map using the GPS data embedded in the image is created.

You can participate in the future today on this extraordinary safari during one of four upcoming dates for 2016 of our new President’s Picks: Botswana & South Africa.

lantern copyStroll through the charming old town of Hoi An, Vietnam any evening and you notice them glowing outside restaurants, shops and hotels along the street – the city’s famous silk lanterns. They light up the entire town, especially the night market.

There are lantern festivals such as the Full Moon Festival, on the 14th of every lunar month, one night before the full moon, when the Old Town becomes even more festive, and festooned with colorful lamps along every lane. Another one is the Mid-Autumn Festival – held on the 14th of the August lunar month. Last but not least, the Lantern Festival, the most enchanting and special one in Hoi An, which is when colorful hanging cloth and paper lanterns are hung on the 15th of every lunar month. On that night, all electrical equipment is turned off, leaving the Old Quarter bathed in the warm glow of these charming lights.

Hoi An lanterns carry distinctive cultural values of the town and hold a deeper meaning for locals. They believe that hanging lanterns in front of their houses will bring luck, happiness and wealth to the family living in the house.

Traditionally the lanterns were only made of silk and in certain shapes. But today lantern makers have diversified the shapes to include lotuses, diamonds and triangles. Materials now encompass glass, cardboard and nylon fibers in addition to the traditional silk.

You can spend an entertaining afternoon in a lantern-making workshop in Hoi An to learn this traditional craft. Explore the many fascinating faces of Hoi An and Southeast Asia on our new President’s Pick: Incredible Indochina.

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