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.

Even the most seasoned travelers consider certain destinations too difficult, dangerous, or remote to explore鈥攂ut the reality can be different. We found three end points that fit the bill. Yes, you鈥檒l have to spend a lot of time in transit and adapt on the ground. But we promise it will be worth the effort.

Olkhon Island, Lake Baikal, Siberia

Here鈥檚 how I got to this oblong island in Russia鈥檚 Lake Baikal: A 5.5-hour flight from Moscow to Irkutsk (canceled once, delayed twice). Then a bone-rattling seven-hour minivan ride to a rickety dock at Sakhyurta. Finally, a ferry crossing of the deepest lake in the world, which bottoms out at more than 5,300 feet. I disembarked on an island, slightly smaller in size than New York City, that was equal parts dense boreal forest and wide-open steppe. And that was the fast way. Many travel 3.5 days from Moscow on the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway.

Only 1,500 people, many of whom are indigenous Buryat, call Olkhon home year-round. Most seasons, including winter, when the lake freezes over and tourists from China and Russia come to see unique freezing patterns on the ice, you鈥檒l likely go days without encountering anyone. You will, however, see wildlife, from freshwater Baikal seals to wild horses. There are no paved roads or hiking trails; to get anywhere, you鈥檒l need to ask a local for help using basic Russian. Pack a tent, download an offline map, and set out from the town of Khuzhir for the two-day, 50-mile round-trip trek through larch woodlands and along empty beaches to Cape Khoboy, on the island鈥檚 northeastern tip. , with several guest rooms (from $200) as well as campsites (from $6.50), rents paddleboards for a fauna-filled tour of the lake. It鈥檚 run by the Yeremeev family, who will make you feel at home in a place that otherwise seems like anything but. 鈥擲ebastian Modak

Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan

People used to tell Douglas Layton, owner of the local company Explore Mesopotamia, that no traveler in their right mind would ever visit the place he raved about most鈥擨raq. His response? 鈥淏ut they鈥檒l go to the other Iraq!鈥� By that he meant Iraqi Kurdistan, the temperate, gorgeous, and supremely friendly region in the north that couldn鈥檛 be more different from what most probably imagine. Here, snowcapped peaks dive into rivers, green hillsides hide ancient ruins, and it鈥檚 nearly impossible to visit a bazaar and not get invited for tea.

Base yourself on the banks of the Great Zab River at the new (from $100), a 37-room boutique hotel about two hours north of the capital, Erbil. From there you can take guided day hikes into the Zagros Mountains and the Barzan nature area, the only preserve in the country; explore Bestoon Cave, to the south, which was once used by Neanderthals; and tube down the Zab. The area is much safer than Mosul, 50 miles to the west, but be prepared to pass through some heavily armed checkpoints, and you鈥檒l want to avoid border towns. can help you organize trips that include hotels, food, transfers, and a guide (from $250 per day). 鈥擳im Neville

Kubu Island, Makgadikgadi, Botswana

The first time you see it, you鈥檒l probably mistake Kubu Island for a mirage. After driving 370 miles north from the capital of Gaborone, or 240 miles south from the Okavango Delta, you鈥檒l hit a seemingly never-ending expanse of salt pans, and then, soon after, a lone 颅granite outcropping that鈥檚 about 30 feet high and covered with Dal铆-style baobab trees. The thrill鈥攁nd the challenge鈥攐f this corner of 叠辞迟蝉飞补苍补鈥檚 Sua Pan is its desolation. Yet there鈥檚 a lot to do: hiking the fossil-strewn surroundings, off-roading across the pans, and stargazing without a single light to wash out the view.

To get there in the rainy season, from November to March, you鈥檒l need a four-wheel-drive vehicle with off-road navigation. Pack everything鈥攆ood, water, gas, and camping equipment鈥攁nd book a campsite under a baobab (from $14) through the , a group comprising members of the nearby Mmatshumo settlement who act as custodians of Kubu and make for expert hiking guides. 鈥擲.M.

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Dennis Sizemore is limping, shuffling his swollen left ankle through the dusty streets of Maun, Botswana, the听gateway city to the wildlife-rich Okavango Delta. Over his听long conservation career, it鈥檚 hardly the 67-year-old鈥檚 first injury. The former college linebacker has been slapped into a tree by a grizzly, breaking ribs and his left arm;听traded gunfire with poachers in New Mexico;听and been听medevaced听to Anchorage, Alaska, when that same hapless arm was nearly severed by the prop of a floatplane.听

Considering the brutality of injuries past, this latest wound feels a little ironic. It鈥檚 mid-September 2019, and听Sizemore has ruptured his Achilles tendon听stepping into a Maun hotel conference room for a meeting with the leaders of the Okavango safari industry. But听as he well knows, the most significant conservation work often gets done in conference rooms.

Sizemore is the director of , a university ecology program that offers students听semesters in places like Namibia, Chile, Mongolia, and British Columbia. At the same time, the organization has secured protection for听19 million acres worldwide, some of the largest blocks of biodiverse wilderness on earth, with a full-time staff of just eight. Round River听works to empower indigenous people to set and reach their own environmental stewardship听goals.听In a conservation movement historically听characterized by white people telling indigenous people what to do with their land, the organization stands out for listening instead.听

鈥淩ound River does the kind of work that is focused on the community, which isn鈥檛 as common as you might think,鈥� says Rhea Suh, former president of the Natural Resources Defense Council and an assistant听secretary of the Interior Department under President Obama. 鈥淭hat means taking local economies into account. Finding ways to do conservation without evaporating residents鈥櫶齟conomic opportunities is the hardest work, but it鈥檚 the most durable.鈥�

Tourism is 叠辞迟蝉飞补苍补鈥檚 second-largest industry after diamond mining, drawing people from around the globe听to experience thriving populations of lions, leopards,听and zebras. The country is home to some 130,000 elephants鈥攏early half the world鈥檚 remaining wild population鈥攗p from 80,000 in 1996. Trophy hunting was banned in Botswana in 2014, but the increase is due in听large part to the fact that听the animals have been for years to avoid poachers in neighboring countries.

That population boom, however,听has led to human conflicts. Between August 2018 and August 2019, elephants killed 17 people in Botswana, many of them defending their crops. In addition, conservationists link the conflicts to an uptick in poaching, as farmers听victimized by elephants have fewer qualms about helping foreign ivory poachers.听

In the villages of Sankoyo and Mababe, just outside the Okavango Delta, it鈥檚 easy to see the effects of the increased elephant population鈥攆ields lie fallow, fruit trees are broken and bare, and elephants have trampled nearly every fence. Villagers there say they haven鈥檛 bothered to farm since 2013.听

鈥淢y house used to be surrounded by crops,鈥� says Igea Newa, 66, gesturing to dusty fields. 鈥淣ow we can鈥檛 plant fruit trees or a garden. The elephants destroy them.鈥澨�

Last spring听the government announced that听trophy hunting would once again be allowed in an effort to cull elephant numbers.听Newa welcomed the change, but the decision has been controversial, , a drop in safari bookings (something听that has been exacerbated by the current coronavirus pandemic), and听anger over how the 158 licenses were issued and that .听

Some conservation groups, including Round River鈥檚 local partner, Botswana Predator Conservation Trust, are听, focusing on trophy hunting鈥檚 capacity to generate employment and revenue for wildlife programs.听Still, Round River hopes to keep the bloodshed from ramping up by funding solutions to human-wildlife conflicts that don鈥檛 involve killing鈥攏ot just of elephants听but also lions and other predators. Think: renting watering holes from ranchers for migrating zebras or creating a market for higher-value听鈥渨ildlife-friendly beef,鈥� which incentivizes farmers to bring their cows in at night so they aren鈥檛 killed by predators.听

Communities will choose their own听tactics, but each requires money, which is the purpose of Sizemore鈥檚听trip to Maun鈥攈is 40th to Botswana. He has arranged a meeting of the major players in the Okavango safari industry in hopes they鈥檒l agree to ante into a fund to pay for his plan. Round River would augment the envisioned $50 million fund with donations from environmental foundations. 鈥淭he problem isn鈥檛 raising the money,鈥� says Sizemore, limping into the meeting. 鈥淚t鈥檚 getting a bunch of competitors to agree to work together.鈥澨�

Sizemore has raised millions for conservation in his career, but he started Round River with just a bottle of George Dickel whisky听and a few pounds of backstrap from a pronghorn his father had听shot. Those were the gifts he bore in 1991 when he knocked on the door of grizzly bear activist Doug Peacock.

A former research assistant with the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish听and biologist at the University of Montana, Sizemore wanted his work to have bigger effects. He figured that Peacock, with his ties to听the activist edge of the conservation movement, could help.听

Over the bourbon and backstrap, the pair launched Round River Conservation that same evening, naming it after a seminal essay on ecosystem protections. Their first donors were Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard and the late ecological philanthropist Doug Tompkins, whose landscape-scale restoration project in Chile听foreshadowed the group鈥檚 preference to preserve large blocks of habitat. In those chunks, points out Peacock, 鈥測ou always find indigenous people living,鈥� a fact Round River has relied on to make its听mark on the conservation world.听

Sizemore has had particular success in British Columbia:听Round River helped save five million acres of old growth in the Great Bear Rainforest, and in the听Taku Watershed, after a 14-year fight, eight million acres were spared. A key in both cases was Sizemore鈥檚 deployment of 鈥渢raditional ecological knowledge,鈥� a听technique that augments field surveys with locals鈥櫶齡enerations-long experience of hunting and gathering on the听land.听The process had听the side effect of galvanizing local听support among people tired of being听disenfranchised. 鈥淏eing involved听got people to open up and get very organized with protecting our lands,鈥� says John Ward, a Taku River Tlingit First Nation elder.听

Another key strategy to Round River鈥檚 outsize听results are its student groups. Each semester, fresh cadres continue long-term ecological studies in the regions where the organization works, helping underpin the conservation objectives听but also allowing it to maintain an active presence in certain听communities for years on end. That can be a significant contrast from the more sporadic, and jaded, appearance听of some larger conservation groups. 鈥淧eople听like having the students around,鈥� says Sizemore. 鈥淭heir optimism and energy make them great ambassadors.鈥�

In the Maun conference room, Sizemore is at his ambassadorial best. He has his swollen leg听propped on a chair beside him and speaks softly, letting others drive the meeting as much as possible. Not always so benevolent,听Sizemore鈥檚 grizzly-like tenacity is legendary. He is, says author and close friend Terry Tempest Williams, a man of 鈥渂ig ideas, big results, big heart, big shadows.鈥� Sizemore likes to tell the story of challenging one former Round River staffer to a fistfight during a meeting with Namibian government officials听and has had fallouts with allies during the push to designate Bears Ears as a National Monument.听

But no fistfights are necessary in Maun. In fact, Sizemore doesn鈥檛 have to say much because he鈥檚 brought along a ringer. Ross McMillan, the recently retired CEO of the environmental nonprofit听, tells the safari-industry stakeholders the story of the $120 million Coast Funds, which he helped engineer. Born听from an agreement between 26 separate First Nations tribes in the Great Bear Rainforest and the Canadian government, the fund is much more complex than what鈥檚 being proposed in the Maun meeting, but it brightly illustrates what鈥檚 possible. Logging in that rainforest, the source of years of bitter political protests, would have yielded just a handful of local jobs for First Nations people, says McMillan. Instead, supported by the fund, 1,033 jobs have been created in sustainable logging, aquaculture, and tourism since 2009.听

The dozen safari-industry representatives are sitting up straight and peppering McMillan with questions. Everyone is essentially convinced, and the remaining day and a half consists of people getting used to the idea. Afterward,听Jennifer Lalley, cofounder of the safari operator Natural Selection, says that while some companies like hers already support conservation work, collective projects are usually more successful. 鈥淎ny collaborative efforts in conservation or poverty alleviation have the potential of achieving a much greater impact than individual efforts,鈥� she says.听

Anderson Kambimba, a staff member of the Botswana Democratic Party, agrees that such a fund would help both his Okavango community and the animals听living nearby. 鈥淲ildlife in and around my community are unfortunately viewed as government property and responsibility,鈥� he says. 鈥淭his results in wildlife and habitat receiving negative attention every time government is perceived in a bad light.鈥� A community conservation fund, he says, would bring a sense of ownership and accountability. 鈥淲hen people connect economic benefit to wildlife and habitat conservation, their commitment to protecting it rises. The community will fight wildfires, discourage and guard against poaching, police harmful waste-disposal practices, and so on.鈥�

After the meeting, Sizemore meets a group of Round River students for dinner at a caf茅. Despite the meeting鈥檚 success, and in what is meant to be a pep talk for the students, he can鈥檛 help but veer into melancholy.听

You鈥檒l be doing important work,听he tells the eight undergrads. 鈥淏ut it can be awfully hard sometimes. One has to learn to embrace loss.鈥� His voice cracks, and a tear runs from behind his yellow-tinted eyeglasses. He apologizes and blames the emotion on the four Advil he took and the double gin and tonic he鈥檚 drinking, but it鈥檚 obvious that he鈥檚 a man whose emotions are always swirling close to the surface.

Later, Sizemore mentions a quote of Leopold鈥檚: 鈥淥ne of the penalties of an ecological education is that you live alone in a world of wounds.鈥澨�

The students help push him on, even as he eclipses the age when most would throw in the towel.听鈥淚 try to absorb as much of their youthful exuberance as I can,鈥� he says, acknowledging a duty to those who continue to show up looking for tools to heal a world that, even in their brief lifetimes, has been accumulating even more wounds.

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Stanza Mbanga Molaodi had big plans this spring. On May 17, the owner of 听in Botswana was due to accompany six Italian clients into Chobe National Park, home to a third of the continent鈥檚 600,000 elephants. From its base camp in the bush, the group would go on game drives, day-trip to Victoria Falls, and enjoy cocktails and crocodile-watching听on sunset cruises up the Chobe River. The gang would then relocate to the park鈥檚 semiarid Savuti region, a landscape of baobab trees and rocky outcrops听where dense herds of zebra and buffalo congregate at watering holes and try not to get picked off by the Savuti lion听pride. Next up would be the Khwai Community Area, where indigenous bushmen would guide the Italians on walking safaris and take them paddling down the Khwai River in traditional mokoro canoes. The 12-day adventure would end with a birding extravaganza in the Okavango Delta, a Unesco听World Heritage site. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a beautiful place to end a safari,鈥� Molaodi told me, sounding almost emotional.

But the trip was not to be.

Frightened听by the coronavirus, the Italians canceled. All of Molaodi鈥檚 clients听have canceled or postponed. When I reached him by phone recently, he was holed up at home with his family in Kasane, fretting. On the day we spoke, the Botswana Defense Force ordered all troops on leave or off duty to return to their posts immediately, and Molaodi predicted a military-enforced lockdown, not unlike what neighboring South Africa had announced that same day. Molaodi seemed to be speaking for Africa鈥檚 entire听$40 billion wildlife-tourism industry when he confessed, 鈥淲e are all retrenching. Everyone is panicked.鈥澨�

Simply put, the safari business in Africa and Asia has stopped. Completely. Maybe that鈥檚 not surprising at this point in the pandemic. Between flight cancelations, national lockdowns, border closures, emergency visa restrictions, and required quarantine upon entry, clients fearless enough to travel couldn鈥檛 reach their destinations if they wanted to. Even if they could, in some countries they鈥檇 be sorely disappointed. India has shuttered all of its tiger reserves and national parks. Congo has closed Virunga National Park, fearing that its famous mountain gorillas could contract COVID-19听from humans. Gabon, deeply scarred from losing 15,000 lowland gorillas in a 1995 Ebola outbreak, has likewise halted all ape tours.听

What is surprising are the domino effects of this economic catastrophe and the ultimate impact they will have on wildlife. Starting in April, Molaodi鈥檚 six staff members will receive half their normal salary, but for May and beyond, all bets are off. Roberto de Sibi, owner of Savannah Explorers in Tanzania, had already placed 17 of his 45 employees on half salary when we spoke (I found him under 14-day quarantine in Milan, where he鈥檇 fled to be near his 82-year-old father, having caught the last flight from Tanzania to Italy). Neither Molaodi nor De听Sibi听would be paying anything to the many freelance听drivers and guides they hire during busy periods. Molaodi wouldn鈥檛 be paying the bushmen to take clients paddling, and De Sibi wouldn鈥檛 be paying Dadoga tribesmen to show his clients how to melt metal to make knives. Their clients wouldn鈥檛 be donating solar lanterns to villages or otherwise leaving generous contributions.听

Crucially, neither operator would be ponying up the various fees required by parks and community conservation areas for tourist entry, guide entry, vehicle entry, and overnight stays. Large percentages of such fees go to local communities for development projects and conservation measures, like funding anti-poaching scouts. Ninety percent of Zambia鈥檚 more than 1,000 scouts come from its communities and are paid from tourism fees. In Namibia, tourism fees pay for the country鈥檚 600 game guards and support more than 6,000 families.听

With rampant unemployment, unpaid game guards, and fewer tourists in the bush to report suspicious activity, it鈥檚 just a matter of time before wildlife gets hammered. 鈥�Poaching will increase,鈥� De Sibi听insists. 鈥淧eople who are jobless must find money or food.鈥澨�

Everyone I spoke with concurred on this point. 鈥淥ne of the biggest fears is that, if scouts can鈥檛 be paid, I can foresee people poaching,鈥� says Maxi Louis, director of the Namibian Association of听Community Based Natural Resources Management Support Organizations. 鈥淧overty will drive people.鈥� Louis also anticipates that local tolerance for crop-raiding herbivores and livestock-killing predators, both common in villages near protected areas, will plummet. 鈥淭here will be no scouts to manage human-animal conflict听and no funds to compensate for lost livestock,鈥� she says, expecting a spike in retaliatory killings听of troublesome wildlife.

In a 2012 study, ecologist Ralf Buckley of听Griffith University in Australia found that most of the more than 1,400 species listed as threatened by the International Union for听Conservation of Nature depend on tourism for their survival, including iconic species like lions, elephants, and rhinos. 鈥淢any park听agencies worldwide now rely heavily on tourism for routine operational funding, more than 50 percent in some cases,鈥� the study reported. 鈥淭his puts rare mammals at a new risk, from downturns in tourism driven by external socioeconomic factors.鈥澨�

Given the magnitude of this potential biodiversity implosion, mentioning a silver lining might seem frivolous. But there is one. Tourism is a double-edged sword. It funds conservation, yes, but too much of it can disturb breeding patterns, feeding habits, and migratory movement. It can pollute landscapes and destroy habitat. 鈥淭his travel hiatus of several months will give a chance for resilient natural environments to recover from the stress inflicted by tourism,鈥� says Frederic Dimanche, director of the Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Ryerson University in Toronto. (While Dimanche鈥檚 prediction is warranted, many other听reports on social media of wildlife thriving as a result of quarantines .) If the animals can manage to survive, the pandemic might be an opportunity to improve wildlife tourism. 鈥淒estinations and tourism operators everywhere have a unique chance to restart a tourism that will be better planned, better managed, one that will be sustainable, with stronger policies,鈥� Dimanche says.听

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Every January, I allow myself a handful of New Year鈥檚 resolutions. These always happen a little bit late, because I鈥檓 too superstitious to think about what I don鈥檛 like about myself on the first day of the year.听For 2020, I set a goal of watching more smart documentaries instead of kind-hearted baking shows and, for once, my resolution was perfectly timed. After all, January is the month that the Sundance Film Festival听lineup听and the Oscar nominations herald the season鈥檚 best nonfiction films.

Here are three nature-focused documentaries that are generating buzz听right now, all of which are available to stream online听so that you, too, can put 鈥淲atch more smart stuff鈥� on your to-do list and immediately check it off.

鈥楬辞苍别测濒补苍诲鈥�

The Oscar-nominated 听is a soothing back-to-the-land film experience for about 15 minutes, then quickly erupts into chaos. It tells the story of Hatidze Muratova, the last female wild beekeeper in Europe, who also appears to be the most nurturing woman on the planet: she cares for her ailing mother, far-flung beehives, and various pets with unwavering attention. Muratova adheres to a 鈥渉alf for me, half for you鈥� policy with the bees, knowing that if she takes too much, they won鈥檛 have enough to live on and may start attacking other hives. Her life鈥攁nd the bees鈥� lives鈥攖akes a stressful turn when a loud, boisterous family moves in next door with a ton of cows and questionable homesteading skills.听

Filmmakers Ljubo Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska camped in Muratova鈥檚 backyard for days at a time over the course of three years to capture the escalating drama; they succeeded so much that at times it鈥檚 hard to believe听Honeyland isn鈥檛 scripted. We easily eavesdrop on conversations and other sonic interruptions as the neighbors bulldoze听past Muratova鈥檚 traditional beekeeping听practices.听The tension between the neighbors depicts听the ecological destruction and economic stakes听surrounding the global honeybee crisis听in deeply personal terms. By the end of Honeyland, I was shouting at my screen every time someone took more than half the honey from the bees.

Streaming on Hulu. In U.S. theaters on July 26.

鈥業nto the Canyon鈥�

This documentary, by 国产吃瓜黑料 contributors Kevin Fedarko and Pete McBride, offers two main draws. First, you鈥檙e probably never going to see the Grand Canyon quite like the two of them did on their 750-mile thru-hike in 2016: there鈥檚 often no trail听and therefore plenty of opportunities to get very far away from a water source or peer into the canyon from a precarious ledge (a feeling that听Fedarko and McBride really lean into with acrophobia-triggering, handheld camera shots). Second, Into the Canyon will appeal to those who enjoy fun, buddy-comedy sufferfests, which the filmmakers pull off easily: Fedarko, a writer, and McBride, a photographer and filmmaker, have been friends and collaborators for years.听

But the journey goes into deeper territory. Alongside bouts of hyponatremia and monotonous dirt crunching, the two visit with听Navajo Nation citizens, developers, national-park officials, and other stakeholders who are at odds about the future of the Grand Canyon. Their long听hike is a useful narrative tool,听exposing听audiences to broader issues like uranium mining听and expanding tourist development. It manages not to feel like a gimmick; we鈥檙e given a step-by-step meditation on a powerful and ancient landscape听and a vivid lesson about just how quickly we could lose it.

Streaming on Disney+.

鈥�Okavango: River of Dreams鈥�

This self-described love letter to 叠辞迟蝉飞补苍补鈥檚 Okavango Delta starts out鈥� surprisingly, as in听a 鈥�like montage of elephants and water buffalo set to a dramatic cover of the Eurythmics鈥� 鈥淪weet Dreams (Are Made of This).鈥� There is no way to prepare for this experience (except with Big Little Lies) but, rest assured, the remainder of the film is about as traditional as nature documentaries get. That鈥檚 not a knock. The narration is majestically calming, and the camerawork is attentive, bordering on sensual. The best stuff includes footage of听elephants鈥攚ith fascinating close-ups of one crushing water lilies鈥攁nd incredible bird鈥檚-eye views of the animals听as they travel through the wetlands; the soothing narrator explains that elephants create 鈥渕osaics鈥� that direct the flow of water around the delta. Who knew! There鈥檚 always room in our brains for bits of trivia about critical wildlife sanctuaries, and Okavango is a particularly beautiful addition to the canon.

The听 is听streaming on Amazon Prime Video. A听feature-length director鈥檚 cut premiered at Sundance on January 26.

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From , follows fly fishing guide Lionel Song as he pursues the annual catfish migration which sends the听in Botswana into a frenzy. According to Song, their ferocity and attitude are second to none.听“The only reason they jump is because they don鈥檛 have middle fingers.”听

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Sometimes you want the people watching and social scene of a lively pool. Other times, you鈥檙e not in the mood for screaming, splashing children, or preening. If you just want to float freely and alone, or with a special friend, that鈥檚 when it鈥檚 worth upgrading to a room with its own听private pool (and, of course, a view). Here are nine worth fantasizing about鈥攕wimsuits often optional. 听

Santorini, Greece

Grace Santorini

Santorini is the most vertical of island paradises, with the appeal lying in bohemian hotels in cliff-top villages far above the island鈥檚 famous caldera and the Mediterranean flowing around it.听听is one of the full-service places to stay, and also one of the most water-fully blissful. All the honeymoon suites, and most of the others, have dreamy white-walled plunge pools, a distillation of the colors of the Greek Isle, and particularly epic听views听at sunset.听

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico听

The Resort at Pedregal听

Fully recovered from last fall鈥檚听, which devestated Cabo, each of the guest rooms, suites and casitas at听the stylish听听have Pacific-view plunge pools on their terraces or balconies. Their infinity edges beg you to rest your arms on them, along with perhaps a margarita or a Corona, and gaze out over the Pacific. But before you get to the lounging, get your blood flowing by surfing the nearby at world famous听.

Marrakech, Morocco听

Palais Namaskar

Mountain biking听among the Atlas Mountains with this hotel's expert guides is听one reason to stay at the recently opened 听in the lush Palmeraie district of Morocco鈥檚 famous Red City. There are听also the oasis-like rooms, reached by following a walkway lined with bougainvillea. Each听room听comes with its听own private, heated swimming pools that float inside separate ornamental pools, fragrant with orange blossoms and jasmine. Want more soaking? The bedroom has a freestanding bathtub.

Krabi, Thailand听

Phulay Bay, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve

After kayaking the fanciful sea caves of the Andaman Sea, cooling off in a pool at this hotel isn鈥檛 hard. The 听is the big splurge for water aficionados: It has a long, infinity-edge swimming pool with hydro-jets overlooking gumdrop-like limestone cliffs rising up from the Andaman Sea. In the more accessible room category, the Reserve Pool Villas have听pools (between 200 and 500 square-feet)听overlooking gardens. And as for the standard villas, you might not do laps, but you can still have a languid soak. The Jacuzzis in each of them are sized just-right for an afternoon of gazing at lush gardens and the sea below.听

Riviera Maya, Mexico听

Banyan Tree Mayakoba

Swimming is serious business at the听, located in its own 590-acre wildlife reserve, about a half hour north of some excellent kayaking and fly-fishing in the Sian Ka鈥檃n Biosphere Reserve and Tulum. Each of the 118 villas has a personal pool. Not just a splash-around plunge pool鈥攁 proper 323 sqare-foot听swimming pool, that unspools along the length of the villa, big enough to swim laps. Adjacent to each swimming pool is a Jacuzzi lined in sapphire blue mosaic tiles to reflect the sky above.听

Masded, Jamaica听

Cottage 7, Jamaica Inn

The old-world 听is already arguably the most romantic resort on the island, but its top room鈥攖he 2,000-square-foot, seafront Cottage 7鈥攃linches the deal. Twenty-foot glass doors open onto a private veranda with a 16-foot-long infinity pool, which is suspended over the Caribbean Sea. A second deck is set up for lounging or dining, and a staircase that leads down to a private cove in the sea for further aquatic indulgence.听

Antigua听

Cliff Suite at Curtain Bluff

Scuba diving and water skiing are included in the room rates, and the aquamarine Caribbean Sea is seemingly a part of your room. The heated, eight-by-eight-foot soaking pool in , one of Curtain Bluff鈥檚 premium rooms, is situated just so the iridescent blue seems to extends straight from this watery corner of the (super-private) terrace and out into the sea down below. If you float toward the edge, your view can take in the powdery white sand of Grace Bay Beach.听

Okavango Delta, Botswana听

andBeyond Sandibe Okavango Lodge

It鈥檒l be just you, the elephants, and zebras at one of the finest watering holes in the Okavango Delta. Except those animals won鈥檛 be drinking from them鈥攖he villas here come with small, cooling plunge pools situated on an elevated platform, safely above the animals鈥� reach. Reopened after a renovation last fall,听听has not only beautiful design but also exclusive traversing rights through a wildlife-rich stretch of land adjacent to the听.

鈥�St. Barth听

Hotel Le Toiny

Tiny St. Barth packs in activities from windsurfing and deep-sea fishing to kite surfing and water skiing, but it鈥檚 also a romantic paradise. The most amatory and secluded hotel on the island?听, which has just 15 freestanding villa suites, each with own heated, 12-by-20-foot private pool. The pools are made of lava stone, situated to have dreamy views over Caribbean, and softly lit with underwater lights for after you鈥檝e savored the last seconds of sunset.听

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On June 22, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) named the 听in Botswana the 1,000th site on its World Heritage List. The list spotlights the world’s most important natural wonders and cultural sites, and the Okavango Delta certainly fits the bill.听

Instead of ending in the ocean as most river deltas do, the Okavango River empties into a savannah to create the 6,500-square-mile delta. It’s also rare in that “the annual flooding from the river Okavango occurs during the dry season, with the result that the native plants and animals have synchronized their biological cycles with these seasonal rains and floods,” according to the UN World Heritage statement.

The fan-shaped delta is home to several endangered large-mammal species, including cheetah, white and black rhinoceros, African wild dog, and lion, making it a top safari destination in both Botswana and Africa at large.

The delta is best known for explorations by mokoro鈥攄ugout canoes that easily navigate the mazelike lagoon channels and papyrus swamps. These nonmotorized boats glide silently through the water, making them ideally suited for game watching. Tented camps at destinations such as Khwai and outfitted by and are launching points for nighttime game drives, during which visitors tour by Jeep when the animals are most active.

The list of World Heritage Sites keeps growing; the committee added听. UNESCO identifies natural (Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, for example) and man-made landmarks (the Pyramids of Egypt) that are of outstanding value to humanity. Although UNESCO designates the sites in the name of cultural preservation, it’s up to the individual countries to take action on the directive.

This year, the first site in Myanmar and one in the United States听, bringing the total number of World Heritage Sites to 1,007 in 161 countries.

In Myanmar, the site includes the remains of three brick, walled, and moat-encircled towns (Halin, Beikthano, and Sri Ksetra) that flourished between 200 BC and 900 AD. The cities include partially excavated palace citadels and monumental Buddhist stupas.

In the United States, , also a Louisiana State Park, became the country’s 22nd site UNESCO site. At this site, 3,400-year-old earthworks stand as a testament to the master engineering talents of Native Americans who constructed the five mounds and six concentric ridges around a plaza that was a major political, trading, and ceremonial center in its time.

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The news out of Africa isn鈥檛 good. In 2011, poachers slaughtered an estimated 25,000 elephants鈥攁nd 448 rhinos in South Africa alone. Animal trafficking is now the world鈥檚 third-largest criminal industry. Thankfully, a new crop of safaris lets travelers see endangered wildlife and help save it, too.

• 100 Miles for Elephants
• 2013 Safaricom Marathon
• Southern Africa Conservation Safari
• Gorilla Tracking in the Congo

Wild Aid: 100 Miles for Elephants

WHERE: Kenya
WHO RUNS IT: Hidden Places

鈥� founders, veterinarian Dag Goering and author Maria Coffey, started the to make life better for the world鈥檚 largest land mammal. Join them by raising pledges of $500 to $2,500 to walk with Samburu guides on a nine-day camel-supported trek across Laikipia Plateau, home to one of East Africa鈥檚 largest free-ranging elephant populations. Stay the first night in a luxury tented camp, then rough it for a week in expedition tents. January 23鈥�31; from $3,450 per person.

Wild Aid: 2013 Safaricom Marathon

WHERE: Kenya
WHO RUNS IT: Tusk Trust

This hilly marathon through has raised more than $3 million for conservation projects. In addition to trip cost, overseas participants in the June 29 race pay a $1,500 entry fee, which goes to , a U.K. non-profit devoted to protecting African wildlife. The includes training runs and game drives (June 23鈥�30; $2,799 per person). Slow of foot? Opt for 鈥� Conservation Safari, an 11-day adventure through Lewa, the luxury camp Sarara, and the Masai Mara ($8,995 per person; reference UNCHARTEDCONS2013 when you book to donate five percent of the cost to Tusk).

Wild Aid: Africa Conservation Safari

WHERE: Namibia, Botswana, South Africa
WHO RUNS IT:

This 12-day itinerary offers a crash course in conservation. In Namibia, visit 鈥攁 wildlife refuge that so impressed Brangelina, the couple donated $2 million鈥攖hen head to and the , home to cheetah rehabilitation. After a stop in 叠辞迟蝉飞补苍补鈥檚 , the trip winds up in South Africa at , where helicopter rides afford sweeping views of the park鈥檚 rhino-darting program. Proceeds from this portion of the trip support Kwandwe鈥檚 rhino project. From $7,750 per person.

Wild Aid: Gorilla Tracking in the Congo

WHERE: Republic of the Congo
WHO RUNS IT: The Wilderness Collection

Threatened by poaching and the Ebola virus, the western lowland gorilla is also facing increasing habitat loss. The , a conservation-focused company, is pioneering gorilla-oriented tourism here, opening the first two lodges in the heart of the Congo Basin. At the simple bamboo Lango Camp, you take game drives on the savanna. At Ngaga Camp, in the heart of the rainforest, you鈥檒l track gorillas. A portion of your fee goes toward the , which supports anti-poaching programs. From $5,350, plus $650 for internal charter flights.

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