Central Asia is largely off the tourist map due to security issues. But one country is safe and primed to break out: Kazakhstan. \u201cThere are deserts, forests, and mountains, and much of it is empty,\u201d says Kazakh climber Denis Urubko. Whether it\u2019s mountain-biking 10,000-foot Tien Shan passes, searching for snow leopards in the Aksu-Zhabagly Nature \u00adReserve, or floating the Ili River, there\u2019s enough adventure to keep you busy for months. Go with one of World Expeditions\u2019 15-day mountain-biking trips (from $4,190; worldexpeditions.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n With more than 100 organizations that monitor sustainable travel practices, it\u2019s more confusing than ever to navigate the difference between green and greenwashed. Our advice: start with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (gstcouncil.org<\/a>), the inter\u00adnational umbrella organization that creates best-practices criteria for sustainability. Anyone accred\u00adited by the council\u2014from individual hotels to entire regions, like Botswana\u2019s Okavango Delta\u2014\u00adreceives a seal that looks like a footprint, a sure sign that the council\u2019s standards are being met.<\/p>\n Tired of group dynamics but still want the expertise of an outfitter? You\u2019re in luck. Companies are increasingly finding ways for guests to travel solo. CW \u00adºÚÁϳԹÏÍøs has an entire line of self-guided walks, like Spain\u2019s Camino de Santiago, and \u00adarranges all accommodations, some meals, luggage transfers, detailed routes and maps, and emergency support ($3,598 for nine days; cwadventures.com<\/a>). With UK-based Audley, you pick a country, they put you in touch with a certified country specialist, and the two of you hammer out an itinerary within your budget, traveling with or without an in-country guide (audleytravel.com<\/a>). Experience Plus Bicycle Tours has built up such an extensive library of itineraries and contacts around the globe that they offer private dates for a group of eight or more at the same price as their standard departures (experienceplus.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n Energy bars are the most efficient \u00adoption on travel days. Here are three of our favo\u00adrites.<\/p>\n Every year, a new site or app promises to revolutionize travel\u2014but few have staying power. These are the three most promising digital tools we\u2019ve found.<\/p>\n Safaris have long been big business in Africa, but these days observing wildlife is becoming a staple of the adventure-travel industry all over the world. \u201cInterest in all destinations for wildlife viewing is growing significantly,\u201d says Chris Breen, founder of Wildlife Worldwide, an agency that specializes in bespoke safaris. For our money, these four new trips are the most surprising and exciting on the planet.<\/p>\n The best way to preserve vacation memories? Local music. Download the Shazam app before your trip. It will identify the songs playing around you during your travels and build an unforgettable playlist of Hindi funk or Swedish death metal to blast on your commute back to work. Free; shazam.com <\/a><\/p>\n Digital detox has become so popular, it was added to the Oxford Online Dictionary last year. Looking to get offline? OpenSignal.com has a comprehensive database of worldwide cell-phone towers, cellular networks, signal readings, and Wi-Fi points. Type in your zip code, city, and country name, and you\u2019ll get a map of the best\u2014and, by default, worst\u2014connectivity spots in your area. Or just pick one of these rela\u00adtively reachable dark spots:<\/p>\n Get There First Central Asia is largely off the tourist map due to security issues. But one country is safe and primed to break out: Kazakhstan. \u201cThere are deserts, forests, and mountains, and much of it is empty,\u201d says Kazakh climber Denis Urubko. Whether it\u2019s mountain-biking 10,000-foot Tien Shan passes, searching for snow leopards in … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1628621,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"uuid":"82b866f7339d9843d1369b6044191ae3","footnotes":""},"categories":[2569],"tags":[],"byline":[50,1119],"ad_cat":[],"legacy-category":[],"class_list":["post-2454571","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-destinations","byline-stephanie-pearson","byline-tim-neville"],"acf":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"2014 Travel Awards: Travel Strategies","url":"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/adventure-travel\/destinations\/2014-travel-awards-travel-strategies\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/adventure-travel\/destinations\/2014-travel-awards-travel-strategies\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/migrated-images_parent\/migrated-images_61\/strategies-shasta_fe.jpg","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/migrated-images_parent\/migrated-images_61\/strategies-shasta_fe.jpg"},"articleSection":"Destinations","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"sperkins-pom"}],"creator":["sperkins-pom"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Online","logo":"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/favicon-194x194-1.png"},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2014-03-04T00:00:00Z","datePublished":"2014-03-04T00:00:00Z","dateModified":"2022-05-12T14:19:15Z"},"rendered":"Tread Lightly<\/h2>\n
Go It Alone<\/h2>\n
Snack Healthy<\/h2>\n
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Plug In<\/h2>\n
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Go Wild<\/h2>\n
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Make a Playlist<\/h2>\n
Go Dark<\/h2>\n
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