Megan Coatley, an avid traveler and voluntourist writes about surfing and sustainable tourism in Costa Rica

In August of 2010, San Diego-born surfer and dedicated conservationist, Travis Bays, opened the doors to the eco- and community-conscious Bodhi Surf School in the tropical paradise of Uvita, Costa Rica. After three years working with Peace Corps Costa Rica, coordinating volunteers and helping community-based organizations that border protected ecological areas to acquire and utilize micro-credit, Bays is now realizing his dream of awakening others to the benefits of surfing and sustainability. Read more

Guest post by South African villa company, Cape Portfolios

Traveling alone is a wonderful way to get to see what you wanna see, when you wanna see it and on your own timetable. Below are five cities that a highly recommended for single ladies traveling alone because they offer a good environment for meeting new people in a relatively safe, friendly atmosphere.

Sed0na – Paris – Rio De Janeiro – Lahaina, Maui – Cape Town Read more

Gayle-160A Journey of Discovery at Machu Picchu by Gayle Lawrence founder of Journeys of Discovery: Mind, Body, Spirit Travel Adventures
An Outer Discovery… An Inner Journey

Read  more about her company and tours on offer here Read more

Servas – My Favorite Organization Ever

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Excerpt Reprinted with permission from “Female Nomad and Friends” by Rita Golden Gelman. Copyright © 2010. Published by Three Rivers Press/Crown Publishers, a division of Random House, Inc. BUY IT HERE

Being a part of Servas is like having family all over the world. It’s actually better than family. People join Servas because they want you to visit them when you are in their country. Not always the case with family. Read more

220px-Summit_of_glastonbury_torIn the network of Women Owned Travel businesses around the world, Gayle Lawrence’s Journeys of Discovery have always been out there and visible with a great range of trips that touch the soul.

I have just updated the Tour Calendar at Women Travel the World with her latest tours and what a choice there is:

  • Meditation and service in Bhutan
  • encounters with Humpback Whales in the Dominican Republic  (get in early for 2011 these sell out very fast!)
  • Women’s Quest to Avalon in Britain
  • A writing retreat in Mexico Read more

The Lure, and Secrets, of Cuba – this Memoir unveils the truth behind the façade of the island

Buy the Book here: The Cuban Chronicles: A True Tale of Rascals, Rogues, and Romance

cubanchronicles-authorSome girls have all the fun. Calgarian writer Wanda St.Hilaire has taken her passion for travel, especially to Spanish speaking countries, and has given readers an opportunity to experience Cuba from an original and spirited perspective Read more

p1060819-1When I was in Cusco, Peru, a guy called Angel crossed my path and told me about his work at a Shamanic healing centre. Shamans (medicine men) perform ancient healing ceremonies, praying to Pacha Mama (Mother Earth) and dwelling in the spiritual world.

What intrigued me most was the “Ayahuasca ceremony”. Ayahuasca is a Quechua word meaning “vine of the soul,” and is a powerful, vile-tasting drink made from a jungle vine. The shamans use it as way of unraveling the self, and it is supposed to be able to cure anything, from physical illness (like cancer) to psychological pain (depression) – or put simply, it is a good way to clean up any baggage, big or small, in your life… I felt like fate had thrown an unusual opportunity onto my path. Read more

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA         Hot, tired and sweaty, Daniela and I flopped onto our hotel beds, turned the air con on, smiled and breathed a sigh of relief to be back from “Jungle Boot Camp”. This is the “affectionate” term we gave the three days we had just spent in the Peruvian Amazon jungle at an eco-lodge, where the wearing of gumboots was compulsory and we were “forced” to do all manner of drawn-out jungle activities from dawn til well after dark in the sticky, oppressive jungle heat. Not only that, we had paid for it. You do these crazy things when you are travelling. Read more

MagdaMagda von der Heyde, great grand daughter of Karl Alexander, well known local artist and director of the Sala de Arte of Escorihuela Winery, has more than ten years experience guiding visitors through the secrets of wine.  Experience the wonders of Argentina & Chile through these wine and gourmet tours with polo, golf and tango programs as well.  Be introduced to local people, experience the out of the way places.

Read more

Karen Jettmar runs Equinox Wilderness Expeditions and SkiGrlz out of women_03Alaska and I guess that sometimes they want to wallow in the sunshine, because she has just arranged a trip for 17 women to Ecuador in mid-November for 3 weeks of activity, including trekking, natural history, coast beaches and dry forest hiking and biking, Galapagos sailing.

Someone has dropped out, and there is room for one lucky woman to join this trip – especially the week sailing in the Galapagos. Read more