Recently in iExplore News Category

iExplore's team of travel experts have been busy creating some new Best Of Travel lists that showcase some of the best travel destinations and experiences. This week we focus on the Best Safari destinations.

It should come as no surprise that Africa heads the top 10 list for wildlife and safaris. Not only is this where the notion for the safari began, and the origin of the word, but it contains many of the big greats of the mammal kingdom. However, you may be surprised to learn only three of our Top 10 Safari experiences are based in Africa. Check out our entire list:

Top 10 Safari Destinations
Whether your vision of the ideal safari includes luxury lodges and meals on fine china, or a tent in the bush--we have a trip for you. Our list of top 10 safari destinations is sure to make you ready to pack your pith helmet.

Taking the kids on an Adventure Vacation can seem like a daunting task, but with a little bit of research and planning and the right gear, your trip will be an adventure you will remember, for all the right reasons!

Going Hiking?

There are lots of great gear options for taking your little one's along on a hike. My favorite (and our son seems to like it as well!) is the Kelty Kid's Carrier. This framed backpack can carry your little one in style and comfort until they reach 40lbs. It is lightweight, easy to get on and off and comes with a sun/ rain hood and a changing pad. This can take you from hikes around home to the peaks of Peru!

Of course, if your kids are old enough to hike the trails on their own two feet, be sure to get them a backpack, so that they can carry their own gear and snacks. Kelty also makes a great line of  backpacks designed specifically for kids, that even include hydration systems.

Adventure Apparel

A must have for any adventure vacation is UV protected clothing. Essentially, these clothes offer the same protection that sunscreen does ensuring that your little one will not get a sunburn! Many manufacturers now produce these clothes, but one of my favorite sources is Play Outdoors which offers unique and well priced clothing for all seasons.

Every adventurer needs a good sunhat--Patagonia makes a great UV protected, quick drying hat with a chin strap, so your little adventurer won't lose it!

Hitting the Waves?

Whether it's Kayaking in Colorado, or canoeing in Africa water sports are always a fun family activity. Make sure your little one has a life vest that is well fitting. There is a wide selection for all sizes and adventure activities at Safe Life Jackets

Happy Trails!

Don't forget the sunscreen, bug repellent and band aids! You are on your way to a great summer adventure trip!

Enter to Win a Culinary Tour of Maine!

We are excited to announce the launch of our new sweepstakes: Maine Culinary Tour!

Enter to win a privately guided 5 day/ 4 night trip through Maine, with stops along the way at some of the best casual dining spots as well as award winning, fine dining establishments. Throughout the entire trip, you will have a private car and driver to whisk you around the charming towns of Portland, Freeport, Brunswick and Rockland. After a full day of dining and site seeing you can relax at one of several renowned Inn's including:Portland Harbor Hotel  and Samoset Resort.

This trip is a foodie's dream! The prize includes many meals, all chosen from among the finest restaurants in Maine. Once you land in Portland, you will kick your trip off with a seaside lunch at the renowned Lobster Shack , then after relaxing afternoon you will enjoy dinner at Fore Street which is known for featuring ingredients from local Maine farmers and fisherman--be sure to try the mussels! On Day two of the trip you will enjoy lunch at the Historic Jameson Tavern and then dinner at the  Harraseeket Inn --a luxury country inn with superb cuisine. Day 3 will find you having lunch at the Breakwater Cafe at your resort and then a romantic dinner at Primo's  which is located in a restored Victorian home on the Coast. Hit the high seas on Day 4 on a Windjammer cruise for a lunch of freshly grown and local Maine fare, your final evening will be spent having a gourmet dinner at Marcel's  a winner of the Wine Spectator "Award of Excellence" and the AAA Four Diamond Award!

Enter now for your chance to win!

For years American's have dreamed of a Cuban vacation, and many have even illegally traveled to Cuba to explore this diverse Caribbean playground.  Cuba is highly regarded for its abundance of flora, fauna wildlife and scenic landscape not to mention an interesting political history.

Since President Obama took office there have been stronger and stronger rumblings of the travel ban being fully repealed in the near future. Our friends at Orbitz have started a grass roots petition to build support to Open Cuba to American travelers.  They published a study that stated "67% of of all Americans favor ending the U.S. Government's 50-year ban on travel to Cuba."

We agree that American travelers have a strong interest in seeing Cuba opened to American travelers.  Our Cuba guides on iExplore.com are some of our most read guides.

iExplore customers that seek out cultural experiences would love spending a few days walking through the maze of cobblestone streets in the UNESCO World Heritage site of colonial Trinidad.  Our our adventure seekers enjoying the diverse active sports of diving, cycling and hiking that abound in Cuba.

 
We invite you to visit OpenCuba.org to sign a petition to end the 50-year ban on travel to Cuba.  This petition will be shared later this year with the President, Vice President and Members of Congress. 

In the meantime the iExplore's product team is planning luxury, adventure, cultural and volunteers tours to Cuba.

iExplore CEO Todd McClamroch was a guest on the Next Trip Radio program earlier this week. Todd and Next Trip Radio Host Melanie Cole talked about with Todd about iExplore, our tours and travel trends. We invite you to take a listen to the interview:

Next Trip Radio - iExplore Interview Clip #1

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Next Trip Radio - iExplore Interview Clip #2

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With a list of over a hundred destinations and a wide variety of activities, it's no wonder that iExplore was chosen for National Geographic's annual list of the Best Travel Companies on Earth.  We offer unique adventure travel experiences that suit almost every taste out there, from the heart-pounding rush of zip lining in Costa Rica to the awe-inspiring ice-blue glaciers of Antarctica.

National Geographic has given iExplore a 95/100 client satisfaction rating and a 92.5 in Quality of Service.  Since all of our tours can be customized, it's easy for you to create your dream trip with us.  We help you build your own itinerary, doing the hard work for you so that perfect trip will be exactly what you're after: experiencing new cultures and destinations at your own pace without the hassles.
 

Kiplinger's recently surfed a wide variety of travel websites and selected the 30 best to share with their readers.  iExplore was excited to see that we were listed as their recommended site for adventure travel.

Kiplinger's commented that iExplore is the place to go if you are interested in hiking, biking, safaris or experiential travel.  We wonder if they saw our most recent tour addition that is perfect for the cyclist and wildlife enthusiast - iExplore Namibia Active Mountain Bike Safari.  This tour is seven days riding through some of Earth's most remote places along side some of Earth's most amazing creatures.

We invite you to look around our site and discover more of our unique and exciting tours that helped catapult iExplore to the top of Kiplinger's list!

iExplore has partnered with the folks over at Where I've Been on a holiday promotion that gives you a chance to win some travel rewards from iExplore and a wider variety of  travel partners. 

If you line-up three iExplore logos and you will win a $300 iExplore Travel Voucher for use on any iExplore Exclusive Tour booked by March 31, 2008.

Take a break from buying gifts online and treat yourself to a spin or two of the Where I've Been Holiday Slot Machine!

Good luck and Happy Holidays from the team at iExplore!

Welcome to the iExplore Adventure & Luxury Travel Blog. We are excited about the launch of this blog as it will give us another avenue to better communicate with passionate travelers.  We plan to publish posts about what's new at iExplore, interesting trends and news in the travel industry and also interviews with our travel partners and clients about their travel experiences.

We hope you will leave feedback in the comments section of our posts. If you have travel questions or areas you would like our experts to write about leave them here and we will do our best to address each and every comment or question.