What makes a good season of television?

For superfans of the outdoor survival series Alone鈥攜es, I count myself in this clique鈥攖he recipe is straightforward, but admittedly long. We want drama, danger, some pain and suffering, ingenuity and craftiness, and plenty of action.

And if one of the survivalists kills a moose, musk ox, or some other large animal, that’s pretty cool, too. Sounds easy enough, right?

The opening episode of Alone’s season 12, which aired Thursday night on The History Channel, checked nearly every square on my proverbial Alone bingo card. Someone tapped out. Potentially dangerous animals menaced the survivalists. There was pants pooping! And yeah, a contestant even hunted and killed a large critter.

If the rest of the season is anything like episode 1, we are in for a treat.

A Desert With Resources Galore

Spoilers ahead! For some of us, survival reality TV is America’s fifth professional sport, and Alone is like the Olympics, Super Bowl, and Stanley Cup Playoffs rolled into one. A few weeks ago we learned that season 12 of Alone would be unlike previous ones due to its location: South Africa’s Great Karoo desert.听Throughout the 11 previous seasons,听Alone has sent survivalists to the Arctic Circle, Vancouver Island, Mongolia, and even Patagonia. But never has it staged a season in a hot and dry environment.

I assumed the hunt for fresh water would define the season. Indeed, the opening episode boasts the tagline听The Land of Great Thirst.听

That still may be true, but the opening episode delivered the first curveball of this season: contestants (and viewers) discovered that fresh water is in abundance. All of the survivalists have been placed along the banks of a massive lake somewhere in the Great Karoo.

But just how potable is the water in this lake? This question unfortunately comes up later in the episode.

Like all season debuts, episode 1 introduced us to the full cast in brief snippets听before focusing on a handful of survivalists for their first few days in the wild.

We spent meaningful time with Will, an exotic animal rancher from Texas; Pablo, a video editor from Florida; Kelsey, a horse trainer from Montana; Jit, an outdoor educator from New Zealand; and Katie, a survival skills instructor from Australia.

All five got to work building their temporary shelters, boiling water to drink, and then scouting the area for food. This final task shed light on the potential action we may see later in the season. It turns out the Great Karoo is teeming with big game animals that could feed a person for weeks: warthogs, kudu, springbok antelope, baboons, and yes, even water buffalo.

My heart started hammering when Will climbed onto a rocky bluff to spy on a troop of baboons and came within feet of a massive kudu. Seventeen years ago I visited South Africa and ate a few kudu steaks during my trip, and the meat, while somewhat gamey, was tender and juicy.

As it turns out, a delicious animal was killed on episode 1, but it wasn’t a Kudu. While patrolling her territory on her second day in the field, Kelsey crept up on a warthog. She then fired two direct shots into Pumbaa, even after admitting to being a novice with a recurve bow. Kudos to Kelsey for quickly realizing that it would not be feasible to walk the half-mile back to camp with the 100-pound carcass. After quartering the animal and dragging its听meat back to camp, she enjoyed a dinner of crispy back bacon.

The kill rocketed Kelsey way up in my mental ranking of the ten contestants. As an Alone completist, I’m accustomed to meeting both strong and weak participants during each season’s opening episode, and I always assess听each person’s strengths by the backstories we see.

Of the five we met in episode 1, Kelsey obviously gained a huge advantage with the kill. That said, I was most impressed by Katie, who teaches survival skills in the arid Australian bush. In one scene Katie smelled a nearby warthog before she could even see it, and immediately recognized the herd’s game trail. I expect to see her bring down one of the hearty pigs at some point in the season.

I also had high hopes for Jit, an Outward Bound instructor from New Zealand. But alas, it was not to be. On his third day, Jit developed a nasty stomach bug and suffered some unfortunate and messy diarrhea, soiling his fancy hiking slacks. No, I did not have “pants pooping”听on my Alone bingo card, but hey, the moment absolutely ratcheted up the drama. Moments later, we saw Jit doubled over in agony, grabbing his abdomen. He eventually called for medical help, becoming the first contestant to drop out.

What was to blame for Jit’s angry bowels? There are only two possible culprits: the prickly pear cactus he barbecued and ate, and the nasty, film-covered water from the lake that he boiled and then drank.

My guess is that the water, while abundant, is filled with pathogens. And while season 12 of Alone may not become a fight against thirst, it may become one against water-born illness.

What Is 鈥楧rop Shock?鈥�

Over the last few听Alone seasons, the opening episodes have mentioned the term “drop shock,” which refers to the feelings some contestants have once the helicopters depart, leaving them alone in the wilderness. In the past, contestants have admitted to experiencing a wide range of emotions in this particularly vulnerable moment: overwhelmed, nervous, paralyzed, and yeah, even terrified.

During my reporting for this season, I phoned several past participants, and nobody copped to having felt true drop shock the moment they were left alone. But they had other perspective to share on the sensation.

“Being dropped off in the woods, or going on on a solo adventure鈥擨 do that stuff all the time,” Clay Hayes, the winner of season 8, told me. “For me it just felt like I was on another backcountry hunt.”

“I didn’t understand the folks who felt that way鈥擨 was excited to finally be out there,” Jessie Krebs, a participant from season 9, told me. “I love getting back into the wilderness.”

In his , season 9 participant Dr. Teimojin Tan said day hikers who realize they are lost in the backcountry suffer a feeling akin to drop shock, and the swirling emotions often cause them to become more lost. “One of the best advice is to take a knee. You need to take a break, take a breath in, and figure things out,” he said.

Krebs, who lives outside of Pagosa Springs, Colorado, said she often saw this reaction during her time working for wilderness therapy programs. People who were not accustomed to backcountry living, she said, sometimes became paralyzed by anxiety the moment they were left in a wilderness setting.

“They get this wide-eyed look. Everything has changed, and they are so thrown out of their element that they can’t function, like even go to the bathroom or sleep,” she said. “And then, after a few weeks, everything is fine. They’ve gotten accustomed to the new environment and everything is fine.”

The trouble with experiencing paralysis like this on听Alone is that the opening few hours in the wilderness are so important. A survivalist must locate a suitable spot for a temporary shelter and scout for potable water. They must also set up their cameras and begin filming themselves.

Hayes, an experienced bowhunter, said he did feel a series of other emotions once he was dropped off on the banks of Chilko Lake, Canada, for his season. Hayes wasn’t a fan of听Alone prior to applying to be on the show, but once he was accepted, he went back and binge-watched many of the seasons. Suddenly, once the chopper left him beside the lake, he found himself in a somewhat familiar position.

“When I was finally dropped off, I realized that now I’m the guy living the experience that I had been watching on the show,” he said. “It was extremely surreal.”

The post It鈥檚 the First Episode of 鈥楢lone鈥� and Survivalists Are Already Killing Big Game appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

I鈥檝e always thought that planning my own trips was the most cost-effective way, but I’ve been hearing more about travel agents making a comeback and saving their clients a lot of money. What kinds of outdoor trips should I turn to a travel agent for, and are there any who specialize in working with adventurers like me?

Technically, I鈥檓 a professional traveler. As a journalist, it鈥檚 my job to research and connect with locals to get beneath the surface of a destination. So I have never really used travel agents. What could they plan better than I could?

A lot, it turns out. Over the years, I鈥檝e gotten to know many travel specialists, and I consider them magicians. My big aha moment happened two winters ago on a trip to Iceland. A massive storm shut down internal flights for a day, causing me to miss my return flight to the U.S. Normally, I would have spent frustrating hours on hold with the airline. But because I鈥檇 paid $65 to have Ana Gloria Garcia, an air-support specialist at the travel agency EmbarkBeyond, find and book the most affordable and convenient flight option for me, she handled the rebookings while I soaked in the Blue Lagoon.

During the pandemic, agents became advocates helping travelers get refunds on canceled flights and trips. As travel has come roaring back, an agent’s superpower is now their access to the best hotel rooms, most in-the-know guides, free amenities, and more, says Cory Hagopian, senior vice president of sales and partnerships for , a global network of travel agencies.

And they鈥檙e attracting a young clientele. According to a recent , 38 percent of millennials and Gen Zers are opting to use travel agents as opposed to booking on their own trips. That number is far greater than Gen Xers and baby boomers, of whom only 12 and 2 percent respectively use agents.

What Do I Gain from Using a Travel Agent?

I recently had a friend tell me she spent close to 40 hours researching a family trip online. She probably could have gleaned the same intel from an hourlong conversation with a travel adviser. Knowledge is priceless, and advisers act as your insiders. They know what you don鈥檛 and fill in the blanks for things you might not have considered, says Erika Richter, a spokesperson for the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA). Their firsthand knowledge, vast network, and on-the-ground connections all combine to provide a unique perspective for crafting the perfect itinerary for you.

Most travel advisers specialize in certain regions and countries and travel to them frequently, so they have up-to-date intel on not only the best safari camps but the perfect tent to book for the most incredible views and the best local restaurants you won鈥檛 find on Tripadvisor. They want their client鈥檚 trips to go well to keep them coming back, so it鈥檚 in their interest to have sussed out hotels and itineraries before they send you out into the world.

Nicole Forster, 29, considers herself a savvy traveler. She鈥檚 been to 20-plus countries and enjoys destination research. But when it came to planning her honeymoon in Africa, she felt overwhelmed, so she reached out to Danielle Meyer at , which specializes in bespoke itineraries. 鈥淥riginally, I wanted to go to South Africa, Victoria Falls, and Madagascar,鈥� Forster recalls. 鈥淒anielle convinced me that if we wanted to relax, we should stay in South Africa and save the other countries for separate trips.鈥�

Over five phone conversations and multiple emails, they crafted a 15-night itinerary that included Cape Town, the winelands, the Cape Peninsula, and a safari at the Thornybush Game Reserve. Forster established her budget early in the process, and Meyer sent her a variety of lodge options to choose from.

鈥淚 initially wanted to start with the safari, but she pointed out that we鈥檇 be jet-lagged and would need to wake at sunrise for game drives,鈥� says Forster. 鈥淭he safari was our highlight, so it was a perfect way to end the trip.鈥�

Not only did Meyer book all of the flights, hotels, and transfers, but she created a detailed, day-by-day trip app for the couple that included useful information like check-in times at hotels and how much to tip guides.

Agents also act as advocates. If something goes wrong during your travels, they鈥檙e on call 24/7 to handle it. When Forster left the battery and charger for her camera at a hotel, Meyer arranged for an on-the-ground contact to go to a camera store and buy new ones that would be delivered to her hotel the next day.

The cost for the honeymoon planning: $150 per person. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 use a planner for a trip to Hawaii,鈥� Forster says, 鈥渂ut if I ever took a big trip like this again, I鈥檇 100 percent work with an expert.鈥�听

When to Consider Using a Travel Agent

For savvy trip planners, the best time to use a travel agent is for complicated international travel. It can save you hours of planning and peace of mind that if anything goes wrong in your chosen far-flung destination, there鈥檚 someone a What鈥檚App message away to handle it.

Domestically, I鈥檇 consider using a travel agent when planning a multi-week national park trip or multi-island trip in Hawaii. They will save you time, guarantee you get the best guides, and help you land reservations at always-booked lodges and hotels.

Dream Trips Delivered

Jessica Cook and her husband both work in the travel industry. Decision fatigued, they handed their honeymoon logistics over to the team at , an agency that specializes in South Africa. Their original plan was also an African safari, but just as they were about to put a deposit down, the Omicron variant of the coronavirus made headlines. Worried about getting stuck abroad, they reached out to Askari鈥檚 founder, Muriel Truter, who is from Zimbabwe, and upon her advice, changed their focus to South America.

Truter suggested they stick to Colombia rather than country-hop. Cook supplied a budget and a wish list: 12 days, no more than three destinations, a barefoot-luxe feel, and adventures like horseback riding and mountain biking. The rest was a surprise that Askari pretty much nailed, with the exception of one hotel.

鈥淓verything felt so authentic, but this one hotel on Bar煤 island felt really fabricated and was full of American tourists,鈥� recalls Cook. She immediately messaged the Askari team, saying, 鈥淗ey, this place really isn鈥檛 our vibe,鈥� and within an hour they were on a water taxi headed to Blue Apple, a B Corp hotel鈥攁nd an 国产吃瓜黑料 pick for tropical adventures鈥攐n Tierra Bomba island. 鈥淚t was honestly the best trip we鈥檝e ever taken,鈥� she says.

Are Travel Agents Expensive?

It depends. Cost varies. Some travel agencies won鈥檛 charge any fee, as they receive a commission from the bookings, while some high-end agencies will charge pricey annual membership fees for their services. Still others charge nominal 鈥減rofessional鈥� fees starting at $150. Fees often fluctuate based on the length and intricacy of a trip and how far out you do the planning (6 to 12 months is recommended). You may occasionally come across agents who charge a percentage of the total trip price or hourly rates.

Basic travel enquiries are generally free. In 2016, Leah Smith, founder of , opened an old-school brick-and-mortar location in Denver鈥檚 Cherry Creek neighborhood so her services would feel less intimidating to first-time users. 鈥淲ith our retail-office location, we鈥檝e become part of the community, and both clients and non-clients are welcome to pop in and ask whatever questions they may have, no charge,鈥� she says.

Matt Lindsay, founder of the surf-guiding and travel company ,听builds relationships with resorts and property owners to get discounted rates that he can then pass on to guests.

Dominic Allan, the founder of , specializes in travel to Belize and Nicaragua and caters to independent travelers who are happy to book their own flights and hotels but are seeking his local intel. Allan鈥檚 three-tier pricing structure starts at $300 for up to three hours of phone calls, during which he might weigh in on where to eat (or not to), the best room to request in a certain lodge, or whether you really need a guide to hike.

Value Versus Savings

If you鈥檙e just looking for deals and steals, you might not be ready to work with a travel adviser, says Richter of the ASTA. 鈥淎nything you invest in with a travel adviser comes back to you in the form of amenities, customer service, peace of mind, better access to unique experiences, and handcrafted itineraries,鈥� she says. 鈥淵ou could save money by cutting your own hair, too, but most people go to someone who knows what they鈥檙e doing.鈥�

Agents work with preferred partners who can guarantee perks for clients, such as free upgrades, early check-in or late check-out, and resort credits. Those add-ons often translate into savings, says Justin Huxter, cofounder of the UK-based . 鈥淲e had a client go to Maui for a week, and because of our partnership with the resort, breakfast was included,鈥� he says. When breakfast costs $120 for two, that鈥檚 a savings of $840.鈥�

Some of the Best Travel Agents in the 国产吃瓜黑料 World

Some of my go-to resources for finding a person to work with include travel expert Wendy Perrin鈥檚 annual of tried and trusted agents, the 国产吃瓜黑料 Travel Trade Association鈥檚 , and the ASTA鈥檚 .

In addition to the agents mentioned throughout this story, others I highly recommend for adventurous travelers include:

• Dan Achber of Trufflepig, for Africa and the Middle East
• Miguel Cunant of Sri Lanka in Style
• Javier Echecopar of Journey Costa Rica
• Daniel Fraser of Smiling Albino, for Southeast Asia
• Elizabeth Gordon of Extraordinary Journeys, for Africa
• Kleon Howe of the Art of Travel, for French Polynesia
• Jay Johnson of Coastline Travel, for Hawaii and California
• Antonello Losito of Southern Visions Travel, for Puglia, Italy
• Rabia Malik of Fora Travel, for general worldwide travel
• Robyn Mark of Mayamaya Travel, for Africa, the Alps, Patagonia, and Japan
• Marisol Mosquera of Aracari, for Peru and Bolivia
• Zach Rabinor of Journey Mexico
• Raluca Spiac of Beyond Dracula, for Romania

Travel-advice columnist Jen Murphy is now a believer in using a travel agent. Thanks to their expertise and connections, she鈥檚 avoided dozens of trip catastrophes.听

The post Should I Use a Travel Agent? Our Travel Expert Says It Makes All the Difference. appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

The map that has become a meme first began arriving in text messages, emails, and social media tags at least four years ago. Maybe you鈥檝e seen it online, too鈥攁 Google Maps screenshot of the globe with a blue line that curves nearly 14,000 miles northward from Cape Town, South Africa to Magadan, Russia, arcing like a launched rocket through zones of extreme geopolitical turmoil. It is, allegedly, 鈥渢he world鈥檚 longest continuous walk,鈥� a fact I鈥檝e never bothered to vet despite the dozens of friends who鈥檝e sent it my way. I鈥檓 not very interested.

It鈥檚 true that I love walking long distances, whether that means going from Mexico to Canada via the Pacific Crest Trail or traversing entire states like Florida and Arizona a month at a time. But for me, hiking is a means to an end, never the end itself. I don鈥檛 want to walk the longest continual path so much as the most impactful ones, the ones that show me nature and beauty, myself and others, the present and especially the past from some surprising vantage. I suppose this viral trek would do the trick, but I鈥檓 not sure if it鈥檚 the best or most efficient way to encounter the unexpected I crave, at least compared to these ten hikes I鈥檓 determined to do in my time.

Rakiura Track, New Zealand

Distance: 20 miles
Time to Tackle: Three days
Terminus: Near Oban

Look at a map of Te Araroa, a 1,900-mile path that splits both the North and South Islands horizontally. Notice the dot of land just beneath the trail鈥檚 southern terminus? That鈥檚 Stewart Island, or , home to an eponymous national park and perhaps the most enticing of New Zealand鈥檚 ten Great Walks: the Rakiura Track. Kiwis take 鈥渢ramping鈥� seriously, devoting so many public resources to developing, protecting, and maintaining their routes that Americans can only be envious鈥攐r at least visit. Consider the Rakiura, which winds along near a series of bays and inlets (head out at night to look for kiwi feeding) and heads into forests of towering rimu. Enjoy three days of slow walking and reverie on isolated beaches, and choose from multiple huts (think Appalachian Trail shelters, but sturdy and clean) and campsites, ranging from $5 to $60 per night. And while I do love hiking in ankle-deep mud, officials work hard to curb the bog鈥檚 creep by packing down the trail. Thanks to flipped hemispheres, you鈥檒l want to trek Rakiura鈥攐r tack it onto the Te Araroa鈥攂etween October and March, when stateside hiking opportunities dwindle.

Greater Patagonian Trail, Chile and Argentina

Distance: 1,900 miles
Time to Tackle: A lifetime
Termini: Santiago, Chile (north), and Navarino Island, Chile (south)

I often lament that much of my hiking life happens on established trails, following routes that can be navigated via maps on apps. But what would it be like to really explore, to feel the frontier of modern adventure? For the next several years, the Greater Patagonian Trail should provide some answers. Dreamed up by German engineer Jan Dudeck and his dauntless Chilean wife Meylin Ubilla over almost two decades, the GPT, despite its name, is less a trail than a confederation of cattle paths, tiny roads, and otherwise unmarked expanses that you must make your own way through. Sure, the Pan-American Highway and Chile鈥檚 Route of Parks can guide you deep into some of the least developed parts of the planet, but no journey questions and expands the philosophical underpinnings of hiking quite like this one does. Can you negotiate your way through private land in Spanish? Can you slow down and embrace local culture and astounding beauty without feeling the American compulsion to finish, let alone finish fast? Can you accept failure, the most common GPT outcome, as a variety of success? With its stunning diversity of terrain and dependence on diplomacy, the GPT might be my ultimate trail鈥攖he one that, when I鈥檓 ready to commit, could be my final trek. Good thing Dudeck and Ubilla have yet to settle on its ends.

Ocean to Lake Trail, Florida

Distance: 61 miles
Time to Tackle: Four days
Termini: Lake Okeechobee (west) and Hobe Sound Beach (east)

I鈥檓 cursed to be a completist. The trait becomes arduous with through-hiking, where the desire to finish every side jaunt quickly piles on the miles. If hiking is partly about minimizing what you need, maybe I can learn to let completeness go, too? Some winter soon, I鈥檒l head south to the Ocean to Lake Trail, a fee-free, west-east offshoot of the 1,200-mile Florida Trail, a playground of swamps and sand, cypresses and pines. The Florida Trail is as fun and uncanny as American through-hiking gets, but it鈥檚 also a monthlong negotiation with alligators and grotesque, blistered feet. This sampler offers plentiful campsites, nearby restaurants (it鈥檚 South Florida鈥攁lways go to the Mexican spot), and cell service, so you can post trail pics for your adoring masses to enjoy. Although Florida is infamous for ceaseless strip malls and ostentatious development, its woods and wetlands remain among the wildest places in the U.S. This lush little corridor proves it.

Route K, Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia

Distance: 11 miles
Time to Tackle: Five hours
Terminus: Entrance Station 1

To glimpse 鈥攁 chain of sapphire and emerald jewels cut into karst and connected by streams, many of them subterranean鈥攊s to wonder whether you鈥檝e wandered into an AI-generated simulacrum of natural beauty. Not only are these gems at the core of Croatia鈥檚 oldest national park, but you can see many of them during day hikes on a network of serpentine trails. The longest one, Route K, is a circuit among the lower and upper lakes; it spools around the awe-inspiring Jezero Kozjak, like a Lake of the Ozarks retouched in Photoshop, and leads you across a series of boardwalks鈥攊deal platforms to take in an unbelievable panorama of verdant forests, towering waterfalls, cascading seeps, and sprawling tufa embankments. Despite the place鈥檚 popularity (it鈥檚 affordable, and a quick trip from the Adriatic Sea, which separates this coastline from Italy), wolves, black bears, and wildcats prowl the landscape, a rarity in Europe. There’s a nominal entrance fee; otherwise, you鈥檙e free to roam.

Backbone Trail, California

Distance: 67 miles
Time to Tackle: Three to five days
Termini: Point Mugu (west) and Will Rogers State Historic Park (east)

Tell people you hiked the Pacific Crest Trail and they鈥檒l wonder how many times you saw the ocean. (Answer: zero.) So here鈥檚 your chance to admire the big blue expanse from several thousand feet above Los Angeles. zigs and zags across the Santa Monica Mountains, just north of the lavish homes of Malibu, before descending to coastal coves. Slicing through a rare safeguarded stretch of Mediterranean ecosystem, this is arguably the country鈥檚 most anomalous trail鈥攑ublic land with ocean views, in an area where private interests buy up every scrap of acreage. During the pandemic, the Backbone became a hot spot on the fastest-known-time circuit, with runners racing it in ten hours. Assuming you鈥檙e not pursuing such a record, know that campsites are infrequent. So have a friend pick you up at day鈥檚 end, or recruit a guide via the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council to lead you and secure lodging, though it could cost upwards of $500. Otherwise, if night sets in and you鈥檙e out of options, you鈥檒l need to burrow in among the chaparral; if anyone asks, you鈥檙e from Calabasas.

Chilkoot Trail, Alaska

Distance: 33 miles
Time to Tackle: Two to five days
Termini: Dyea, Alaska (south), and Bennett Lake, British Columbia (north)

From battlefield paths to Appalachian gaps, I love historic trails鈥攋ourneys that foster a visceral connection with the past in ways books can鈥檛. Exemplary in that regard is the , a Tlingit trade route across the Coast Mountains that bustled with prospectors racing from Alaska into Canada鈥檚 Yukon during the Klondike gold rush. Officials weighed their gear just below Chilkoot Pass to ensure that they were bringing enough food and supplies for the expedition ahead. Remnants of this American avarice litter the trail, which, if you鈥檙e heading south to north, climbs from a gold-rush ghost town to the Canadian border before descending to mountain-bound Bennett Lake. (鈥淭he world鈥檚 longest museum,鈥� the National Park Service calls it.) You鈥檒l need a permit ($60) to overnight at the many otherwise free campgrounds. The trail鈥檚 international border was closed in 2022, and the trail itself was damaged by floods in October, though the entire thing is expected to reopen in August of this year. If you want to attempt the entire trek, double-check the status before you start鈥攜ou鈥檙e here for a Klondike gold bar, after all.

For more ideas on spectacular Alaska hiking, check out our recommendations in The Best Places to Visit in the U.S.

Trans-Bhutan Trail, Bhutan

Distance: 250 miles
Time to Tackle: 35 days
Termini: Haa (west) and Trashigang (east)

Apart from their traditional uses, historic trails fascinate me because they often involve a renaissance story that occurred long after they were supplanted by train tracks or highways. Case in point: the , used by royal couriers, soldiers, and religious pilgrims for half a millennium before parallel road construction led to disuse and disrepair in the 1950s. Last September, the eastern Himalayan nation reopened the route after substantial fixes by a small army of trail builders. Few places in the world offer an experience of a culture this distinct, especially on foot. When Bhutan, a Buddhist and matrilineal society, opened its borders to tourists in 1974, it revealed rich folklore, verdant expanses of uncut forests, and ornate temples and fortresses tucked into cliffside crags. As you make your way across sweeping valleys, through cramped passes, and into welcoming villages, you can look forward to sharing hearty meals like ema datshi鈥�a stew of cheese and chilies鈥攚ith the people who made them. The Trans-Bhutan Trail strings together such experiences (along with possible sightings of red pandas, Bengal tigers, and Asiatic black bears) like an ancient charm necklace. Save up, though, since a local guide is required. A five-day trek through a remarkable section near Paro is just $375, but a through-hike will run you around $20,000鈥攃heaper at least, and less clich茅, than an attempt on Mount Everest.

Sinai Trail, Egypt

Distance: 340 miles
Time to Tackle: 50 days
Termini: Serabit el-Khadim (west) and Ras Shaitan (east)

鈥淗ow many trails do you have left?鈥� friends always ask. But how can I reach the proverbial trail鈥檚 end when new ones appear every year? To wit, in 2015 three Bedouin tribes on Egypt鈥檚 storied Sinai鈥攖he land bridge between Africa and Asia鈥攂anded together to introduce an amazing 140-mile route from the Red Sea to the country鈥檚 highest summit, 8,600-foot Gabal Katrine. With proof of concept and new revenue bolstering a region not frequented by tourists, organizers soon got five more tribes on board and expanded the trail by 200 miles. The Sinai traces an austere desert landscape beneath massive skies. What鈥檚 out there? Tiny chapels and abandoned mines, Martian-like rock outcroppings and near tropical oases, serrated mountains and slot canyons. Due to local custom, and an attempt to create an economic boom in an area that sees few of them, you鈥檒l hike with Bedouin guides, your gear and water ferried by camels that, yes, you can ride. Each of the four sections takes about a dozen days to complete and costs a little over a grand, an absolute bargain in the realm of international accompanied treks. The first official through-hike is set for autumn 2023 with local outfitter . While the trip is high on my list, it鈥檚 going to have to wait, because terrorism remains a threat in the region; at press time the U.S. government advised against travel in the Sinai. Check with the State Department鈥檚 Bureau of Consular Affairs before you book.

Hayduke Trail, Utah and Arizona

Distance: 812 miles
Time to Tackle: Two months
Termini: Arches National Park (east) and Zion National Park (west), both in Utah

George Washington Hayduke is the justifiably spiteful hero of Edward Abbey鈥檚 , a comical, canonical manifesto of guerrilla environmental resistance. I have a suspicion Hayduke would approve of now bearing his name. An unsanctioned route that rambles across the mighty sandstone mesas, canyons, and monoclines of the lower Colorado Plateau, the Hayduke traverses public land, including five national parks. With its river crossings, treacherous descents, barely-there pathway, dearth of resupply options, and general water scarcity, it may be the most demanding trek in America. The commensurate beauty, however, is a testament to the no-guts-no-glory credo that compelled Hayduke (and maybe got him killed). At least it鈥檚 free, as Hayduke would have wanted. This is the trail I most covet, but even as I near 10,000 total miles on foot, I don鈥檛 know that I鈥檓 ready yet. My motto, should the time come: Prepare to go through hell to see the Southwest鈥檚 heaven.

Olomana Trail, Oahu

Distance: 4.4 miles
Time to Tackle: Four hours
Termini: Olamana Ridge Trailhead (north) and Ahiki (south)

The City of Honolulu recently posted a pair of signs at the famed Olomana Trailhead in eastern Oahu, but these weren鈥檛 a polite guide to trail etiquette. 鈥淪ix people have fallen to their deaths after hiking past the first peak,鈥� read the top placard, a stern preamble to a second sign listing the dates and locations of the accidents. The trail, just ten miles from the capital, is part of the island鈥檚 incredible free recreational network鈥攚hich is to say that, despite the signs, you can legally hike it. But it鈥檚 worth considering whether you鈥檙e up for the challenge. Named for the first of three steep and narrow summits, linked by a short but harrowing path lined with guide ropes, Olomana is one of the most polarizing trails in the U.S. It鈥檚 trumpeted by adrenaline junkies, who also champion the sweeping coastline views that such extreme exposure allows, but scorned by those who see it as a potentially fatal magnet for YouTube bros. Maybe it鈥檚 both.

Map It

Nothing gets us excited about a hike more than a good map

And there鈥檚 no better backcountry map out there than Gaia GPS. For the ten hiking routes featured here鈥攎any of them in places where cell service may be nonexistent and advanced beta on terrain and logistics could be a lifesaver鈥攜ou can download detailed Gaia GPS trail maps for offline use, so you always find your way. Gaia Topo鈥檚 interactive maps set the standard for clarity and detail, and help you locate campgrounds, scenic overlooks, water sources, and summits. Precise weather forecasts are available by tapping the map, and you can leave a breadcrumb trail of your progress, in case you want to take that detour to a waterfall and still find your way back. Once you鈥檙e home again, relive the whole experience in 3D on . Bonus: 国产吃瓜黑料+ members get access to all these routes鈥攁nd millions more trails worldwide鈥攁long with Gaia GPS鈥檚 safety tools, giving them everything they need to get after it with confidence. (Disclosure: Gaia GPS is owned by 国产吃瓜黑料 Inc., which also owns 国产吃瓜黑料 magazine.) 鈥擳asha Zemke

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Photographer Kari Medig knows snow. His hometown of Nelson, British Columbia, gets more than 450 inches of the white stuff every year. So Lesotho, a small highland country nestled entirely within the borders of South Africa (average annual snowfall: about four inches), seemed an unlikely destination for a ski trip. With climate change making for drier winters in the region, the only flurries Medig expected to see were those coming from the snowmaking equipment at , a six-run resort in the Maluti Mountains. Initially intending to capture the contrast of a single strip of white in an otherwise arid landscape, Medig was forced to recalibrate when he woke up the day after arriving in August of last year to the biggest powder dump the area had seen since 2016. 鈥淚 had to push open my door,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t had snowed a foot and a half.鈥�

Instead, Medig turned his lens on the local ski culture鈥攕uch as it is. Many people on the mountain with him that day had never seen snow before, let alone squeezed into a pair of ski boots. Throughout its 21-year history, Afriski鈥檚 single T-bar lift has served mostly South Africans and international tourists seeking out the novelty of skiing so far south on the continent. But in recent winters, especially after the resort began offering discount passes during the pandemic, that has been changing. Previously, the locals 鈥渨ere barely buying into the snow idea,鈥� says tour operator Stephan Morake, who lives in the capital city of Maseru. Morake notes that heavy snowfall was usually considered a disaster by the pastoral mountain population and the government, since it can kill livestock and trap people. Now, he says, area residents are beginning to embrace ski and snowboard culture, though it may take a while to catch on. As one 23-year-old first-timer put it to Medig that day, 鈥淭his is unlike anything I have done before.鈥�

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Gamu Moyo got her passion for fashion and the outdoors from her father, a farmer with a deep appreciation for well-tailored clothing. She was born in Harare, Zimbabwe, and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, in the years just after its emergence from decades of racial apartheid. She grew up embracing the ideals of personal excellence, perseverance, and academic discipline, and cultivated a defined sense of style and an abiding love of the natural world. These values led her to the in New York City for a degree in fine arts and鈥攏o surprise鈥攁 career crafting women鈥檚 outdoor and active apparel.

Strive for Excellence

鈥淢y parents raised us to excel and reach for the gold because it was always going to be hard for people who looked like us. And they instilled in us a fierce sense of pride and a belief that no matter what we wanted to do, we could achieve it.鈥�

Create with Love

鈥淚 want the women I design for to feel strong and supported. I want them to know they can go farther and see more, because the gear that I鈥檓 working on will allow them to.鈥�

Make It Work

鈥淥ur key challenges when designing for women are fit, feel, and function. Fit is particularly difficult, because women demand more and because body types vary so much. I try to think about complementing things that could live in a woman鈥檚 closet already.鈥�

Applaud the Effort

鈥淎bleism is the main issue I see in the outdoors community. I wish that would dissolve a little bit, because it would help us get more people to just enjoy spending time outside. We really need to do a better job of celebrating people who get to the hill down the street, because that鈥檚 a feat in itself. That is being outside.鈥�

Make the Journey

鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to put pressure on people to think that they have to be at the highest level of performance just to enjoy the outdoors. I want them to know that being in nature is also about the experience you get from going out there鈥攆eeling independent and empowered, knowing that you鈥檝e accomplished something. Then you can take those core values learned on the trail into living with other people and living in cities as well.鈥�

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It can be overwhelming to realize how much of the world there is to see and how limited one鈥檚 time and resources are to experience it all. While there is no shortage of inspiration, from of (including from 国产吃瓜黑料) and countless social media accounts, Sandy Cunningham, co-founder of 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 adventure travel company , says that in her more than 25 years of experience planning dream vacations, the key to traveling well is creating a list that focuses on the types of experiences that will fulfill, challenge, and transform you, rather than of pretty destinations. My bucket list will change over time as I do. But to get started, I talked to Cunningham to create a list of five buckets,听or experiences I want to have, and filled them in.

1. The Bucket With a Twist

Start off听with an experience you鈥檝e thought about often, no matter how familiar or overdone it seems. But rather than going to Hawaii to surf or Nepal to trek, tailor it to you and your budget听by picking an unusual location where the activity is offered. During the pandemic, Cunningham used this approach to safely navigate travel restrictions鈥攁nd introduce her clients to places they would have never thought of if their go-to destinations had been available. For those who wanted, say, , she instead suggested for its fly-in wilderness lodges that could be linked together for a circuit, world-class guides, and abundance of wildlife.

I鈥檝e always wanted to see wine country with my mom. Napa feels like an obvious choice, but we鈥檝e both already spent a lot of time in California. After some research, I found鈥攖o my surprise鈥攖hat Moldova, a small country in Eastern Europe, just north of the Balkans, has three historical wine regions and is home to the world鈥檚 largest wine cellar, the , which has 120 miles of underground tunnels. We鈥檒l base ourselves out of the capital of Chisinau for easy access to over a dozen wineries, plus densely forested mountains, winding rivers, and the听, an ancient church built into the side of a cliff.听

2. The Trip that Scares the Sh*t Out of You听

Travel is about challenging yourself in all kinds of ways. So why not take it a step further and use it to confront your fears head-on? Step 1: Pick something that scares you or feels out of character. There鈥檚 no need to make it a sufferfest鈥攊f the entire trip fills you with dread, it鈥檒l be a chore听instead of an experience you want to put time and money into. Go with an experience that holds as much fear as it does fascination. Step 2: Pair it with a place that you really want to see or someone you love traveling with.

As a child, I used to have recurring nightmares about tsunamis and deep water. So when I travel, I usually stick to the mountains. For years, my best friend, who loves the ocean and is a certified open water scuba diver, has been trying to convince me to go on a trip with her. She鈥檚 pitching me on Cairns, Australia, which she says is great for beginners: warm water, stunning biodiversity, and still-living coral reefs. She says it鈥檚 like 鈥渟wimming through a children鈥檚 book.鈥� I鈥檇 trust her with my life, and everything we do together ends up being fun. So bucket list item #2: get scuba certified down under with my best friend at my side.

3. The Re-Run听

I went to Costa Rica on a high school trip and have been thinking about returning ever since, but travel to new places always seem to take priority. During my first trip, we spent a week on a secluded turtle preserve on the country鈥檚 east coast, went on day hikes through the rainforest, and rafted on the legendary Pacuare River.听

Cunningham says that one of her favorite types of trips to plan is those that 鈥済ive people reasons to go back to places they鈥檝e already loved.鈥� Pick one of your all-time favorite trips鈥攖he one that you always say you鈥檇 go back to in a heartbeat鈥攁nd go deeper. You can never see all of a place in one go, so there are bound to be corners left to explore. But to make your next trip really special, Cunningham suggests seeking help from a local expert like a guide or agent who lives in the region.

When I go back to Costa Rica, I鈥檇 like to go on longer guided hikes in the rainforest to learn more about its unique flora and fauna. I鈥檇 like to see the country鈥檚 western coast, known for its beaches and incredible volcanoes, which I completely missed on the first go. And I also want to spend more time in cities like San Jose, so I can get a taste of the country鈥檚 culture and鈥攎y favorite part鈥攊ts food.听听

4. The White Whale

Not all bucket list travel has to be far-flung, once-in-a-lifetime endeavors. There are lots of ways to have big adventures that are closeby or on a budget. To pull these kinds of trips off, Cunningham recommends saving on accommodations and splurging on experiences. But if the trip of your dreams does require some saving, and you鈥檙e having trouble reconciling spending all that money on a one-off adventure, consider picking one that comes with a long term reward.听

During quarantine, I started putting some of the money I鈥檇 usually spend on going out, traveling, and events into a separate savings account as a way to make the most of my time stuck at home. It wasn鈥檛 until I figured out a way to combine two of my travel goals鈥�buying a van and embarking a months-long cross-country road trip鈥攖hat the account really started to grow. I realized that convincing myself that it鈥檚 worth spending so much of my hard-earned cash on a single trip is the hardest part. I got over that barrier by planning a trip that felt like an investment in myself, and one that, while expensive, would give me a lot of bang for my buck.听

In my case, the van and the time off will be costly, but having a long term and cost-effective way to see my loved ones who are scattered across the continent will be priceless. If #vanlife isn鈥檛 on your list, consider getting certified in an outdoor pursuit in a place you鈥檝e always wanted to visit (you鈥檒l often find more affordable courses abroad) or going somewhere that will help you advance your skill level in a short amount of time, like a sports camp or a beginner-friendly destination.

5. The Off-Map Excursion听

Cunningham says that the most memorable moments for her clients are often those that are unexpected. 鈥淭here鈥檚 got to be some surprises when you鈥檙e on the ground,鈥� she says. She often builds them into the trips she plans, like the time that she added time on an itinerary to hide a surprise sunrise hot air balloon flight in Namibia.

If you鈥檙e planning the trip yourself, build serendipity into your vacation by leaving some of it unplanned and going offline. Pick a place where you speak the language, don鈥檛 consult the guides, and leave your phone at home. You鈥檒l be surprised by how small interactions with locals will deepen your experience and lead you to unexpected discoveries. I鈥檝e found that the things I discover myself often give me the most joy when it comes to travel, because they feel more earned.

For this bucket list item, I want to make a trip all about the unexpected by heading to Barcelona for a week鈥攏o cell phone allowed. I speak enough Spanish to get by, and am familiar enough with the city from being there once before. During my short lived stay a few years ago, the best moments were the ones I didn鈥檛 plan, like the time I got swept up into a street festival filled with fireworks and costumed dancers and when I wandered into a hidden plaza adjacent to an incredible church.

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In physics, the Doppler effect describes how a noise like a coming train will always sound different when it approaches than when it recedes. The noise itself is the same, but your perspective听changes, and with it,听the pitch enters听a new frequency. Reading about history can ignite a similar feeling, showing how, say, social battles that once seemed futile were actually progressing all along. Such is the case with , a new book by former biologist and acclaimed science journalist and editor Michelle Nijhuis. Beloved Beasts unwinds a history of human efforts to protect the loss of other species, an impulse, Nijhuis writes,听鈥渓ikely as old as the images of steppe bison painted on cave walls.鈥� She reveals how policies and habits that once seemed unmovable were, through the intervention of passionate human advocates, changed. 鈥淔antasy and despair are tempting, but history can help us resist them,鈥� she writes. 鈥淭he past accomplishments of conservation were not inevitable, and neither are its future failures.鈥�

Beloved听Beasts is a capacious, engrossing, and timely examination of worldwide conservation movements since the late 19th century, tracing not just their triumphs but the tendrils of racism and colonialism that have all too often undergirded the science. Beginning with the plight of bison in the American West, the book moves chronologically through turning points in species conservation, with each chapter tethered to an actor or two and the animals they were鈥攐r are still鈥攚orking to protect. This structure is surprisingly buoying, not just because it鈥檚 more fun to follow people than policies, but because it鈥檚 evidence of just how many ripples one life can make. Aldo Leopold described conservation as a movement of individuals, each 鈥渁 member of a community of interdependent parts,鈥� and the book attains a similar patchwork of viewpoints and priorities, while never succumbing to the myth that change stems from one voice alone.

Conservation history,听Nijhuis writes,听is 鈥渇ull of people who did the wrong things for the right reasons, and the right things for the wrong reasons,鈥澨齛nd her听portraits of these movers and shakers are multifaceted. John Muir鈥檚 ecstatic meditations on the natural world may have become 鈥減art of conservation scripture,鈥� but when he came across a group of Mono people while hiking in the Sierra Nevada, he wrote that they 鈥渉a[d]听no right place in the landscape.鈥� This ethos听reverberated through the 20th-century creation of national parks in Africa, which were initially spearheaded by colonial governments听and which evicted nomadic inhabitants as 鈥渟quatters鈥� in order to create a definition of 鈥渨ilderness鈥� palatable to foreign safari-goers.

Human control over wild animals has long been a way of exerting dominance over the animals鈥� habitat, the same habitat, of course, that we rely on too. Nijhuis describes President Ulysses S. Grant鈥檚 interior secretary, Columbus Delano, believing that the decimation of American bison populations would, in his words, 鈥渃onfine the Indians to smaller areas, and compel them to abandon their nomadic customs鈥濃�攑aving the way, implicitly, for white men to dominate the landscape.听

Beloved Beasts also听details the rise of well-known organizations like the , which听was launched in 1961 by a few dozen听British naturalists, most of them male and white. One of them was听author 鈥檚 brother听Julian, an adventurous biologist whose three-month, Unesco-funded trip through Central and East Africa had just been chronicled听in a series of newspaper articles published in the London Observer.听As in the U.S. with Rachel Carson鈥檚 , Huxley鈥檚 writing won the hearts and minds of those with power and pocketbooks;听the WWF formed as a fundraising machine in the wake of his publication.听(As for the WWF panda mascot? It was sketched during an early planning meeting, chosen because it was cute, threatened globally, and its black-and-white fur would be cheap to print.)

Meanwhile, Nijhuis鈥檚 account of the 鈥渃risis discipline鈥� of conservation biology that emerged in the 1970s鈥攖he concept that the field needed to move urgently to address environmental threats鈥攊s enriched by her own account of knowing one of its earliest advocates, biologist , who was her neighbor in the foothills of the western Colorado Rockies decades later. 鈥淲hat really bothered him, he often said, was not the prospect of death but that of the end of birth鈥攖he end of evolution, the end of possibility,鈥� she writes.

In addition to covering these central movements, Nijhuis describes battles I knew little about, from the bird-watching suffragists who fought feathered fashion at the turn of the 20th century, to the Maori who successfully classified the longest navigable river in New Zealand as a legal person in 2017, to the Namibian conservationists currently reliant on budgets funded by trophy hunters. Though at times I hoped she would cover more of these smaller-scale conservation efforts鈥攑erhaps shedding a light on the Nez Perce 听or the Indigenous communities in Myanmar collected about fish in their rivers鈥攖he book seems to me successful if, after reading Nijhuis鈥檚听history,听readers are left wanting to hunt down more.

Nijhuis is the sort of writer who makes excavating arcane facts and dinner-party-worthy anecdotes look effortless. I often found myself shouting to my boyfriend in the other room, compelled to share, for example, that a species of Slovenian cave beetle was now nearly extinct because its scientific name (A. hitleri) had made it a neo-Nazi collector鈥檚 item. Her eye knows just where to linger when she鈥檚 in the field, as with听her description听of watching a rhino in the sparse, spiky shade of a mopani听tree as he 鈥渨orked his droopy upper lip 鈥� vast haunches jiggling as he disappeared into the sun-bleached brush.鈥� Even accounts of committee meetings鈥攐ne with 1920s Audubon members, another with contemporary seminomadic Namibian herders鈥攈ad my heart pounding, tickled to be so immersed in bureaucratic Ping-Pong.

I would have marveled at the scope of Nijhuis鈥檚 research in any moment, but the book feels particularly timely now. In late January, President Biden announced an unprecedented plan to conserve 30 percent of the United States鈥� lands and waters by 2030 as part of his day-one executive order on climate. In practice, this will mean more than doubling the area of currently protected land held by both private and public parties鈥攁dding an area 鈥攚ith no obvious path for which land should be targeted first. Scientists talk about 鈥�,鈥� where听an animal鈥檚 chance for survival depends on how 鈥渦seful鈥� we see it, and Beloved Beasts made me consider the value we assign not only to animals but to their鈥攖o our鈥攈abitats,听often prioritizing the conservation of the landscapes we most want to recreate in. The scope of Biden鈥檚 plan would require transcending those sorts of calculations. In the 1990s, Soul茅 was one of the first biologists to suggest that we should be building 鈥渉abitat corridors鈥� between natural reserves, creating pathways for animals to migrate and move across the whole continent, from Canada to Mexico. Proposals of this nature have traditionally been a tough sell, but Biden has created an opening to discuss the preservation of habitat connectivity once again.听

When humans invented agriculture around 8,000 B.C., we were ,听including baboons. Ten thousand years later, we rule the earth, and it鈥檚 the animals around us that keep disappearing, at a rate of about 9,000 human-caused species extinctions every year. The idea that we are entering a sixth mass extinction now is听well-documented. Biologist Paul Ehrlich tells Nijhuis that though the scale of species extinctions is already sobering, it doesn鈥檛 capture how many more local animal populations are declining or going extinct even as their species holds on. In her 2016 book , Ursula Heise asks, 鈥淚s it possible to acknowledge the realities of large-scale species extinction and yet to move beyond mourning, melancholia, and nostalgia to a more affirmative vision of our biological future?鈥�

After reading Beloved听Beasts, I am confident the answer is yes. Nijhuis defines the mission of conservation biology as 鈥渢he preservation of possibility,鈥� but in her introduction, she explains that she will use the word hope听sparingly, because the emotion did not motivate many early conservationists. They were swayed by other things (鈥渓ove, outrage, data鈥�), but they did not persevere because they felt they would succeed at saving the animals they loved鈥攖hey just felt it was worth doing regardless. So I was surprised, on closing the book, to feel that rare flutter: hope. It wasn鈥檛 that I now believed humans could save every animal, but that in owning up to the harmful rhetoric within conservation鈥檚 lineage, and acknowledging the persistence of colonial and racist environmental policies, we will be able to collaborate more efficiently and more equitably.听As Nijhuis suggests, to cultivate habitat for other animals, we must find connectivity in our own communities first.听

Though a conservation biologist will emphasize the similarities between humans and other animals, Nijhuis notes that Homo sapiens are the only ones aware of ourselves as a species, capable of identifying and acting as part of a larger 鈥渨e.鈥� 鈥淭he assumption that only particular kinds of humans are distinctive鈥攖hat a subset of the 鈥榳e鈥櫶齣s different from other animals, but 鈥榯hey鈥櫶齛re not鈥攗nderlies some of the darkest chapters of the conservation movement,鈥� writes Nijhuis toward the end of the book. We need a future built on multispecies solidarity, she writes, and an awareness that we are all in it together on this warming planet. Humans can destroy, but so can we protect, conserve, rebuild. We must not forget we are 鈥渃apable of protecting the rest of life from ourselves.鈥�

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Directed by Benoit Lalande, Nomad Africa听is a听visual experiment featuring surfer and the powerful听waves and wilds听of this ancient continent.

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Aside from booking future trips,听one way you can inspire the adventure traveler on your list听and help the industry this year is to spend your holiday dollars on gifts that support听small travel businesses and听properties, as well as regions听and industry employees. Most lodges sell merchandise, so check their websites听and start ordering, or buy a gift certificate toward a trip from an outfitter you love. We鈥檝e rounded up some of our favorite gift听ideas that benefit the places we can鈥檛 wait to visit again soon. At a time when travel has been at a standstill, these thoughtful presents听bring the world to you.

Gift Certificates

For the person on your list听who prizes experiences over material items, a gift certificate from their preferred听guiding outfitter, lodge, or travel service is a guaranteed hit. Established听mountaineering and climbing groups听like ,听, and听听are offering vouchers for 2021 trips, but any of your go-to guiding services will likely be happy to tailor a gift certificate for you. And with camping and road trips predicted to be just as popular next summer, RV rental company is offering that cover any kind of a trip, from an overnighter to a weeklong escape.

Food and听Drink听

It鈥檚 likely that everyone you鈥檙e shopping for has gotten into cooking since the start of the pandemic鈥攚hether that鈥檚 meant perfecting a home brew or discovering new spices. For the friend who wants to take their talents to the next level, 鈥渁dopt鈥� an olive tree for them through (from $79), an Italian company that works with small-scale grove farmers in the provinces of Liguria, Sicily, and Marche. The company will ship cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil directly to your door, along with information about the grove and farmer. Or opt for a customizable three-spice set from ($36), a woman-led, direct-trade business听that supports local farms in India that have invested in sustainable agricultural practices.

There are plenty of coffee subscriptions out there, so add a personalized touch by picking a company听in a destination that your giftee has always wanted to explore. Some of our favorites include coffee from Papua New Guinea鈥揵ased , a tour operator that鈥檚 recently established a coffee mill to benefit听the local Native community (from $9, not including shipping), and Colombia-based , which sources from 600 producers across the country, roasts its beans in Medell铆n, and immediately ships听bags to the U.S. so that they鈥檙e fresh upon arrival听(from $10, not including shipping). For a gift that鈥檚 closer to home, many U.S. breweries, distilleries, and wineries are making delivery听easier, with some states that prohibit liquor shipments .

Virtual Experiences

Yep, we get it鈥攚e鈥檝e all spent a lot of time online this year. But there have been some upsides to that, like access to fitness training, classes, and events we might never get to enjoy听otherwise. Some of our favorite virtual experiences include 鈥檚 (from $10 for group seminars; private sessions are available, too). The Costa Rica resort is usually booked a year out, but this online opportunity gives you or your budding surfer friend a front seat to excellent instruction.

We鈥檝e dreamed of visiting the , a spa, yoga, and meditation resort in northern India. Now at least we can sign ourselves and others up for its听 (from $70 for a monthlong subscription; get a 10 percent discount during the holidays by using the code ANYEAREND听at checkout).

We鈥檝e been watching a ton of cooking videos during quarantine. Give someone you love a 听($25) with a European chef through , and they鈥檒l learn how to make you tapas that taste just like you鈥檙e in Spain.

For your strung-out friend who needs a way to relax, how about听gifting a virtual birding tour in Colombia?听The country is known for its enormous variety of avian听species, and now you can see them, too, through from , which connects you with experts for guided tours ($125 for one person; group experiences are available as well). Email anna@tripsite.com听to set it up.听We hope to spot a rare blue-billed curassow.

Philanthropy

Giving back听to conservation organizations feels especially important this year, as the tourism dollars funding many of these efforts have dramatically declined. There are too many amazing organizations to list here, but these recently caught our eye. Sponsoring an animal is fun and fulfilling for kids and adults alike, and you can adopt听an elephant through the in Cambodia, a sanctuary for the formerly captive giants. The听ecotourism outfitter听., based in Fairbanks, Alaska,听is offering , like Sluggo, above, to help support the dogs听and the company until its听dogsledding-trip bookings rebound. Meet its听team of awesome pooches听.

If you really want to splurge for someone, let them name a newborn rhino through the program for鈥攇ulp鈥�$25,000 to protect the future of species, which has been devastated by poaching. (The organization is happy to receive smaller donations, too.) With fewer tourists in Africa, poaching is on the rise, and rangers don鈥檛 have the resources to keep working. In another great offering from the Great Plains Foundation, Project Ranger allows you to 听to keep them employed and the wildlife protected. Or give a donation in someone鈥檚 name to 听 to provide direct economic impact听to local guides who鈥檝e been unemployed听this year in destinations around the world.

The grew out of the to contribute to听projects that conserve resources in adventure travel locales. The fund is currently focusing听on the acute needs of those in many destinations听right now suffering from听a lack of tourism income. in someone鈥檚 name to fund听projects, such as听protecting Namibia鈥檚 desert lions. Your gift will be matched by other companies in the travel industry.

After a devastating fire season in the West, many communities that rely on tourism dollars are still being rebuilt. Gift a donation in someone鈥檚 name to an organization supporting these communities through foundations in , , , and ; the ; or by calling a business you love in one of the hard-hit areas and making an online purchase or buying a gift certificate for future use.

Books

For history buffs and trail lovers, ($55)听is a must-give item. Written by , who has authored 13 books on hiking and has completed the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide Trails, and with stunning photography by , who walked every historic trail mentioned, this coffee-table-worthy book takes you from the Pony Express to the paths of civil right marches and along 17 other trails designated as nationally historic by the National Park Service. The trails range in length from 54 miles to 5,000听and are perfect for socially distant adventures鈥攚hether you decide to hike, bike, or armchair-dream about them.

Nothing brings you the taste of a place like food. So gift a cookbook this season, especially one that benefits听some fantastic听lodges, like the , primely located in Utah near the state鈥檚 best national parks and Grand Staircase鈥揈scalante National Monument, and its James Beard鈥搑ecognized restaurant and . The Italian guides who work for the bike-touring company created a ($15) full of their secret family recipes to bestow听your friends. (It鈥檚 in a PDF format, so you can gift听it right away.) The proceeds support the guides during the travel downturn. The in Nelson, British Columbia, is famed for its Fresh Tracks Caf茅. Try out its chef鈥檚 fare in one of . The ($45) gathered up 100 recipes from various local chefs to give back to听the Colorado town鈥檚 struggling restaurants. And if you鈥檙e missing the taste of the wild frontier, these two Alaskan offerings from chef Kirsten Dixon bring you the cabin feels and fresh-seafood vibes from two awesome places: (from $19) and ($35).

While app travel guides are great, don鈥檛 forget good ol鈥櫶�guidebooks that help travel writers and local tourism efforts. Guidebooks still offer the most comprehensive intel about a place, like former New York Times reporter and Denver-based author 鈥檚 recently updated ($18). If you鈥檙e seeking warmth this winter, check out .

Home Goods听

What better travel gift than a souvenir that might not fit into a suitcase? The online marketplace carries everything from ceramics and lampshades to artwork, all created by artisans across Chile. There鈥檚 an equally varied selection at , which offers alpaca-wool items handmade by Peruvian craftsmen. The company is currently employing out-of-work guides from the outfitter to help choose the items you import, by having the guides show shoppers around stores through video calls. Based in Ahmedabad, India, works with up to 2,300 women artisans across the country to produce modern pieces inspired by traditional handicrafts, including (from $8) and (from $10). And for the friend who was looking forward to a beach getaway this year, you can鈥檛 go wrong with a traditional Mexican hammock from (from $70), a Yucat谩n-based certified B Corp company.

Apparel and听Accessories听

Everyone appreciates a gift that has a story and a positive impact. Seattle-based partners with 30 Masai women in Kenya to produce beaded earrings, necklaces, and rings and pays them wages rather than a commission. Safari company recently launched an that showcases items from regional craft makers. Among its luxury home and accessory items are cotton-silk scarves (from $125) from sub-Saharan brand , which feature designs from students enrolled in a program for at-risk youth. For your loved one who dreams of hiking the Himalayas someday, support local outfitter by gifting (from $20); proceeds benefit its guiding staff. And for the friend who鈥檚 counting down to the Olympics next summer, the is filled with goodies, including this (from $200) and this (from $72).

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In late July听of 2016, more than a dozen听Liberian researchers set up a makeshift lab at the edge of the听rainforest in their nation鈥檚听northern听, which shares the听border with听Guinea. Liberia is home to听听and听houses some of the world鈥檚 rarest animal听species, including the Liberian mongoose and pygmy hippos. But Jackson Poultolnor and the other researchers, all clad in听rubber boots, N95 masks,听face shields, leather welding gloves, and听Tyvek suits, were there for bats.听

Bats have been a source of food in Africa and other parts of the planet听for thousands of years.听When Poultolnor听was a child, his听mother听prepared the meat in a sweet stew for him and his eight siblings. But the mammal听is also a reservoir of pathogens and to be the source of the 2013 Ebola virus outbreak, which led to more than 11,000 deaths across this region. So听Poultolnor and his team听ventured into the听dense vegetation to bind mist nets to听trees in order to capture and study the animal. It was Liberia鈥檚 first听wildlife-surveillance operation, and it was conducted as a part听of听, an organization launched in 2009 by the听U.S. Agency for International Development鈥檚听(USAID)听听to monitor infectious diseases.听

Since the organization鈥檚 inception,听American epidemiologists and sociologists have trained over听6,000 researchers in more than 30 developing countries to seek听out zoonotic diseases in wildlife and听collaborate听with local officials听to head off new outbreaks. Predict teams across the globe have discovered , including Ebola viruses and SARS-like coronaviruses.听

In January听2019, after sampling over 5,000 bats听every two听weeks听for more than two years, the Liberian Predict听team found for Ebola. It was the first time the type of Ebola virus responsible for the 2013听epidemic was detected in a Liberian bat. The discovery could help scientists learn more about how that virus infected humans听and, by extension, how to prevent other zoonotic diseases with pandemic potential听from spreading.

A few months later, in the fall of 2019,听the Trump administration for Predict, leaving more than 听around the world in limbo.听

At the heart of the Predict听project are the principles laid out by the , which seeks to foster collaborations between professionals in various science fields听that will benefit the听well-being of humans, animals, and the environment.

It鈥檚 an all-in-one philosophy that has deep historical roots. Hinduism鈥檚 ahimsa dictates that all living things are sacred because they are part of God and the natural world. Totemism, popular among may African tribes, posits听a kinship between humans and听wildlife.听Similarly, One Health,听which was started by听veterinarians and doctors in the United States , looks听to understand the human-wildlife interface,听encouraging听interdisciplinary collaborations in governent and academia, discouraging human encroachment听on natural habitats, and calling听for the extensive surveillance of pathogens.听

听

There are 听lurking in animal hosts across the globe, and more than 650,000 have the potential to听infect people, according to researchers at the at the University of California at听Davis. In fact, nearly 75 percent of the diseases affecting humans today stem听from wildlife. SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the current pandemic,听is thought to have originated in bats and believed to have been听transmitted听to humans via at an open-air market in Wuhan, China.

In addition to the vast number of viruses, scientists at the One Health Institute听say听that viruses听are also听mutating faster than ever. Urbanization and climate change, as well as activities like logging, poaching, and听animal听trafficking, have shrunk and fragmented natural habitats, which in turn has led to听increased听contact between humans and wildlife and more opportunities for viral mutation.听

鈥淭rying to find these viruses in the wild is like finding a needle in a haystack,鈥� says听, an American field veterinarian who was appointed by the Obama administration to lead Predict听in Liberia. That doesn鈥檛 mean it鈥檚 worthless to try. Although it cost $20 million to operate Predict听each year, some have estimated that the current听COVID-19听outbreak could cost the world . A future pandemic could cost much more.

Though Predict听failed to identify听the virus that results in听COVID-19,听a Predict-supported publication by scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology back in 2015 warned about in China and Southeast Asia.听

On April 1, as confirmed cases of COVID-19 surpassed one听million in the U.S.听and three听million worldwide, Predict听received 听from USAID to focus听on the coronavirus. But the money was far from enough to host teams in different countries.听Luckily, in May, USAID announced a new project:听set to launch this听September,听 will leverage the data collected by Predict听to develop interventions that will听reduce the risk of the transmission of dangerous pathogens passing from animals to people.

For too long, when it comes to disease outbreaks, there鈥檚 been a cycle of panic (as threats ramp up) and neglect (when they subside), says听Tierra Smiley Evans, a wildlife veterinarian and epidemiologist at the One Health Institute. She hopes this pandemic will result in something different. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 leave a single country out in understanding the importance of the connection between human and animal health and working together on the prevention of the next pandemic,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hrough the tragedy that is happening now to the planet, I hope we come out stronger on the other end.鈥�

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