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How to Plan a Family Camping Trip
One of life’s guaranteed adventures, besides having kids, is a family camping trip. Because when we’re talking about that trusted recipe for fun—dirt, fire, stars, and wild places—it’s nearly impossible for kids not to have a good time. But if you’re intimidated by the idea of planning your first family camping adventure, we have good news: there’s no one right way to do it. Read the full story at cntraveler.com.
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How to Build a Green Van
My family and I bought a Ford Transit last spring, and it felt like a dirty secret. Despite being a relatively svelte RV, the typical Class B camper gets 16 to 20 miles per gallon and emits far more greenhouse-gas emissions than my Prius or bike, both my long-preferred modes of transit. Vans are traditionally converted using toxic materials, such as foam insulation, chemically treated plywood, vinyl, and various other plastic parts. Surprising, right? Scrolling through thousands of #vanlife photos, one might have the impression that it’s a vehicle for woke nature enthusiasts and families raising the next generation of Greta Thunbergs.
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How We Pulled Off Our #Vanlife Adventure
Our first day in the van didn’t go the way we’d hoped. My husband and I got a late start, and we only made it an hour from home before we had to pull over for burgers and to put our kids to bed. We were parked just off I-95, and our four-year-old, cramped in his new bunk bed, kept waking up his one-year-old sister. Then we realized we’d forgotten the sawdust for the composting toilet. (Whoops.) Still, after eight months of isolation in Connecticut, this late-fall family vacation to coastal Maine already felt like a major victory — one my husband and I celebrated by popping a bottle of…
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7 Black-Owned Culinary Destinations in Upstate New York
On a recent trip upstate, we checked in with a few of our favorite Black-owned bakeries and restaurants that are as resilient as they are travel-worthy. In the Catskills and Hudson Valley, amidst spectacular waterfall hikes, artsy small towns, and the vast expanse of open land, these inspiring places and people remind us why we should be celebrating and supporting Black-owned businesses far more than just one month or one trip out of the year. One business owner we spoke to, Tamika Dunkley, cited the recent New York Federal Reserve report, which showed roughly 41% of Black-owned businesses closed in the first few months of the pandemic as compared to…
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The Ultimate Guide to Car Camping Essentials
Car camping has come a long way since the “dry-land yachts” of the early 20th century, when new Model T’s and a back-to-nature movement sent urban travelers packing with 42-pound stoves, ice boxes, and circus-style tents. Nowadays, there is no limit to the diverse range of adventures a well-rigged car can provide: Sleep in a tent next to your car at a drive-up campground in the Rocky Mountains or watch goats climb trees from your car’s rooftop tent at an artisan cheese farm.
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How to Pick a Green Hotel
Finding a hotel with environmental initiatives has never been easier, but knowing which hotels are truly worthy of your eco-conscious buck isn’t quite so simple. ‘Travelers should feel empowered’ says Alexa Poortier, co-founder of NOW, a new initiative calling for accountability around sustainability in travel. ‘After all, as consumers they are voting with their wallets.’ And she’s right – all you need to know is what to look for. Here are five reliable ways you can lighten your carbon footprint while traveling around the world.
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The Best Farm-to-table Restaurant in Every State
The farm-to-table movement may be decades old, but recent heightened attention towards issues like climate change and health has given rise to a new generation of chefs who are redefining what that oft-abused phrase means. In an era where fast food chains are hawking the farm-to-table trend, consumers are left feeling that every restaurant is green to some degree. These 50 establishments—plus Washington D.C.—stand out from the pack by not only creating exciting innovative cuisine with a locally sourced menu, but also by applying that same eco-minded culinary philosophy to every aspect of the operation. We consulted with the country’s top food bloggers and experts (and did plenty of foraging…
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15 Skills Every Adventurer Needs
If you’re well prepared for adventure and can find the humor in things not going according to plan, you’ll never stop exploring. To understand just what will get you to that place, we spoke with endurance athletes, gear gurus, and elite climbers about how to physically and mentally ready yourself for your next great journey—whether it’s a multi-day trek, afternoon bike ride, or overnight camping trip.
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How to Prepare For a Successful Summit
Nothing stirs a climber’s soul quite like a beautiful summit. John Muir put it best when he wrote, ‘The mountains are calling and I must go.’ But if you want to enjoy a high-altitude escape – perhaps at the very top of the world – it’ll take much more than just willpower. Planning and preparation are half the battle. So who better to consult than an expert – Ellen Miller, a high-altitude training specialist and endurance coach – before I attempted my highest climb yet, an ascent of 13,209-foot Homestake Peak in the Colorado Rockies. After reaching that summit, I started dreaming of even bigger climbs – like Mt Kilimanjaro and…
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Off the Tourist Trail in Cuba
It’s been like this for the past 56 years, you think the first time you see Havana’s Linea Street: a wide thoroughfare lined with crowded buses, construction trucks and art deco buildings cracking in various shades of sherbet. Old Chevy Bel Airs, Studebakers, and Pontiacs clatter by. The air is hot and thick with exhaust, and yet you could stand there all day, soaking in the hustle-bustle of a bygone era. But the weight of bike-gear donations on your back reminds you that you didn’t come here just to stare at a crumbling, forgotten world. Sweating in spandex, my husband and I, along with four Cuban cyclists, were bound for a rural village…
