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The weather's getting colder, and that means your packing and planning strategies have to change. Steer clear of these backpacking mistakes for a smoother transition to fall.

From Hawaii to the Swiss Alps, what are the epic trips that nobody else is doing? We found a few.

Meet the newest trend in full-service trip planning: surprise travel. You won't find out where you're going until it's time to go.

Save up for the trip of your dreams in six months or less

You're convinced that having a travel expert by your side will be useful. But how do you go about knowing when and how to book with them?

Seventeen essential strategies for how to make your adventuring more fun, affordable, and hassle-free

You can try to book your epic adventure by spending hours online. Or you can save time, money, and hassle by using a travel agent.

With these tools, there's no reason to wait in long lines

The one-week boot camp puts paying customers in the middle of the Indonesian jungle, then helps them survive the journey home

I'd love to haul my kids up the railings to Half Dome, but don't want to risk accidents—or turning them off of hiking forever. How can we have fun while staying safe in the national park?

Who says you have to chose between land or water?

Climate change is opening up more than ice fields—it's stoking a new tourism economy.

Think you're ready for the world's longest stand-up paddleboard race? We'll be the judge.

Despite the republic's best efforts to modernize, its legacy of trade and cultural expansion still lingers three centuries later

On the 100th anniversary of Ernest Shackleton's legendary expedition, a writer retraces the explorer's steps to one of the cruelest, most gorgeous wildernesses on earth.

Some plan trips in advance; others let the current carry them. For Amy Ragsdale, traveling with risk takers like herself has helped her trust the process of exploring without a full map, rather than fight it.

Procrastinators are about to get the last laugh. Turns out you can save 10 to 40 percent if you book a hotel at the last minute through an app.

I'm nervous about rising ticket prices and added fees. Can I still travel regularly without breaking the bank?

Two brothers and a sister—whose parents are endurance athletes—attempted to swim the English Channel together this month. Does the family factor add any advantage?

We can boat the same backyard river with our family a dozen or more times, and it will never get old—because rivers, like our children, are constantly changing.

Two years ago, Filipe Leite turned his ponies south on a journey from Canada to Brazil. Ten thousand miles later, he's almost home after facing drug traffickers, grizzlies, and mad bulls on an epic transcontinental trip.

I want to explore the best of what nature has to offer. Where can I find some up-and-coming ecotourism sites?

An excerpt from Unruly Places: Lost Spaces, Secret Cities, and Other Inscrutable Geographies examines the spaces between borders

Click but don’t share when you’re on safari

A photo is only worth 1,000 words if you know how to capture the right one. These six programs can help.

Tech to ensure you thrive on the sand and in the water this summer.

The roomiest, sturdiest, and most stylish hanging nests of the year

Five wild mountain ranges. Hundreds of miles of trails. Zero crowds. That’s what awaits visitors at the country’s newest Naitonal Monument in New Mexico. Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks consists of four separate patches of the Chihuahuan Desert surrounding Las Cruces in southern New Mexico. Encompassing a half-million acres…

The Pennine Way, England’s first national trail, turns 50 this year. Even if it’s literally over the hill, the 268-mile route of rolling terrain is as popular as ever, especially this weekend. July 12 marks the annual National Trails geocache release, during which new coins…

Sweating's divorced from everything chic...right?

Yes, it's possible to abandon the stakes, poles, and fly. Tuck into these alternatives next time you need some shut-eye outdoors.

There's a new brand in town. Does its dehydrated food stack up to—or shrivel before—its rivals?

It’s such a culinary contradiction: the great gourmet food of New England is usually served on paper plates and eaten at picnic tables by grownups wearing plastic bibs. Yet there’s no denying that the tastiest lobster served in Maine invariably comes from laid back hole-in-the-wall food shacks that line the…

Play outside with kids your own age

With the World Cup underway, the beautiful game is first in hearts and minds. But Brazil has another signature sport: jiu-jitsu. The martial art and self-defense method is based on grappling and ground fighting. It’s a finer art than just choking a dude out. Although hailing from Japan, the Brazilian…

Landing easy money to pay for adventure is a thing of the past. Now athletes must perfect the art of low-cost, high-risk expeditions to access the world’s remotest corners, and young mountaineer Ed Farrelly is leading the charge.

Cuba. Where travelers lounge on picturesque beaches, swirl mojitos, dance til sunrise, and cruise back to their hotels in ’57 T-birds. Travelers, yes. But Americans, no. Until 2011, these indulgences were long off limits to U.S. citizens due to a Bay of Pigs–era trade embargo.  But despite the Obama Administration…

Architectural firm Bureau Bernaskoni went against the grain when it designed this no-frills Russian getaway.

Seven men want to share a few thousand pieces of gear with the world. And they need your help.

Black-water rafting sounds dark and mysterious, right? It is. Sort of. Black-water rafting is essentially cave tubing, and it involves climbing, rappelling, and floating subterranean rivers—both freely (in the safety position, feet downstream) or in inner tubes. Black water rafting the Waitomo Caves in New Zealand. New Zealand’s …

If you plan to stay at one of those mega-sized all-inclusive resorts where no one bothers to leave the property except to return to the airport, it doesn’t matter which island you’re on. The limbo contests, nightly magician acts, and rum drinks at the tiki bar will all be…

Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia have the biggest mountains among the 14 states on the Appalachian Trail. The southern portion of the Appalachian Trail. Although the promise of southern temps might draw spring break hikers to Georgia, sleet and snow are common here in March. Georgia is better hiked in…

The Appalachian Trail is one of 11 National Scenic Trails and—along with the Continental Divide and Pacific Crest trails—one of three popular, near-border-to-border treks in the U.S. The New England portion of the Appalachian Trail. Through-hikers on the AT have a roughly 2,180-mile journey in front of them. However, the…

Although it might seem that backpackers are free spirits who fly by the seat of their pants, most experienced hikers will tell you that good planning is what determines a good trip. Here’s what you need to know before tackling a long-distance hike, such as the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, or…

If the thought of seeing a real life march of the penguins gives you happy feet, then you’re in luck. There are actually a number of places you can witness the exultant event, and they’re not all in Antarctica. Although the earth’s icy, southernmost continent does contain a number of…

Francis Sheil, lead chef at the Palmer Station in Antarctica, has spent a total of 62 months of “ice time” and two complete (nine-month) winter seasons at the South Pole. Sheil has plenty of advice for cold-weather cooks, even if they don’t encounter Antarctic conditions as he…

Here are five choices worth traveling for: Eat and drink in a Mexican cave at Alux Bar and Lounge. At approximately 6,000 years old, the Sunland “Big Baobab” is the widest of its species. The inside of the tree is cavernous and contains the world-famous Baobab Tree Bar. Tip…

Step one: Read the essential texts. Rock-star alpinist Conrad Anker, who leads The North Face’s dream team of globetrotting expeditionists, recommends Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills. First published 54 years ago by The Mountaineers climbing club in Seattle, the how-to guide…

Is there a more abused word in the travel writer’s lexicon than “escape”? But it really does describe a Belizean vacation. Belcampo: Room 1 and the room of your dreams. The Central American country has all the makings for a timeout from reality, including multiple ecosystems to explore (swampy planes,…

People who cruise and those who don’t are the Bloods and the Crips of the travel and leisure class. The former breathlessly defend the virtues of “all-inclusive” and “pre-planned,” while the latter—if they’re up on their cruise drama—envision floating cattle cars covered in microbes and piloted by inebriates. I’ve seen…

Cliff diving traces its roots to Hawaii, where, in the 1760s, King Kahekili initiated his warriors with the tactic, thus proving their loyalty and bravery. Cliff diving is now a sanctioned sport under the World High Diving Federation (WHDF), but no measure of officiousness can take away its homespun daredevil…

There are few species more in need of a helping hand than the sea turtle: All seven species are on threatened or endangered lists. And thanks to the turtles’ penchant for secluded, sandy beaches, altruists planning volunteer trips have exotic vacations in store—bonus! Most volunteer work involves working at a…

Recommending multi-day hikes in Hawaii is a bit of a challenge—the islands just aren’t big enough to for many long distance treks. Kalulau Trail sign. But the hike that best fits your wish list is the Kalalau Trail through the Na Pali Coast State Wilderness Park on Kauai.

The short answer is yes (or “YES!” depending on your point of view). Thanks to an ordinance adopted in September, retail marijuana sales become legal in Colorado on January 1. The ordinance piggybacks on Amendment 64, which passed in November 2012, allowing adults 21 and older to grow up to…

The all-mighty budget is a hurdle for many travelers. Couchsurfing (CS), an online network where travelers exchange free lodging, allows you to leap this obstacle. But couch surfing isn’t just about getting a free place to stay; it’s about fostering connections among a community of, now, seven million…

Each winter, snow covers the peak of Mauna Kea, a 14,000-foot dormant volcano located on Hawaii’s Big Island. And, yes, this “pineapple powder,” as locals call it, is ready to rip. DCIM1GOPRO Just don’t expect chairlifts, or any amenities for that matter. The barren, moonlike summit—which…

I want to ride an elephant, but I also want to ensure the animals are cared for well. Where should I go?

“After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.” —Nelson Mandela

I want access to prime powder outside the resort but don’t want to hike in for ski-touring. How do I find the right heli-skiing guide?

I’m visiting Seattle and Portland in January and would like to go sea kayaking while I’m there.

I want to come home with both my devices and my identity in tact.

How do I look smart—but also practical—while traveling the world?

A friend and I are planning to hike a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail next summer. We'll have a week; what are the best sections for a trip like this?

My iPhone is my worst enemy and my job is destroying me—where can I live like a monk for a bit while I repair my damaged soul?

Where's the best place for a novice to learn? How do I select an outfitter?

Are e-cigarettes a good alternative? If so, what's the best one for the adventure traveler?

I'll be in Banff, Alberta, from October to December. What shouldn't I miss?

I’m traveling to Mexico City and Bangkok. How do I sample their famous street treats without battling Montezuma and whichever dead ruler haunts the bowels of tourists in Thailand?

I want to take lots of photos during my holiday adventures. What do I need to know before hitting the road?

At the annual ���ϳԹ��� Travel World Summit in Namibia, a bicycle proves the best way to experience your surroundings.

I want to hike up a live— or at least dormant—volcano. Where can I go without getting scorched?

I’m thinking about doing a road trip and some backpacking out west this summer, but I’ve heard a lot about the wildfires burning from California to Alaska. What do I need to know about traveling safely in fire country?

I live in southern Utah—obviously not one of the world's great surf destinations. One of my biggest dreams is to take a surfing trip up the California coast, from San Diego to San Francisco. I would like to camp on the beaches in state parks and such. What do you suggest?

A friend and I are planning to hike a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail next summer. We'll have a week. What are the best sections for a trip like this?

I'm looking for a good destination for an active honeymoon this summer. We're fit, but local day hikes are the extent of our outdoor skills; we don't know how to ski and we're too pale to just lie on the beach. Both U.S. and international destinations are fine.

There’s been a lot of talk lately about who should foot the bill for backcountry rescues. I’m usually pretty careful, but accidents happen, and I don’t want to get stuck with the tab. Should I purchase rescue insurance for my next way-out-there trip?