New Website For Adventure Travelers

A good looking new travel website launched recently, bringing good coverage to adventure destinations across the globe. The new site, entitled Switchback Travel, is already rich with content and offers articles on several destinations which will no doubt be of interest to readers of this blog as well.

Amongst the stories already posted on the site are an article about hiking in the French Pyrenees, exploring the backroads of Maui, and the climbing, paddling, and backpacking options on the Norway's Lofoten Islands. That last article is part of a much larger feature on Norway itself, which is billed as Europe's true wilderness. Other articles take a look at the Great Himalayan Trail, something I've written about myself, and give advice on the best camera to take on your next adventure.

All in all, Switchback looks like it is a nice addition to the online travel community, and with its focus on adventure travel, I'm sure I'll be reading it regularly and using it as a resource for future trips of my own. I like the nice use of photography on the site, and the writing is comprehensive and insightful as well. The site is most definitely off to a good start, so be sure to check it out.

Venturepax Inspires Outdoor Adventures, Rewards You For Going Outside

A new website, entitled Venturepax, is looking to inspire us to head outside for a little adventure, and is willing to reward us for sharing those experiences with others. The site is already building a community of outdoor enthusiasts and is encouraging them to post photos and impressions of their adventures for others. When they do, they'll receive points that can be redeemed for discounts in local gear shops, t-shirts, water bottles, and more.

The Venturepax experience has three options: Find Venture, Share Experience, and Earn Rewards. The Find Venture option is a location aware library that suggest popular outdoor options that are in your area, and is a great place to discover new things to see and do outside. The Share Experience section allows you to pot your own suggestions, while also uploading images, while the Earn Rewards option gives you points based on the things you share that will eventually earn you some swag.

Earning points is easy. When you "check in" from a location, you'll receive 2 points. Uploading an image will earn you 20 points, while a video gets you 60. You'll also be rewarded by adding a new Venture to the library and sharing your experiences at that place or one of the others already added to the database. After you earn enough points, you can redeem them for Venturepax gear and discount cards.

The Venturepax website also reports that they are creating apps for Android, iPhone, and Blackberry that will let you check-in, share images, and post thoughts while on the go. That will make it extremely easy to rack up reward points while you're actually outside.

To get started at Venturepax, simply go to the site and create a profile, or login using your Facebook account. Once you're in, you can start sharing your outdoor adventures and finding new ones that you didn't even know existed.

The concept for this site is a simple, but good one. I've already found a few new things to do in my area, and that alone makes it worthwhile.

New Website Offers Discounted Adventure Trips To Members

A new website could prove to be quite a boon for adventure travelers looking for great deals on their next trip. Epic Thrills launched this morning as a members-only site that offers exclusive pricing on some of the best trips available from some of the best adventure travel companies in the world.

Using the Jetsetter model of offering members a single exceptional deal each week, Epic Thrills has partnered with a number of well known travel companies to offer discounts of up to 30% off active adventures to far-flung corners of the globe. For example, the very first trip that they will sell is an 11-day mountain biking journey through Nepal that is organized by Pedalers Pub & Grille, a company well known for its fantastic cycling adventures. Pricing for this trip will be revealed at 1PM ET today, but I'm told the savings will be 20% off the regular price.

Once a new travel deal is posted, it will remain on the site for anywhere from 7-14 days, with a new deal being revealed each week. Members will have the opportunity to purchase at the discounted price, but once the trip reaches its maximum capacity, the deal will be closed.

At the moment, the only way to get into the site is by requesting membership on the site's sign-in page or to know someone (like me!) who can send you an invite. Once you're accepted, you'll be able to create an account, login and take advantage of the savings yourself. While you wait for that invite to be sent, you can read the Epic Thrills Blog, which looks to have some excellent content already in place.

I know that this approach to discounted travel deals has worked well for Jetsetter and it can be a really great option for travelers looking to save a little green. If you're an adventure traveler, you'll definitely want to get in on this program.