Volunteers can help save Mexico's sea turtle population. Credit: Grupo Tortuguero

Mexico is one of few places in the world where travelers can watch endangered sea turtles nesting and laying their eggs and then see newborns taking their first steps, making their way to the ocean.  And now, Sea Kayak Adventures, is packaging the opportunity to volunteer with naturalists and local fishermen in Baja California who are trying to save the local sea turtle population and, during the trip, explore the natural landscape of the Sea of Cortez by kayak.

“We’re trying this for the first time after talking with our Mexican guides who are involved in the sea turtle project,” said Nancy Mertz, co-owner. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for people who want to make a difference on their vacation and also want to combine volunteering with three days of kayaking.”

The Oct. 24 to 31 program can be shortened to only the three-day sea turtle volunteering part for those not interested in the sea kayaking portion, which is designed for novice as well as experienced kayakers.

The company is working with RED Sustainable Tourism and Grupo Tortuguero’s Eastern Pacific Green Sea Turtle Monitoring Program, both of which specialize in sea turtle conservation.

The itinerary starts in the Baja town of Loreto, where you’ll spend the first night in a local hotel. After that, there’s  three days of sea kayaking and two nights’ camping in Loreto Bay National Park, followed by another night at a Loreto hotel before traveling across to the Pacific side of the peninsula to Magdalena Bay to the turtle research base camp for two nights.

Magdalena Bay is a protected area, known primarily as the place where gray whales give birth each February. In October, it is a prime sea turtle hatching grounds. You’ll be outfitted with waders and ride in skiffs to help monitor green turtles, collect data and release turtles with local fishermen and naturalists.

The price,  for the entire program is $1,650 per adult and $1,485 for participants ages 12 to 17, and includes hotel accommodations, all meals at camp, sleeping and kayaking equipment, airport transfers, instruction, guides and taxes.

Forty percent of the price is donated to the local sea turtle conservation organization. For more information visit Sea Kayak Adventures.

Pensacola Beach, Florida. Some of the area's beaches have been closed due to the BP oil spill. Credit: divemasterkng2000

Hotels.com has partnered with select hotels in the Gulf Coast region of Florida to provide customers a new flexible cancellation policy.

The move comes following the BP oil spill two months ago,  and the ensuing damage to Florida’s coastal beaches, which has resulted in the closure of some beaches in the region. Under the new policy, Hotels.com will offer a longer booking cancellation window as guests have the option to cancel their hotel reservation on the day of arrival until 5 p.m. Central Time to receive a full refund on unused nights with no penalty or fee.

In addition, Hotels.com has lessened the confusion by not instituting mileage requirements from government-closed beaches to be qualified for the policy.

“Our new flexible cancellation policy is easy to understand and use if our customers need to change their plans on very short notice due to closed beaches. We always strive to make it easy for our customers to book travel with us and now we are making it even easier than before to change plans as well. We are able to readjust our policy due to the situation and to provide our customers worry-free travel planning,” said Taylor L. Cole, APR, director of public relations for Hotels.com.

The new flexible cancellation policy is valid for customers who book new reservations on select participating properties on www.hotels.com between June 25, 2010 and 11:59 p.m. Central Time on September 6, 2010 using coupon code OILFLEX for travel between June 25 and September 30, 2010.

Customers who need to cancel a qualifying booking must call the hotels.com Contact Center at 1-800-246-8357 by 5:00 pm Central Time on the scheduled day of arrival.  For a list of participating hotels and full terms and conditions, click here

The Grand Resort Bad Ragaz Wellness Spa.

Grand Resort Bad Ragaz, the Swiss health retreat has launched the “Gold Temptation” massage that begins with a carefully drawn lavish bath enriched with oils and 23-carat gold leaf designed to soothe and relax your tired skin.

To make sure you’re truly relaxed and prepared for your royal gold treatment, you’ll be treated with a glass of chilled Champagne infused with 23-carat edible gold flakes.

Following your 20-minute bath, you’ll then receive a gold full-body massage. First, 24-carat gold leaf is placed on your back and legs. A skilled Bad Ragaz therapist then gently massages the gold along with a mixture of carefully chosen oils until it is completely absorbed into your skin. The process is then repeated on your stomach, legs and arms.

A leading spa destination in Switzerland, Grand Resort Bad Ragaz is set amongst snow capped mountains, clean crisp air and fresh flowing water. Only an hour from Zurich, it is the perfect location for a health retreat. The resort comprises two five star hotels, a Medical Health Centre, the Tamina Therme thermal spa and the To B. Wellbeing & Spa, which offers 5,500 square metres of luxury space dedicated to beauty and wellness.

For more information visit the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz website

Challenge yourself to climb the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro with Enticing Travel. Credit: activefree

Enticing Travel, a luxury tour company offering independent travel worldwide, continues its African Charitable Donation Program with its Adventure Group Tour, a February 2011 Tour to Climb Kilimanjaro and Safari in the Serengeti.

Sign up for this amazing tour and Enticing Travel will make a donation to African charities on your behalf. In addition, to help offset the carbon footprint of the tour, a tree will be plant near Mt. Kilimanjaro for every person who participates.
The tour begins February 14, 2011 with arrival in Arusha, Tanzania and one night at a local lodge with six days climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. Climbing the summit will take place during the full moon.

The group will take the Marangu route — recommended for novice climbers — and overnight accommodations will be in wooden A-frame huts. To increase tour members’ chances at reaching the summit, Enticing Travel has arranged for top guides and porters and has included an extra day on the mountain.

After the climb, the group will spend three days and nights in the Serengeti at a luxury tented camp set up exclusively for Enticing Travel and positioned to take in the Great Migration of wildlife across the Serengeti.

For more information visit Enticing Travel.

Virginia Key Beach, Miami. Still a safe place to visit. Credit: See Miami Live

The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) has been awarded $1.25 million in emergency marketing funds from Florida Governor Crist and the State Division of Emergency Management to assist the destination in correcting misperceptions among potential visitors about the effects of the Gulf oil spill.

Tourism is Miami-Dade’s number one industry, employing more than 100,000 people, and representing one in five jobs in the County.

“We are grateful to Governor Crist for his leadership, and for recognizing that the oil spill is a statewide issue, affecting not only the areas already seeing oil sheen and/or tar balls, but the rest of the State, which suffers from the perception that they are affected, too,” GMCVB Chair Steven Haas said in a press release.

GMCVB President and CEO William D. Talbert, III, said, “Unlike many other parts of the State, nearly 50% of all Miami visitors come from international markets, and so the campaign supported by these funds will be carrying the Florida message internationally, benefiting the entire State.”

Talbert went on to say, “Prior to receiving this funding, we had already proactively taken several steps, including launching the See Miami Live portal, featuring webcams trained on our beaches to show their pristine cleanliness, and added a dedicated FAQ page to our website to answer questions about the oil spill’s impact on the area.”

The funds will be used to expand the reach and frequency of GMCVB’s summer campaign, which emphasizes the range of appeals that make Greater Miami and the Beaches unique. Highlighted value options include Miami Spa Month throughout July, with tempting value-priced spa treatments and pampering; Miami 443, offering four nights’ accommodation or four tickets to selected attractions for the price of three; Miami Spice Month, featuring enticing restaurant values throughout August and September; and other value-driven offerings that emphasize “Things Are Different in Miami.”

For a vacation guide visit Miami and Beaches.

The Fiordland Crested Penguin is just one of the magnificent species to view on New Zealand's South Island. Credit: Terra Incognito Tours

Terra Incognita Ecotours, an adventure travel company that specializes in wildlife-focused eco-tours that give travelers the chance to “make a difference” while on holiday, is offering a new eco-tour of New Zealand  in November and December, 2010.

This unique adventure takes visitors to both the North and South Islands of New Zealand for an up-close and personal exploration of the incredible wildlife, scenery and culture of the region. Travelers will experience things like newly-hatched penguins, the flightless kiwi, keas and kakapo, spectacular marine life, Maori culture, high altitude sheep farming, majestic fjords, seals, dolphins, rainforests and  glaciers.

Participants will also have the opportunity to have a positive impact on the local community as Terra Incognita Eco-tours donates part of the booking fee to the Tiritiri Matangi Conservation Project, a program that involves protecting indigenous plants and animals on a small island off the coast of New Zealand.

Other highlights include:

• Taking a ride on the TranzAlpine train, considered one of the top six train journeys in the world.
• Hear private lectures given by local ecotourism experts.
• Taking an overnight cruise on the pristine and uncrowded Doubtful Sound, which is three times longer than Milford Sound and has a surface area 10 times larger.
• Take a private cruise to Maud Island in the Marlborough Sounds – a private cruise that can’t be found elsewhere
• Private, expert guides offer unique insight on the Maori culture
• Learning about how New Zealand has harnessed the unique geothermal energy for electricity
• Accommodations include two nights at each of the following – Millennium Hotel in Christchurch, Arthur’s Pass Wilderness Lodge, Lake Moeraki Wilderness Lodge, Novotel Lakeside in Queenstown, Marlborough Vintner’s Hotel, and the Hyatt Regency Auckland. Plus one night at the Copthorne Hotel in Wellington.

Dates: 27 November – 8 December 2010. For more information and pricing, visit www.ecotours.com

In 2001, the National Park Service formally declared the night sky as a natural resource and set to work to preserve what should be naturally visible skyscapes. The community of Bar Harbor, Maine, echoed these opinions six years later by creating a plan to keep their sky views safe by reducing light pollution. In 2009 the Acadia Night Sky Festival was born as a means of celebration and education of the importance of our stars and skies.

This year marks the 2^nd Annual Acadia Night Sky Festival. It will run from September 9-13^, officially kicking off during Picnic with the Planets on September 10. The Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce is creating a festive air around this year’s events while working with local businesses to keep the community involved. A local whale watch company will be offering night trips with music and singing, celestial navigation and lessons on how light affects marine animals.

Activities during the event are a mixture of science and art. There will be night sky photography workshops, while around town volunteer astronomers will be strategically placed for sidewalk telescoping. Ranger guided programs offer everyone the chance to explore the night skies of Acadia National Park.

Bar Harbor offers a wide range of accommodations from family-friendly hotels to luxurious bed and breakfasts. Check out the breathtaking views of Frenchman Bay and the Maine coastline from the rooms at the Bluenose Inn.

For more information visit  the Acadia Night Sky Festival Calendar.

Credit: courtesy Gleneagles

In recognition of its efforts to neutralize or reduce the hotel’s impact on the environment, the Gleneagles Hotel in Pertshire, Scotland has won the Sustainable Business Award.

The prestigious award was presented to the AA Five Red Star resort earlier this month at the Catering in Scotland Excellence Awards in Glasgow, an event that distinguishes the most talented individuals and organizations for their contribution to the Scottish catering and hospitality industry.

A pioneer of environmentally conscious reform in the hotel industry, Gleneagles began revamping their practices in the late 1990s with aims based on five cornerstones: waste, energy and supplier management, their guests and their team members. Since then, they have employed irrigation systems on three of their championship golf courses and used a wood chip biomass boiler to generate heat and hot water – to name a few of their efforts.

Gleneagles’ Risk and Safety Manager Fiona Smith, said “[We are] delighted to receive this industry recognition for our efforts so far and will continue to strive to do all [we] can as a business to protect the environment for future generations.”

So if you’re looking for a luxury getaway that is environmentally friendly and also happens to have some of the best golfing in the world, be sure to check out the Gleneagles Hotel.

The Zulu empowerment volunteer tour takes place in September 2010. Credit: The Cultural Explorer

If you’re serious about taking a truly meaningful environmental holiday – one where you can make a difference in the lives of others — then it’s not too late to sign up for the Cultural Explorer’s Zulu empowerment volunteer tour into KawZula-Natal, South Africa this September.

The San Francisco-based cultural and philanthropic tour company is offering this three-week trip, which will allow volunteer travellers the rare opportunity to immerse themselves in the vibrant Zulu culture while participating in a variety of service-oriented projects.

Participants will be encouraged to design a project based on their own interests and skills. Some might want to refurbish a school or tutor students in maths, science, English and art. Other volunteers might want to work with children in an orphanage or teach in a crèche (day care centre). And others might want to teach marketable skills to the Zulu women, or assist rural businesswomen with marketing ideas.

Volunteers will stay in a local hotel in a small rural town in KwaZulu-Natal. There will be excursions daily into the numerous nearby Zulu villages — with opportunities to observe both traditional and contemporary life, and attend a Zulu wedding, birthday, or healing celebration. Volunteers will visit with local sangomas (traditional healers) and spend time with the only white sangoma in South Africa. They’ll also enjoy lively dinners with local activists, politicians, educators and entrepreneurs who are invested in making positive change in the Zulu community.

There will also be time to explore the picturesque town of Eshowe and surrounding areas, and participants will spend a weekend on safari in the Hluhluwe Umfolozi Game Reserve, the oldest game park in South Africa. Also planned is a side trip into the city of Durban where there will be a chance to visit the beautiful beaches along the Indian Ocean.

The Zulu Empowerment trip starts in Johannesburg, South Africa’s biggest city, with an in-depth history lesson and visits to the Apartheid museum, Origins Centre, the thriving township of Soweto, and downtown Johannesburg. Travelers will be treated to authentic African foods and music. The volunteer portion of the trip will be based in KwaZulu-Natal, about 7 hours south of Johannesburg, an area known for its large Zulu population and diverse terrain.

Pat Walker, founder of The Cultural Explorer, has spent several years cultivating contacts within the Zulu communities in KwaZulu-Natal. Travelers will meet with her personal contacts and colleagues.

“This is a one-of-a-kind volunteer trip,” Walker says. “We have teamed up with a local family-run organization that has been working in this area for several years. We find their projects to be authentic and they really do make a big difference in the lives of the Zulu community. We are pleased to make this volunteer trip available to adventurous travelers who want to go beyond the ordinary travel experience.”

Trip dates: Sept 4-25, 2010. For more information, visit: http://theculturalexplorer.com/.

The aerial tram will take you past magnificent flowers and majestic trees. Credit: Rain Forest Trams

As part of its Summer Family Special, Rainforest Sky Rides St. Lucia is offering children under 17 one complimentary excursion at the remarkable rainforest park, located in St. Lucia’s vibrant Chassin highlands. From now through Sep. 30, children can choose one of three excursions at Rainforest Sky Rides St. Lucia, all of which meet rigorous safety standards and are led by professional guides:

• Aerial Tram – Open-air gondolas transport passengers past majestic trees, brilliant clusters of flowers and flirtatious birds.
• Tranopy Tour – Guests ride the zip line through the verdant rainforest canopy, then enjoy a short hike and gondola ride back to base camp.
• Adrena Line – The park’s newest attraction offers white-knuckle thrills.  A short hike is followed by 18 platforms of rushing zip lines, plus a Tarzan Swing and Boa Rappel.

Summer Family Special at Rainforest Sky Rides St. Lucia is limited to one complimentary excursion per family, and is limited to select days. Two parents must accompany children. Minimum age for zip lines is 12 years.  While visiting the park, families can also enjoy colorful bird-watching tours with an experienced naturalist guide and a challenging hike into the heart of the lush rainforest on the Jacquot Trail.

Recommended clothing includes walking/hiking shoes (no high heels, sandals or flip flops allowed for trails), suntan lotion, rain protection, insect repellent, camera, binoculars, travel credentials for duty free shopping, and shorts or trousers.