Outdoors tips

When my now-fiancée and I started dating, we would take each other on hometown dates. 

Conventional hotel design doesn’t merely get left at the tent flap at Naviva, Four Seasons’ first luxury tented resort in the Americas. It gets tossed to the side with a metaphorical journey that begins by entering via a cocoon-inspired bamboo bridge spanning a deep forest ravine.

Interest in adventure travel shows no signs of abating – so why should hotels for those who love to ski, snowboard, or climb kick back in a run-of-the-mill space? 

Rural and outdoor destinations are contending with slower growth rates compared to their pandemic boom as big cities become competitive again and Americans travel internationally. 

Eurocamp owner European Camping Group recently completed its acquisition of outdoor accommodation provider Vacanceselect Group for $1.1 billion (€1 billion). European Camping Group owns outdoor-centered accommodation brands.

“It only takes one,” whispers the person next to me.

It’s no secret that it’s been a year of ups and downs—but one silver lining is the affordable travel possibilities it’s opened up for American travelers. Thanks to expanding air routes, a strong U.S. dollar, and tour companies catering to younger, more frugal tourists, the world is now more accessible than ever.

Enter the Golf Advisor “Great Scot Getaway” sweepstakes by May 22, 2016, for a chance to win the grand prize: a seven-night trip to Scotland for four, including air, hotel, golf rounds at five clubs (including St. Andrews), rental car, and $1,000 spending money.

Zika virus, the mosquito-related disease that’s prompted travel advisories across the Caribbean as well as Central and South America, is now in Southeast Asia, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

Researchers in Connecticut are warning that tick populations are on the rise this year, so you need to be especially vigilant—not just at home, but also while traveling. If your trips take you anywhere within North America, Europe, or Asia, you could be at risk for ticks and the many diseases they cause.

This year our national neighbors to the north celebrate their 150th anniversary and we’ll be celebrating with them as they do. Each month we’ll focus on one part of their magnificent country and share it with you. From sky-high trees and brown bears in British Columbia to kitchen parties and codfish-kissing in the Maritimes, our toast to Canada will give you well over 150 reasons to make this the year you take the trip. This month, we’re kicking things off in Manitoba, home of the Churchill polar bears and northern lights, plus fun winter festivals in Winnipeg.

Few things in life have ever gotten my heart pumping as much as stalking a 5,000-pound rhinoceros on foot through the African bush.

Yosemite National Park, perhaps more than any other, is responsible for the broader vision of wilderness conservation in this country, thanks to a Scottish immigrant named John Muir who fell in love with this land, fought to protect its natural wonders and, in the process, founded the Sierra Club.

From the moment I decided to embark on a three-month journey around the Caribbean and Central America, I knew Zika was a possibility. It was impossible not to ignore the headlines. Caused by a bite from the Aedes mosquito, Zika is affecting dozens of countries and territories in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, including every single one I planned to visit. Over 400 cases have been diagnosed in the U.S. among travelers who had returned from the tropics. To top it off, there’s still no effective vaccine, so I couldn’t protect myself that way.

Adventure travel company, G Adventures has long been a leader when it comes to socially responsible tourism and animal welfare, and its latest collaboration with the Jane Goodall Institute even further sets the company apart.

Summer is for beaching, unplugging, and getting away. To celebrate our favorite season, we’re launching a photo contest and a sweepstakes on Instagram this July, with plenty of great travel prizes! The details are as follows:

It’s that time of year again when winter is dragging on and most of the country isn’t quite warm enough to fully embrace outdoor adventures. After watching air and hotel prices and sales, I’ve come up with 10 affordable spring destinations in the U.S. and around the world for 2017. These prices won’t last, so get to it if you want to take advantage of big spring savings.

Bike sharing has become a way of life for many Americans—a quintessentially Northern European trend that took hold of our hearts and wallets in recent years, and that grows each time someone moves to a city and opts for a two-wheel commute. Trendy and sustainable, bike sharing is now a major presence in every major U.S. city.

Love it or hate it, winter travel in colder climates requires some essential snow gear. That’s especially true if you’re heading to an affordable winter destination that’s on the colder side. From flasks and jackets to mittens and gloves, make winter less painful this year (no matter where you roam) with this essential winter gear for travelers.

Among its 232 square miles of mesas, canyons, and terraces lies the highlight of Zion National Park: the 16-mile-long, 2,500-foot-deep Zion Canyon, where the north fork of the Virgin River has been sluicing its way through red-and-ochre sandstone of Utah’s plateau for more than a million years.

Still holiday shopping for your favorite traveler, or need some essentials before you set foot into a new year of jet-setting? Here’s a look back at some of the top-rated travel products we’ve reviewed this year. From comfy shoes and packable gadgets to bags that carry them all, here are the SmarterTravel-reviewed items that outranked the rest in 2016.