Active Travel Dos
 

Hey All:

After spending a lot of COVID downtime thinking about my travel style and goals going forward, I have decided that I want to expand my horizons. I enjoy luxury hotels and flights as much as the next person but what really makes a trip for me is active and authentic experiences, getting to know the people, culture and food, and getting out into the country rather than just going to the same capital cities and crowding to the same top ten or twenty tourist sites to rack up selfies. I would like to plan domestic and international DOs that focus on this view, and could include outdoor activities like hiking and running as well as authentic cultural experiences. If this slightly different approach resonates with you, post your thoughts and ideas and suggestions and let's see what we can put together as the loosen. Let's see where this goes!

Cheers

gil123

Have you considered a small van/RV of some type? They make some pretty nice self-contained units built on Sprinter Van chassis so they really aren't much larger than a full-size truck. You can really get to remote places and see a lot of things that you won't find near the airports. If you're at all curious check out an RV show sometime and/or search out an RV message board. RVing is an entire booming culture of its own and has come a long ways in the last couple decades.

Thanks for the input but that's not really at all what I had in mind. I made this post in the hopes of finding others who might be interested in getting together for great hiking / outdoors destinations anywhere in the world. If anyone is interested or has destination suggestions please let me know.

I'm interested (assuming I ever travel again).

I was thinking about posting about having a Flyertalk Running Club, and getting together people on something like Strava to follow each other and share. Would be great to extend that to real life meetings. I could see a planning things like hiking trips, arranging gathering for major running/cycling/triathlon events. We could also look at adding in an "active" component or event to other DOs going on - a morning run or afternoon cycle for those that want to join.

Greg (a very slow runner (the feet on pavement kind, not the mileage runner kind))

Count me in! We had a bit of a FT meetup at the Olympic Trials marathon in Atlanta followed by Hops in the Hangar at the DL Museum. I'm sure there are FTers already attending major races either as a participant or a spectator. A Strava Group would be easy to set up now.

When I travel to new destinations one of my favorite things is to go for a long (well okay not that long), slow early morning run and scope the place out and explore when things are just opening up. It brings a different perspective on things. Not much of a marathon guy though.

Anyway, I just think a Do with a few hours of hiking and exploring each day could be a great alternative to spending a day by the pool. Happy to hear there is some interest and I will post destination ideas as soon as there is any place in the world that seems to be viable again.

As a starter, if it is open I plan to be in Denver first week of June to do some (socially-distant of course) hiking in Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park. Probably too soon to travel for many but if anyone is in the area/interested lemme know...

One idea is a possible hiking Do in the Scottish Highlands, centered around Inverness. Possibly next spring/summer.

That sounds good. I've not been, but heard horror stories about the midges in summer, so perhaps spring would be a better option. I've some friends up in Scotland, so I'll ask if they have any suggestions on good hikes.

Early May is the latest you want to go to avoid being eaten alive.....! :D

Ever since my late wife and I spent a couple of weeks in Scotland back in 2004, I've wanted to walk the West Highland Way. One of the nice things about doing it in a group is that baggage transfers to the next night's stop become much more economical. Sign me up for anything in Scotland, though.

Another possibility: South Africa, in the Drakenbergs, along with some less active days viewing wildlife. (I suppose that can get active very quickly if the wildlife realizes we are slow and might taste good, but I'm told that doesn't happen. Much.)

"Mmmm!. FlyerTalkers taste Good!"

David

Drakensberg mountains near Durban? Looks pretty good!:
https://www.bookmundi.com/t/7-best-h...berg-mountains

But I'd be more worried about FTers falling off the climbing ladders than getting eaten by wildlife. Will have to get an FT lawyer to come along and draft a good release for that...

I used to work in, and owned my own business within, the active travel industry (it's been awhile) .

IMHO, you want to need to answer 6 items, which will help you find the right itinerary and tour operator for your needs (or at least winnow it down to a small list):

1. Region/Country
2. Type of activity (e.g. biking, running, hiking, cycling, paddling, walking)
3. Level of activity per day (all day, 1/2 days, hour or two).
4. Level of support (fully guided, partial support, logistical support only (aka self guided)).
5. Size of group (some operators focus on small intimate groups of 8-16, normally more expensive...while others take larger groups (up to 30ish)
6. Tour Budget (without airfare...99% of all active travel companies don't include airfare, which is good for us FTers).

Once you have that info dialed in, you can find the best operator, and like minded individuals, to fit your needs :) Most operators are also happy to do a private tour...you take all the slots on a given itinerary. With a private tour, they may give a price break and/or adjust the itinerary to better fit the group's needs.

The bullets are good ones to think about to plan an event. But, with the collective experience and expertise of this group, I have no doubt we can do it ourselves.

I plan to head to PBM first week of March 2022. It's a place I've wanted to visit for a long time that is now much more accessible due to AA's new flights from MIA. Anyone who is interested in meeting up feel free to DM me.