Senior travel magazine: nature, cruising, educational, cultural, volunteer vacations.

Richly-illustrated senior travel magazine: nature, cruising, educational, cultural and volunteer vacations.

Happy New Year!
In our January/February 2012 issue

European river cruising is a favorite with older travelers combining the luxury and service of a larger ship with more intimate on-board spaces and daily port calls that present the vibrant history and culture of countries visited. Here's the story of a one-week river cruise in France to prove the point. Then we celebrate the 10th anniversary of a highly successful volunteer organization, along with the 15,500 volunteers who have already served in many countries. Next we introduce readers to the Sabbatical Sisters who know how to "reboot your life" with longer, deeper travel breaks to refresh and energize.

Article about travel as a way to reboot, re-energize your life.

Career winding down or retirement looking busy but boring? Check out expert tips to "reboot your life" through challenging, educational, affordable travel sabbaticals.

We put the spotlight on wildlife conservation in South Africa and Botswana where dedicated international volunteers are helping species at risk through working at rehabilitation centers and assisting with field research. We know you will be inspired by two sixty-something women who conquered one of the toughest hiking challenges in Colorado. And we offer an article on the pros and cons of self-catering apartments in Spain's cities … or anywhere you choose to vacation.

Be sure to visit the magazine's entire Travel Article Library and the handy Theme Pages to browse our growing collection of richly-illustrated features. In addition, we invite you to check our latest TravelWatch column for fast-breaking travel news ... always intriguing food for thought. Finally, our innovative Travel Advertiser Directory is a treat not to miss. See why for yourself!

While showcasing both well-established and freshly-minted alternative travel opportunities throughout the world, this website and its Web magazine promise its readers practical advice and plenty of nuts-and-bolts information to encourage active, educational, value-added vacationing suitable for men and women over 50. The one thing you won’t find is an excuse to stay home!

This travel website also includes a Consulting Services section designed for tourism professionals and organizations wishing to tap into the visible subject and design expertise demonstrated on these pages.

All New Stories: February 1, 2012
Alternative travel and active, adventure travel are growing at such a pace, there is always news to share and fresh horizons to consider.
See our latest news picks and join our email notification list for TravelWatch!

Acknowledging the rising popularity of small-ship expeditionary cruising, we are pleased to share with readers a new opportunity to explore the waters and shorelines of Costa Rica, Panama, Columbia and Ecuador. Exciting itineraries year round, with generous inaugural discounts for bookings before March 31.
A tasty menu of language learning + gastronomy courses in France, Spain and Italy will allow vacationers to improve their language skills while following their tastebuds into some culinary adventures.
A fully-revised 11th edition of Volunteer Vacations: Short Term Adventures That Will Benefit You and Others has just hit the shelves. The ultimate reference for volunteer holidays suited to every age and interest.
There is no better way to celebrate Spring in the Northern Hemisphere than to take a leisurely barge cruise through the Dutch canals where fields of dazzling tulips and intricately-designed bulb gardens are in full bloom. We have a new barge to suggest, with a discount for all April sailings.
Airline food is rarely a traveler's highlight these days; in fact it is more often something to endure or avoid altogether. A recent study of eight North American airlines reveals the healthiest, tastiest choices in the sky.

New Design -- Check these exciting pages!
You will love our colorfully-illustrated Advertiser Lynx Directory for the best in accommodations, tour operators & travel planners, wellness & spiritual vacations, cruising and barging, volunteer vacations, educational travel, travel products & services, transportation, and more. Check the latest Feature Link of the Month.

NEW HEADINGS AND THEMES ADDED MONTHLY! Don't miss our Travel Article Library, arranged for easy access by topic and country destination. This archive presents all of Travel with a Challenge's richly-illustrated collection of stimulating articles and helpful information on creative, challenging vacations for mature travelers. Our readers use this resource very actively!

SOMETHING NEW! From time to time we come across some great new books, DVDs, travel clothing, travel gadgets and helpful tools that we think our readers would like to know about. If we've looked it over, we like to share our thoughts as part of what promises to be a growing collection of useful information and travel inspiration. Check back often!

Click on title or image button to read each article in full.

Step aboard an elegant river cruise ship with Travel with a Challenge editor, Alison Gardner, to sample a week of stimulating exploration along the Rhone and Saône Rivers from Arles in southern Provence, through Lyon and on to Chalon sur Saône in southern Burgundy. Every day the 130 guests have much to see and do!

Whether you are considering a "sabbatical" from a successful career or from a busy schedule of commitments in retirement, the four Sabbatical Sisters, co-authors of Reboot Your Life, offer insightful planning tips for a long term travel experience, based on their experience of many rejuvenating, life-changing sabbaticals.

Several years ago, Global Volunteer Network founder, Colin Salisbury, shared his own remarkable story of a calling that deeply touches both people and environments in need, and his vision for this volunteer service organization. Now we celebrate with GVN its 10th anniversary and its 15,500+ volunteers to date who have served in countries around the globe. See new images and Colin's update.

A leading conservation organization in southern Africa offers inspiring nature holidays for international volunteers on two fronts: nursing injured or orphaned wildlife in care centers or conducting field research that will help us understand and protect species at risk. The subject of our charmingly-illustrated article tried both assignments during a month-long holiday. Here is her story.

Two moderately-fit women train for a hike to the 14,110-foot summit of Pikes Peak in Colorado, and triumphantly meet their goal. This is an inspiring story and sure to encourage all seniors who have a hiking or walking challenge in mind. Follow their step-by-step training adventures, and catch the spirit of their can-do attitude. See what they have in mind next!

Article about two seniors who hike to the top of Pikes Peak in Colorado.

On a visit to several of Spain's historic towns and cities, veteran travel writer, Marianne Scott, ponders the pros and cons of self catering holiday apartments as an alternative to hotel accommodation. Her experience is candid and insightful, giving readers food for thought about whether such an option could work for them.

Coming in March/April: Discover the delights of being a WWOOF volunteer on organic farms throughout the U.S., and learn about narrowboat cruising on England's waterways.

Check out our "Feature Link of the Month"!

Hungry for vacation ideas and personal experiences but want an article menu in bite-size chunks? Click
on the title or accompanying image to browse our collection of Travel Theme pages, each colorfully and clearly laid out on a single page that showcases articles about that theme or destination region.

The 21st century is offering many creative ways to share stimulating vacations between the generations, be they adult with adult or adult with children and grandchildren. Our new Family Travel Theme Page offers plenty of ideas worldwide for how to make memories between family members of every age.

Collection of feature articles about multi-generational family travels worldwide.

As people increasingly recognize the need for physical wellness, emotional strengthening, and spiritual depth for healthy living, Wellness, Spiritual and Pilgrimage vacations are often becoming a quest for meaningful life direction. Plenty of food for thought and inspiration in our collection of feature articles!

The Bird, Marine Mammal and Wildlife feature articles present a dazzling showcase of Nature's rarest and most curious as well as lots of educational facts and suggestions for unusual, often remote nature holidays. The photography in these articles is worth a visit in itself!

The European Travel theme page opens windows on a varied menu and style of explorations in Ireland, France, Scotland, Germany, Belgium, Austria and England. Our authors share their travel stories going by barge, camper van, on foot, in a wheel chair, even entering a classroom or two.

The Asia and India Travel theme page spotlights our feature articles with cultural, natural and educational vacation opportunities in China, Vietnam, Hong Kong and India. Enjoy the color, the cuisine, the diversity, volunteer possibilities, and the active adventures sure to appeal to older travelers.

The Mediterranean Travel theme page offers articles that immerse readers in the history, cultural richness, cuisine, senior-friendly active adventures and rich contemporary cultures bathed in that magic Mediterranean light that characterizes Italy, Greece and the Greek Islands, France, Spain, Slovenia, Croatia and Turkey.

The Cruises and Train Travel theme page showcases unusual, small-scale, vacation explorations in Mexico's Copper Canyon, Southeast Asia, India, throughout Europe, Canada's Rocky Mountains, and Alaska with the uncommon perspectives of small ships, sailing ships, freighters, trains, river and barge journeys.

Except for a few iconic destinations, Latin American countries south of Mexico are unfamiliar to most travelers. That's too bad! Our collection of feature articles takes readers behind the scenes, onto the byways and into the essential grassroots of countries from Cuba and Nicaragua to the Peruvian Amazon and Patagonia.

This theme page showcases our feature article collection on challenging, meaningful vacation opportunities across the vast South Pacific region, from Hawaii, New Zealand and Australia to French Polynesia and Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. Hop on a plane, a freighter, a ferry or a bicycle .... and be there!

In response to our readers' persistant interest in planning their travel interests around reliable, creative volunteer opportunities, we are pleased to showcase an ever-widening range of destinations and volunteer ideas around the world. This collection of personal stories and objective reports will inspire and motivate you!

Definitely our most visited Theme Page any month of the year, the Alternative Hawaii collection takes readers way beyond Waikiki to explore the finest treasures and pleasures of six islands. Nature, active adventures suitable for seniors, unique places to stay on each island, and wellness vacations with a Hawaiian flavor!

Alison Gardner, Alternative Travel Consultant, Travel with a Challenge Consulting.

Let Alison Gardner, world expert on stimulating vacations for mature travelers, help you design winning tours, select hot destinations, reach mature travelers who want to use your services, and create websites which are not only stunning to look at but cost-effective in reaching your target audience.

Travel with a Challenge web magazine features richly illustrated articles and travel news on family vacations, cultures and destinations, cruise and train travel, nature and wildlife holidays, and volunteer vacations suitable for senior travelers. Explore the website via the site navigation menu below to access our acclaimed Travel Theme Pages, Travel Article Library and Travel Advertiser Directory. See our Privacy Policy.

Contacts:
Editor: alison@travelwithachallenge.com
Advertising: advertising@travelwithachallenge.com
Webmaster: webmaster@travelwithachallenge.com