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Introducing the Dream Day Itinerary

Some of our clientele already have first hand knowledge of what we like to call the Dream Day Itinerary. Ideally suited for the independent traveler, these fleshed-out itineraries detail each day of your vacation, from activities to restaurants to hotels. We try to incorporate as much local flavor as possible, hiring local guides to take you to sites based on your particular love of art, architecture, the outdoors, and history. If we have not visited the restaurants first-hand, we ask locals we know and trust in the area for recommendations. In fact, many of the suggested activities, hotels, and restaurants on the Dream Day Itinerary stem from my own articles as a travel writer or come highly recommended from my travel writing buddies who have a specialty, like dining in Spain or skiing the Alps. So rest assured that these itineraries are personally curated by trustworthy sources. Just another perk of joining ActiveTravels.com!
 

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VBT Partners with Emerald Waterways to Cruise the Danube

Ever since Backroads partnered with AmaWaterways to bring families to the Danube River in 2015, the demand has far exceeded number of available berths. The chance to ride along the river on bike paths during the day though small European villages and then catch up with the cruise for cocktails, dinner, and your room for the week (no packing and unpacking) is ideally suited for all age groups. Backroads is now bringing their active travel itineraries to the ocean liners, while other biking companies like VBT have formed partnerships to cruise the rivers. VBT has just announced that one of their new trips in 2019 will be aboard an Emerald Waterways ship cruising the Danube. 24 VBT guests will be part of a larger group on board the 182-passenger river cruise ship. The difference is that your shore excursions will be with a VBT group leader as you bike, on average, 15 to 35 miles per day through the German, Austrian, and Hungarian countryside. VBT can also package together the international air, and pre- and post-visits to Prague and Budapest. Prices start at $4395 per person, not including air. 

 
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Good News Out of Tanzania

Earlier this year, I reported on the Tanzanian government’s plan to build a 260-mile highway that would slice right through the southern part of Serengeti. The moronic move would not only disrupt one of the world’s great migrations of 2 million wildebeests traveling north into Kenya’s Masai Mara, but could have been an easy way in and out for poachers. Thankfully, after listening to numerous conservation groups and international travel operators, the government scrapped that idea. Tourism is the number one industry in Tanzania, so it seems like the government finally got wise to the fact that they shouldn’t cut off the hand that feeds them.
 

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The Perfect Weekend to Hit the Slopes and Trails

March is my favorite time to ski. The days are longer and brighter, the snow softer, and with spring just around the corner, it’s time to get my last runs in before the season quickly comes to end. With a deluge of snowfall across America this past week, from two feet in Vermont to three feet in the Tahoe area, we have even more reason to hit the slopes. Hardcore athletes looking to work up a definite sweat this weekend should head to Pittsfield, Vermont, on Saturday. Called the Winter Brutality Weekend, the town will feature a marathon, half-marathon, and 6.5-miler race, all on snowshoes. For the truly insane, there’s a 100-mile Snowshoe Marathon! One of the leaders of this endurance test is Noel Hanna, who in December achieved his goal of climbing to the summit of the highest mountain on each of the seven continents and then running down. The last was Mt. Vinson in Antarctica. So whether you’re a bunny slope skier or serious athlete, you have no excuse not to get out there this weekend and go play.
 

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Book a Room at the Three Mountain Inn

In 2004, I wrote a cover story for the Boston Globe Sunday Magazine called, “So You Want to Own a B&B.” During my research, I met a great couple, Jennifer and Ed Dorta-Duque, who were taking a course on the ups and downs of running an inn. At the time, they had quit their jobs as software developers in Baltimore and had been searching for an inn for over 1 ½ years, looking at more than 50 properties in Annapolis, Pennsylvania, Cape Cod, Nantucket, and New York’s Finger Lakes region. Finally, they came upon the Three Mountain Inn in Jamaica, Vermont, and made the purchase. One visit to Jamaica, a quiet hamlet on the backside of Stratton Mountain, and you understand why. It’s close to the Grafton Cheese Company and the West River Trail in Jamaica State Park, which I included last year in a story on ten favorite foliage walks in New England for The Boston Globe.

In the seven years, they’ve run the inn, Jennifer and Ed earned accolades for their hospitality and food in such publications as Travel & Leisure and the London Telegraph. Then they got slammed by Hurricane Irene and their inn transformed into the Emergency Operation Center, the Firehouse, and shelter for displaced victims. The Route 30 bridge north of town is out and will most likely be out for the rest of the year. However, they’ve already created a bypass around the collapsed bridge, and, as of this week, the Three Mountain Inn is open for business. If you’re searching for a fall foliage retreat, this is one place that’s worthy of your support!

I’m off to the Atlantic Maritimes in eastern Canada the next week to fish for salmon on the Miramichi in New Brunswick, go oystering on Prince Edwards Island’s Malpeque Bay, tidal bore rafting in Nova Scotia, and sea kayaking off the coast of Newfoundland. I’ll be back September 28th. In the meantime, keep active!
 

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Ciclismo Classico Bike Tour to Sardinia Led by Chef Jody Adams

Ciclismo Classico, the Italian biking specialist, has just announced that James Beard Award-winning chef, Jody Adams, will host a tour to Sardinia this fall. Adams, owner of the popular Rialto and Trade restaurants in Boston, will be heading to an Italian island known for its innovative cuisine. “Chef Adams will delight guests palates with handmade pastas, Seada cake, Montiferru, local cheeses, cured meats and regional wines,” says Ciclismo Classico founder Lauren Hefferon.
 
The tour begins in Tresnuraghes and then cross the very center of the island through areas still untouched by tourism. From here, riders will discover the stunning coast in Cabras with its lagoons and flamingos, and explore the long sandy beaches of the Sinis peninsula. Visits to old mining towns, the ancient Phoenician and Roman cities of Tharros and Nora, and the winding coastal road to Pula highlight the weeklong trip. The itinerary includes several informal cooking demonstrations with Chef Adams where guests can participate in the action and learn a few tips from the master chef. A cheese-making demonstration with local shepherds, and a special dinner prepared by Adams at Villa Asfodeli are also included in this culinary adventure. Dates are September 30-October 6, 2014, and cost is $5395 per person, all-inclusive. 
 
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April 2016 ActiveTravels Newsletter: Eat to Live or Live to Eat?

We have a wonderful newsletter to share with you this month. I hope you’re hungry! Our main feature is all about culinary travel, a wave of new offerings by tour companies due to a strong interest in farm-to-table meals, cooking classes, slow food happenings, and learning about cultures through the universal medium of a love of food. We also present our favorite hotels in Bermuda, discuss what’s new in Washington, DC, and introduce you to the only tour operator the World Wildlife Fund has teamed with, Natural Habitat Adventures. Lastly, don’t miss our travel tip on how to stay safe abroad. We hope you enjoy and we’re happy to help plan your summer travels. Please note that I’ll be out of the office Monday to cheer on the Boston Marathon runners. I’ll be back next week with my favorite adventures in New England during springtime. 
 

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