A modern-day explorer named Ed Stafford needs your help to complete his latest mission: a walk from the source of the Amazon River in the Andes to the mouth of the river in Brazil. Stafford began the project on April 2, 2008 with a walking partner named Ed Collyer, but after three months, Collyer called it quits and headed back to England. Apparently the two didn't get along very well. Stafford is looking for another partner to complete the journey, and maybe that partner is you. Yes, gentle reader, if you're the adventurous sort, you don't mind poisonous snakes falling onto you from trees, and you can get along with a guy who may or may not be a jungle jerk, apply at Ed's website now for an opportunity to make history. After all, it's a feat that has never before been accomplished, and that many experts have said is impossible. But if you and Ed pull it off, you'll wind up in the record books and have helped indigenous people along the river's banks by studying their lifestyles and habits and preserving their traditions for prosperity. Sound good? Well, before you lace up your hiking boots and slather on the bug spray, read a little bit about what it's like to walk with Stafford in Saturday's Guardian travel section. I could handle the bugs, snakes, murky water, and general discomfort. But being accused of being a pelicara, literally, a "baby-eating monster that also steals the body fat of adults, sucks out their eyes and takes their organs," and looks just like a regular white guy? That would hurt my feelings.

[Photo: The Guardian]

Related Stories:
· Must Like Snakes ... [The Guardian]
· Walking the Amazon [Official Site]
· Jungle Travel Coverage [Jaunted]]]> Victor Ozols 2008-11-16T13:39:04-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/16/111956/62

It's hard to believe there are still tribes of indigenous people in the world who have never had contact with modern society. It's even harder to believe that one of them - the Totobiegosode tribe of Paraguay - recently won a major victory against two Brazilian companies without even being aware they were waging a battle. As CNN points out, lawsuits were filed on behalf of the natives by local environmental groups against the companies that were clearing jungle land to be used for cattle ranches. The companies have already cleared 6,000 hectares of forest in the Totobiegosode and Ayoreo people's (pictured) ancestral homelands, but the ruling puts a halt to further deforestation, at least for the moment. ]]> Victor Ozols 2008-11-16T11:19:56-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/8/131914/586

Electric cars seem like a great idea, but its hard to believe they'll ever really catch on with the driving public without some serious incentives. Officials in France and Australia, however, think they have it figured out: they plan to launch low-priced electric car sharing networks modeled after the wildly successful bike-sharing program Velib. Autolib will station 4,000 battery-powered electric cars in and around Paris, with users paying a monthly membership fee of between 20 and 30 euros and rental fees of between four to five euros per hour for the cars. To go along with the rollout, the city plans to install 1,400 electric charging stations, so you'll never be far from the juice you need to keep going. (After all, electric cars can only operate for an hour or two before they bonk.) A similar effort is going on in Australia, where an outfit called Better Place is working with a Renault-Nissan alliance to introduce electric cars, charging spots, battery exchanges, and renewable energy technology to the good people Down Under. When will all of this be completed? It depends on who you ask. French officials claim their system will be up by 2010 and the Aussies are predicting a 2012 launch, but it's doubtful that automakers will have fleets of acceptable vehicles ready in that time frame. But in any case, it's nice to see zero-emission vehicles get a little encouragement, and we look forward to zipping around Paris or Perth in a snazzy electric car.

[Photo: EV World]

Related Stories:
· Autolib, Paris's Public Electric Car Service [concierge.com]
· Electric Car Network Down Under [psfk.com]
· Better Place [Official Site]
· Electric Car Tours [Jaunted]]]> Victor Ozols 2008-11-08T13:19:14-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/6/14640/6716

While most of the US State Department's travel warnings seem pretty obvious--Don't vacation in Sudan? No problem!--an update yesterday concerned a surprising destination: Belize. Usually considered a safe and easy intro to Central America, it seems the country's extensive ecotourism facilities are more dangerous than we'd have guessed.

Says the department's website:

Following a fatal accident at the Cave Branch Archeological Park in September 2008, the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) is implementing new regulations, effective and legally enforced beginning October 15, 2008, to improve safety at cave tubing attractions. Those policies will include an enhanced, mandatory guest-to-guide ratio of eight-to-one for all operating cave tubing tour companies in Belize.

Additional signage will be posted in each cave tubing excursion site, informing participants of park rules and current water conditions and/or warnings. Mandatory specialty training for each cave tubing guide will continue and include education on new regulations. Helmets will also be required for each cave tubing participant starting January 1, 2009.

Diving can also be dangerous, not because of intrinsic risks, but because of ill-maintained equipment or poor decisions on the part of dive operators and boat crews. If you end up left behind at the dive site, don't say Condi Rice didn't warn you!

Related Stories:
· State Department Country Specific Information [Official Site]
· Dangerous Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: kthypryn]]]> pbb 2008-11-06T14:15:08-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/8/24/11482/0347

Environmentalists have plenty of valid reasons to look forward to the end of the Bush administration, but when it's all said and done, there may well be a handful of environmental positives to weigh against the ecological damage it has wrought. Case in point: the president is proposing a ban on commercial fishing and mineral exploration on and around three large Pacific island chains. The Northern Mariana Islands, the Line Islands, and American Samoa are likely to be deemed protected areas, preserving a remote swath of extreme biodiversity that might otherwise be destroyed in our pursuit of food and energy.

Animals like migratory birds, sea turtles, and the scary-looking coconut crab (pictured) will benefit from the designation, which comes just two years after similar protections were placed on the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (easy for you to say) represents the largest protected marine area in the world, but here's hoping it's just the beginning.

As far as tourism is concerned, larger islands like Saipan, Tinian, and Tutuila have plenty of fancy hotels with all the beachy amenities. The smaller Line Islands of Jarvis Island, Kingman Reef, and Palmyra Atoll, meanwhile, are uninhabited, but you can sail your yacht or luxury submarine close enough to take a dinghy to shore for a picnic.

Related Stories:
· Bush Seeks to Protect 3 Pacific Island Chains [Live Science]
· Environment Coverage [Jaunted]]]> Victor Ozols 2008-08-24T11:48:02-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/7/26/12596/0790

California is once again leading the country in environmental protection regulations, instituting last week the world's most stringent requirements on oceangoing vessels. Starting next year, ships within 24 nautical miles of shore will be required to burn low-sulfur diesel fuel instead of the cheaper heavy fuel oil, often called bunker oil, that's become the industry standard. The ruling will apply to all big ships, from container ships and oil tankers to cruise ships, and may well take a bite out of the cruise companies' bottom lines, resulting in higher ticket prices for cruises from California ports.

But it gets me thinking. With all the hullabaloo about green travel, you don't hear too much about green cruising. Sure, cruise lines have made efforts to not dump so much trash and sewage into the ocean and whatnot, but when it comes to the total amount of CO2 and general crud a big ship must pump into the air from its massive engines, it quickly becomes a topic we'd rather not dwell on when we're on vacation. I mean, aren't these behemoths essentially floating Hummers? ]]> Victor Ozols 2008-07-26T13:00:23-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/5/28/235234/976

So checking out the wildlife at your local ski resort doesn't do it for you? That's where Great Bear Tours comes in.

The swanky outfit has its own floating wind-and-solar-powered lodge, which you can only reach via seaplane. On arrival, you'll be whisked away to your room--surprisingly complete with private bath. Depending on how much you want to see and how much you have to spend, you can stay for up to seven nights.

Each day you'll head out in a small group with a wildlife expert. You'll check out estuaries by kayak and inlets by boat, all in search of Yogi and friends. Best of all, when you return each night you'll be pampered with fine food and wine--no "pick-a-nick" basket meals here.

You have to get in touch for pricing info so you can bet your trip won't be cheap. But isn't it worth paying those professionals a little extra when wild animals are within striking distance? Better start listing your teddy bears on eBay now to fund your adventure.

Related Stories:
· Great Bear Tours [Official Site]
· Summer Vacations with an Edge coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: chascar]]]> kjb 2008-05-29T16:30:01-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/