Latest news with #GAdventures
Travel Weekly
2 days ago
- Travel Weekly
G Adventures will once again offer Arctic cruises
Tour operator G Adventures in 2026 will operate Arctic itineraries for the first time since 2019. "This is huge news for us," said G Adventures founder Bruce Poon Tip. "Our travelers and agent partners have been asking when we will return to the Arctic and I'm delighted to say the time is now." The tour operator is offering four Arctic itineraries with 10 departure dates. As previously reported, G Adventures is chartering the 128-passenger Ocean Adventurer through SunStone. It is a polar ship that Quark Expeditions had chartered previously. G Adventures is renaming the ship Expedition in tribute to the "little red ship" that will no longer sail for G Adventures. The replacement vessel is a more fuel-efficient ship. The Expedition will sail in Antarctica starting this October, then journey north next spring. Arctic itineraries will include Svalbard, Iceland and Greenland. Five additional trips through Scotland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Labrador will be announced in the coming weeks, G Adventures said. In the Arctic, onboard experts will include a marine biologist, ornithologist, geologist and historian. G Adventures says the expedition ship will be a "floating classroom," providing immersive and educational experiences for passengers. If weather allows, the tour operator hopes to offer daily excursions. The cruises are available to book now, with detailed itineraries to be released in the coming weeks. The Realm of the Polar Bear itinerary will travel through Norway's Svalbard archipelago across eight days, where travelers will explore fjords and have the chance to observe polar bears from afar. Travelers on the Arctic Highlights Southbound itinerary will visit Northwest Spitsbergen National Park, the Greenland Sea and the Northeast Greenland National Park across 15 days. Highlights include visiting the Ittoqqortoormiit settlement to learn how this remote community lives.
NDTV
2 days ago
- Health
- NDTV
Active Travel: Why It Is the Hottest Way To See The World Today
Quick Read Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed. Active travel is surging, with more people choosing adventures like hiking and cycling over traditional lounging. This trend emphasises connecting with nature and wellness, appealing to various travellers. It's reshaping vacations into fulfilling experiences. Active travel is booming — and social media is full of proof. From hiking Italy's Amalfi Coast to cycling through Vietnam or paddleboarding in the Scottish Highlands, more people are choosing active holidays over lounging poolside. It's not about extreme fitness, but about connecting with nature, culture, and your own wellbeing through movement. This shift isn't a passing fad; it's reshaping how we think about time off. Active travel blends adventure with purpose, making holidays more energising, immersive, and fulfilling. If you're after experiences that leave you feeling better, not just tanned, this is the trend worth paying attention to. Here's All You Need To Know About The Latest Trend Of 'Active Travel': What Is Active Travel: At its core, active travel means going on a trip where physical activity is the main attraction. Think walking, hiking, biking, kayaking, skiing, even yoga retreats. But this isn't just for ultra-fit adventurers. Active travel is for anyone who wants to break away from the all-inclusive poolside default and engage more deeply with a place — and themselves — along the way. Tour operators like G Adventures, Intrepid Travel, and Exodus Travels have seen a noticeable uptick in bookings for active holidays, especially among solo travellers and groups aged 30 to 55. According to a 2023 report from the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), 65% of global travellers are now seeking physical activities during their trips, a figure that's doubled since 2019. Why Active Travel Is Everywhere Right Now: There's no single reason why active travel is booming — it's more like a perfect storm. The post-pandemic desire to be outdoors, growing awareness around health and wellness, and the appeal of sustainable tourism have all pushed people towards more meaningful, movement-based experiences. Mental health is also part of the conversation. According to the UK's Mental Health Foundation, regular physical activity is linked to lower rates of depression and anxiety. When you factor in the mood-boosting benefits of nature — see: The Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku or "forest bathing" — it's no surprise that travellers are choosing walking over wine tastings. Active travel also tends to be kinder to the planet. Walking or cycling produces far fewer emissions than a rental car or domestic flight. Plus, small-group trips often work closely with local guides, stay in family-run accommodations, and eat at locally owned restaurants — which means your money stays within the community. Social media has played its role too. Instagram and TikTok are full of creators showing off sunrise hikes in Patagonia or backcountry ski routes in the French Alps, making these once-niche experiences look both aspirational and accessible. Photo: Unsplash How (And Where) To Do Active Travel Right: You don't need to be a marathon runner or adrenaline junkie to enjoy active travel. It's really about choosing a type of movement that feels good — then building your holiday around it. From relaxed rambles to full-body workouts in scenic spots, here's how to turn any trip into an active one: 1. Walking And Hiking Holidays For those who like to move at a slower pace but still crave fresh air and scenery, walking trips are a great entry point. They allow you to soak up local culture, take detours on a whim, and enjoy real downtime without total stillness. Try the gentle trails of the Cotswolds or more iconic routes like Spain's Camino de Santiago. In Italy's Dolomites, days of hiking end with hearty meals in cosy mountain lodges. Or stay closer to home with scenic hikes through the Lake District or Snowdonia — dramatic views included. 2. Cycling Adventures Cycling holidays are perfect if you want to see more in a day without rushing. They offer the freedom to go off the beaten path, often with the added bonus of local food stops along the way. In Vietnam, the Hai Van Pass delivers a mix of coastline, culture, and unforgettable photo ops. For a laid-back ride, try the vineyards of Provence or the well-marked cycleways of the Netherlands, where pretty towns and pastry stops go hand-in-hand. 3. Wellness And Fitness Retreats Not all active travel needs to be fast-paced. If you prefer to slow down and reset, wellness breaks blend movement with mindfulness. Yoga retreats, surf camps, and fitness weekends offer structured activity with time to rest, recharge, and maybe even go offline. These experiences are often hosted in scenic, nature-heavy locations — think coastal Portugal, the Balearics, or the Scottish Highlands — and can be as intense or laid-back as you like. 4. Snow And Winter Sports Winter doesn't mean staying indoors — for some, it's the best time to be active. Skiing, snowboarding, and snowshoeing offer high-energy options that are fun whether you're a seasoned pro or a total beginner. If you want to dodge the Alpine crowds (and price tags), consider Sierra Nevada in Spain or Bansko in Bulgaria. Both have solid slopes, budget-friendly lift passes, and a relaxed apres-ski scene. 5. Water-Based Activities If your ideal trip involves staying cool and active, water sports tick both boxes. These experiences are often set in nature-rich locations and can range from chilled to challenging. Kayaking through Croatia's Dalmatian Coast gives you up-close views of sea caves and quiet coves, while paddleboarding on Scotland's lochs offers peaceful isolation. Prefer warm water? Snorkelling in the Azores puts you face to face with vibrant marine life in crystal-clear volcanic bays.
Times
3 days ago
- Health
- Times
The spellbinding trip to China that taught me how to enjoy being single again
Last year I was in a sweaty, chaotic café in Delhi when a housefly landed on my glass of lassi. My husband, Peter, noticed and swapped his lassi with mine wordlessly, like it was the most natural thing in the world. 'Ah,' remarked Diana, a young woman on our tour. 'The perks of being married.' I laughed and sipped from my unmarred glass. After 14 years with Peter, I was used to these small kindnesses. What I didn't know then is that within six months we would be separated. We had become more like housemates and our break-up was overdue, but it's impossible to spend so much of your life with someone and not feel adrift without them. To be honest, I didn't know if I could be alone. Before Peter, I was a serial monogamist and hadn't been single since the age of 18 (I'm now 43). After some desultory months at home, I decided to reset with a holiday. I had taken a few solo trips before but only to western cities such as San Francisco and Berlin. For years I had wanted to go to China, a country rich in history and culture, but Peter had already visited so it had always been low on our list. Now I finally had reason to go. I turned to G Adventures, which specialises in small-group tours, and booked a 15-day trip from Beijing to Shanghai. The itinerary included all the usual big stops — the Great Wall of China, Chengdu and the Terracotta Warriors — but also a number of quieter sights: a hike to a mountaintop monastery; a farmstead lunch in Xi'an, northwest China; and a cooking class in Yangshuo, in the south of the country. I was sure that in those quiet corners I would find what I was looking for: space, time and calm. Arriving in Beijing, the first difference I notice is that I'm strangely keyed up before meeting my group. I have been on six trips with G Adventures and have found everyone I've met on them to be fun, warm and personable, but this time I won't have the safety net of a partner. I've been in a couple for so long, I've forgotten the extra social labour that solo travellers must perform. I can't opt out of a conversation when I'm tired or bored because no one else will pick up the slack. I can't sit in companionable silence because, with strangers, silence is awkward. I am aware of (and slightly embarrassed by) my eagerness to make an impression. I smile warmly, remember people's names, make jokes and generally try to be charming. It works and I gel well with our group of ten, which includes a nice balance of age, gender and nationality: a statuesque Swiss who works in tech, an American teacher turned artist, an Irish software engineer and a retired Welshman who used to fix helicopters. The trip begins at the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall of China, 50 miles north of Beijing. Our guide advises us to start at the second entrance gate, which offers three ways to reach the wall: a 40-minute climb on foot, or a cable car or chairlift, which allow for more time at the top. I opt for the chairlift and board it somewhat flustered. I have worn too many layers and my jacket doesn't fit in my bag. As I grapple with it, I notice a fellow tourist handing her jacket to her partner, who stuffs it into his backpack. Ah, I think. The perks of being married. As we rise above the Mutian valley, I catch my first glimpse of the wall. Its sidewinder shape slips in and out of the mist as it traces the crest of surrounding hills. The Mutianyu section is less busy than Badaling, which is more easily accessible from Beijing. There are touristy stalls on approach but the wall itself is surprisingly quiet. The views are vast and dramatic: a steep sweep to the east and a long, lazy meander to the west. Watchtowers emerge from the haze in the sort of postcard picture that draws wistful tourists from the west. It's no coincidence, perhaps, that three members of our group have gone through recent break-ups. • 12 of the best places to visit in China I walk a three-mile section of the wall and it occurs to me that this is the only one of the new seven wonders of the world I have seen alone. All the others — Chichen Itza, Christ the Redeemer, the Colosseum, Machu Picchu, Petra and the Taj Mahal — I saw with Peter. This is bittersweet but also befitting. I'm single now and if I want to continue to explore the world, I have to be comfortable doing it alone. For the first few days in Beijing, however, I stick close to the group. The vast Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, an imperial palace complex, are intensely busy and I'm not yet ready to explore on my own. On day four we head to Xi'an, home to the Terracotta Army. It's my first time on a bullet train and I'm delighted that it's so clean, quiet and spacious — and then there's the speed. Landscapes pass in a blur as we cover the 675-mile distance in less than five hours. The Terracotta Army is a true spectacle, epic in scale and exquisite in detail. The crowds, however, are overwhelming and I find that I enjoy myself far more when I stop trying for the perfect picture and use the time to simply observe. After the rush and the noise, I decide to take some time alone. My sense of direction is abysmal and I'm afraid of getting lost, but I head to Xi'an's city wall and the surrounding Huancheng Park. As I stand on the bus, in a crowd of strangers, in this very foreign city, somehow I feel braver than on the skydives and bungee jumps I've done in other countries. • This is how to see China's most beautiful spots (minus the crowds) In Huancheng Park, I stumble upon a delightful scene: groups of older women have gathered to dance, play and exercise. There is an aerobics class in one corner, ballroom dancing in another and badminton in a third. It almost makes me emotional. It's so rare to see older women in public spaces taking simple enjoyment in their bodies. I certainly can't imagine my mother — an immigrant to the UK from patriarchal Bangladesh — dancing in a park. There is freedom in these women's movements, a grace, confidence and lightness. I watch for an age and leave thoroughly energised. Our next stop is Sichuan province's Chengdu, 450 miles south and four hours by bullet train, where we visit the Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. To beat the crowds we arrive at the opening time of 7.30am and spend the morning watching the endearing pandas eat, loll about and play. From Chengdu we go on to Emei Shan mountain, 100 miles southwest, to see the Leshan Giant Buddha, an impressive 71m-tall statue carved into a sandstone cliff. Our penultimate stop is Yangshuo in Guangxi province, eight hours away by train, famous for the Li River and its green karst mountain landscapes. Here, I face my biggest challenge of the trip: a three-hour bike ride along the Li. I learnt to cycle in my late twenties and was in a serious crash in 2016. Since then, Peter has kept me safe on roads abroad, often wading into traffic to create a wide berth for me, but now I am alone. • The little-visited coastline of China that I adored The ride is challenging but the scenery is unmissable: a glittering river studded by towering karst peaks and the unlikely sight of Moon Hill, a giant natural arch with a perfect circle in the middle. I complete the ride unscathed and victorious. My new-found zest must show. That night, at the Riverside Garden, a buzzy bar with excellent margaritas, a man buys me a rose — a playful custom with tourists. On the night that follows, I receive a second rose, this time with drinks for the attention, which remains lighthearted and non-intrusive, reminds me that there is a fun side to being single. Later that night I come across a group of women dancing in a courtyard. Buoyed by the mood — and a glass of wine or two — I accept their call to join in. As I move with the women, I feel light, happy and free. It occurs to me that if Peter were here, I wouldn't be joining in: my tipsy merriment tended to embarrass him. I realise that perhaps it's no bad thing to be adrift. A partner may be a tether but tethers keep us in one place. At the very start of our trip, our guide warned us, 'China is not a holiday. China is an experience' — and she was right. When I stood on the Great Wall and noted that my seventh wonder of the world was the one I was seeing alone, I hadn't imagined that, mere days later, I would feel so comfortable being by myself. My solo trip to China taught me to be brave — and that bravery takes different guises. Sometimes it's bungeeing into a literal abyss, sometimes it's dancing with strangers in the dark and sometimes it's as quiet as taking a walk in a foreign park. Kia Abdullah travelled independently. G Adventures has 14 nights' room-only from £2,999, including some extra meals ( Fly into Beijing and out of Shanghai What Happens in the Dark by Kia Abdullah (HarperCollins £16.99) is out now. To order a copy go to Free UK standard P&P on orders over £25. Special discount available for Times+ members
Sydney Morning Herald
21-05-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
Homestays add a whole new layer to travel. Here's how to do it safely
For a pungent taste of local life when you're travelling, you simply can't beat a homestay, whether an Airbnb room in a high-rise flat in Nicaragua, a mat on the earth floor of a tiny hut in Ethiopia, or a night at a Cuban casa particular, complete with a jam session of Latin music. It mightn't be as comfortable or as antiseptic as a tourist hotel nearby but, hey, why are you actually travelling? Homestays add a whole new layer to the travel experience. Credit: Illustration: Greg Straight By adding in a few homestays, you can be more budget conscious, and hopefully, make friendships that might last a lifetime – or have excellent disaster anecdotes for around the dinner table after the trip. Short-term social media platforms like Airbnb and Stayz are available in a growing number of countries – now up to 191—but do take care to check reviews of accommodation first. It's easy to land in an Australian city and, if the room/s are dire, to find something else, but that may not be such an easy option by the Mount Mulanje in southern Malawi. Especially if you arrive at night. Always pay through the official platform and use a credit card which gives far more fraud protection than a debit card and sometimes also travel insurance. Never agree to pay a host who asks you to pay privately. Loading More big companies now offer homestays as part of their tours, which may be worth considering. G Adventures, for instance, has a new trip to Nepal with a series of five homestays with indigenous women, creating employment for locals as well as enriching experiences for travellers. Attractions include learning the local calligraphy, trying typical cuisine and a cultural walking tour. Hiring private guides to explore a country or region can also be a fabulous way into homestays as they have the contacts on the ground to arrange accommodation to suit your particular interests and desired comfort levels – whether a tent put up in a tribal village in Tanzania, or a mat on the ground of a family's traditional yurt in Mongolia.
The Age
21-05-2025
- The Age
Homestays add a whole new layer to travel. Here's how to do it safely
For a pungent taste of local life when you're travelling, you simply can't beat a homestay, whether an Airbnb room in a high-rise flat in Nicaragua, a mat on the earth floor of a tiny hut in Ethiopia, or a night at a Cuban casa particular, complete with a jam session of Latin music. It mightn't be as comfortable or as antiseptic as a tourist hotel nearby but, hey, why are you actually travelling? Homestays add a whole new layer to the travel experience. Credit: Illustration: Greg Straight By adding in a few homestays, you can be more budget conscious, and hopefully, make friendships that might last a lifetime – or have excellent disaster anecdotes for around the dinner table after the trip. Short-term social media platforms like Airbnb and Stayz are available in a growing number of countries – now up to 191—but do take care to check reviews of accommodation first. It's easy to land in an Australian city and, if the room/s are dire, to find something else, but that may not be such an easy option by the Mount Mulanje in southern Malawi. Especially if you arrive at night. Always pay through the official platform and use a credit card which gives far more fraud protection than a debit card and sometimes also travel insurance. Never agree to pay a host who asks you to pay privately. Loading More big companies now offer homestays as part of their tours, which may be worth considering. G Adventures, for instance, has a new trip to Nepal with a series of five homestays with indigenous women, creating employment for locals as well as enriching experiences for travellers. Attractions include learning the local calligraphy, trying typical cuisine and a cultural walking tour. Hiring private guides to explore a country or region can also be a fabulous way into homestays as they have the contacts on the ground to arrange accommodation to suit your particular interests and desired comfort levels – whether a tent put up in a tribal village in Tanzania, or a mat on the ground of a family's traditional yurt in Mongolia.
