Packing Light

While travelling packing light is a great idea. Packing light saves time (e.g. no waiting for baggage to be unloaded), money (no excess baggage fees), stress (no worrying about lost luggage) and the environment (less luggage means less fuel used to carry it). Go green travel has come up with 45 tips for the eco-conscious traveler. I found it practical and very useful. Read it here

World's Top 50 Ecolodges

I just had a look at the pick of top 50 ecolodges of the world done by  National Geographic adventure.  National Geographic presents  the most comprehensive ecolodge survey ever assembled, representing diverse landscapes and locales. All that you  have to do is to click on the dots on the map to find your green adventure. Really informative. Click here to go to the map and experience the adventure.

Top 10 beaches of the world

I was reading about Top 10 beaches of the world in the Guardian.The selections are

1. Las Islas Cies, Galicia, Spain

2. Tayrona national park, Colombia

3. Porto da Barra, Salvador, Brazil

4. Anywhere on Palawan, the Philippines

5. Nungwi, Zanzibar, Tanzania

6. Arambol, Goa, India

7. Whitehaven, Whitsunday Islands, Queensland, Australia

8. Shell Beach, Isle of Purbeck, Dorset

9. Sinclair´s Bay, Caithness

10. Aroa, Aitutaki, One Foot Island, Cook Islands

If you want to read the full article click here

Great EcoTourism guide for COSTA RICA

ISBN 9781569756966

COSTA RICA is destination nonpareil for ecotourism.
Here is a great EcoTourism guide for COSTA RICA

The 495-page New Key to Costa Rica by Beatrice/Gilbert Blake gives you all the information you need to get around independently in COSTA RICA with a listings for any budget. The e-mail addresses provided and tips on low-cost local transportation, private bilingual naturalist guide'driver, car rental,local airlines and information about all national parks and reserves lets you be in charge of the affairs while you travel to COSTA RICA.

Tourism Exhibitions Calendar : February 2010

Here is a list of exhibitions slated for February 2010. I hope it would be useful for tour operators

4-7 February 2010
HOLIDAY WORLD (ITTFA)
Prague, Czech Republic
Official website

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4-7 February 2010
TIMES HOLIDAY & TRAVEL SHOW
London, England
Official website

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4-8 February 2010
SALON DE VACANCES
Brussels, Belgium
Official website

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5-7 February 2010
BALTTOUR
Riga, Latvia
Official website

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5-7 February 2010
FERIEN MESSE
Bassels, Switzerland
Official website

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5-7 February 2010
MAHANA
Toulouse, France
Official website

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6-8 February 2010
TTF - Mumbai
Bombay, India
Official website

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9-10 February 2010
BUSINESS TRAVEL SHOW
London, England
Official website

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10-14 February 2010
REISEN
Hamburg, Germany
Official website

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11-13 February 2010
TTF - New Delhi
New Delhi, India
Official website

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11-14 February 2010
EMITT
Istanbul, Turkey
12-14 February 2010
TUREST
Talin, Estonia
Official website

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12-14 February 2010
HOLIDAY & TRAVEL SHOW
Glascow, U.K.
Official website

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13-14 February 2010
LOS ANGELES TIMES TRAVEL SHOW
Los Angeles, U.S.A.
Official website

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13-15 February 2010
TOURISSIMA
Lille, France
Official website

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18-22 February 2010
F.re.e
Munich, Germany
Official website

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23-25 February 2010
CONFEX INTERNATIONAL
London, England
Official website

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24-26 February 2010
MEETINGS AFRICA
Johannesburg, South Africa
Official website

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24-28 February 2010
REISE & CAMPING
Essen, Germany
Official website

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24-28 February 2010
IFT - International Fair of Tourism (ITTFA)
Belgrade, Serbia
Official website

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26-28 February 2010
MAHANA
Marseilles, France
Official website

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26-28 February 2010
TOURISSIMO
Strasbourg, France
Official website

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26-28 February 2010
Ν.Υ.ΤΙΜES TRAVEL SHOW
New York, U.S.A.
Official website

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26-28 February 2010
FERIEN MESSE SALZBURG
Salzburg, Austria
Official website

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26-28 February 2010
FERIE FΟR ALLE
Herning, Denmark
Official website

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26-28 February 2010
VIVATUR
Vilnious, Lithuania
Official website

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26-28 February 2010
TCV FERIA VALENCIA
Valencia, Spain
Official website

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27 Feb.-1 March 2010
SALON DU TOURISME ET DES VACANCES
Nantes, France
Official website

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27 Feb.-1 March 2010
TIMES HOLIDAY & TRAVEL SHOW
Bermingham, England
Official website

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27 Feb.-7 March 2010
FREIZEIT
Nurenberg, Germany
Official website

Back Again

Many people have requested me to continue posting on this blog. In deference to their wishes I am back on stream

Outdoor Life – Naughty Ways of Spicing Up Your Love Life

I was reading this book Sex in a Tent by Michelle Waitzman. (Wilderness Press, $14.95) I found it very interesting and informative. It gives tips about spicing up your sex life while camping. Camping need not remain a mundane activity. There are ways of spicing it up in myriad ways. Even seasoned adventurers will learn some new tips or techniques from this book. The first chapter is devoted to putting things in proper perspective for a beginner, so that he or she does not scare the partner away. The book is not about getting laid only. The book discusses things like personal hygiene while camping, planning romantic meals, packing backpacks and wearing the right clothing. Go ahead and read it. It is hilarious and full of great tips. I am sure Michelle must have experienced them first hand. Well Michelle, I enjoyed your book tremendously. Great read. I recommend the book unreservedly.

· Paperback: 166 pages
· Publisher: Wilderness Press
· Language English
· ISBN-10: 0899974325
· ISBN-13: 978-0899974323

Mountains across the world affected by climate change

Climate change and its after effects is the hottest thing doing the rounds in the scientific world. Every other day we have a conference or announcements from leading scientists. The layman is confused but one thing every one has noticed is the effect of climate change on mountain ecosystem. Areas, which never used fans, have started using them. The other day I was in Munnar, a hill station in Kerala. The average daily temperature has definitely gone up. Some of the perennial rivulets have dried up. Mosquitoes have moved in to new areas. The birth cycle of endangered Nilgiri Tahr is going awry. As I have mentioned on an earlier occasion in this blog the birth of new tahr kids, {Kid is the appropriate scientific term for Tahr babies), used to occur with clock work precision.

The rising temperature in mountain ecosystem is a worldwide phenomenon. The average daily temperature in mountain areas across the world is increasing greater than temperature in low lands. This is a wee bit puzzling. One of the explanations given is the increasing cloud cover. Usually the mountains radiate heat under clear skies, particularly at night, but under a cloud cover they retain that heat. This cloud cover may in turn generate additional heat. When clouds condense and turn into rain they release heat. This is only a surmise. More research is urgently needed to unravel the real facts and also its impact on flora and fauna.

Tourism of doom

Tourism of doom is a new word coined by travel industry specialists for the growing number of tourists flocking to far-flung corners of the world to see endangered natural wonders before they disappear. These include melting glaciers, shrinking tropical rain forests, threatened coral reefs and other places these tourists believe will be destroyed in a generation due to climate change.
Tourists visiting the melting glaciers in the Antarctic have increased so much that cruises must now be booked well in advance. During the 2007-08-tourist season about 46,000 tourists visited Antarctica an exponential doubling of figures in five years time. Churchill in northern Canada described as “Polar Bear Capital of the World” is also flocked by tourists of doom. This same logic is ascribed for a rise in the number of foreign visitors to Africa’s wildlife reserves.
Let us hope that this tourist influx does not hasten the doom. Prudently planned the influx can be used to tap the money urgently needed to further the cause of conservation

A great Traveller’s toolkit

BootsnAll has recently relaunched their Traveller’s toolkit. It is a great place to get first hand information about various aspects of travel. There is a plethora of allied information. For the ecotraveller there is a separate space chockfull of ideas.

The main titles are Accomodation Travel Guide, Transportation Guide, Budget & Money Travel , Travel Gear Guide, BootsnAll Insiders, Eco Travel Guide, Travel Gear Guide, How to Travel Guide, Family Travel Guide, Guidebooks & Resources, Food & Travel Guide, Travel Health Guide, GLBT Travel Guide, Travel Jobs Guide, Languages Travel Guide, Travel Safety Guide, Living Abroad Guide, Travel With Pets Guide, Senior Travel Guide, Solo Travel Guide, Travel With Disabilities , Student Travel Guide , Volunteering Abroad Guide, Teaching Abroad Guide, Women's Travel Guide and Work Abroad Guide
I recommend this Traveller’s Kit unreservedly. Click here to go to their site